How To Start A Siphon

[john5748]

I've had a mouth full of tank water on more than one occasion, before I mastered the autostart Just remember it's the one time where spitting rather than swallowing is the best thing to do

Arfie

Very funny Arfie

 

[dwarfgourami]

I've always used my mouth those other ones where you giggle it about are just too annoying and probably stress out the fish way too much!

You don't have to wiggle it about, just lift it up and down gently two or three times, I've never noticed my fish getting stressed out, they'd have to be very sensitive. Not that I have anything against the idea of sucking, I just find the wiggling method easier.

 

[wuvmybetta]

wow, a lot of you guys like to live on the wild side

Just auto start it, fill the cyclinder with water, hold it upright and let the water drain down the tube into the bucket but before the cylinder empties refill it by dipping it on it's side into the tank. Bada-bing bada-boom, you're freakin' syphoning!

 

[Fella]

I use my mouth. It's my idea of living dangerously.

 

[Wanda hornsey]

I use my husbands mouth ... I never swallow fishy water then ...Anyway Its not a biggy...if your worried forget the listernine just have a nice big Jack Daniels neat over Ice...I recon it will kill the germs and after a couple you wont care anyway

 

[guppymonkey]

I use a Hagen syphon starter bulb that slots into the pipe. Works fine whenever I need a syphon, I use it with water changes and priming the external filters.

Forget the bacteria, it's the fishes parasites and worms that I don't fancy ingesting.

If your fish have worms and parasites you have a major problem on your hands and need to medicate your fish. That being said there is really little chance of any parasites (and i am assuming that you meant parasitic worms) would be able to infect you. Most parasites are not able to jump from one family of organisms to another. I have never read of anyone getting infected by common parasites that show up on ornamental fish. That being said I would guess that it wouldn't be good to ingest them either. But even then unless the parasites literally toook over the tank I doubt you could be infected by a mouthful of water. Tank water is no worse (and probably better) than most tap water except its just not chlorinated. So pore some Chlorox in a bottle of aquarium water and call it Evian!

Just kidding don't actually do that it would probably taste horrible and possibly get you sick (not the aquarium water the Chlorox).

 

[Ethos]

I start my smaller siphion ith just a small suction of air, but for my python(I start that by mouth too) I have to suck a whole lungfull, and thats actually kinda gross.

 

[FreshwaterFishie]

I start my smaller siphion ith just a small suction of air, but for my python(I start that by mouth too) I have to suck a whole lungfull, and thats actually kinda gross.

My siphon needs to be started like that too. I can't get it to auto-start and it is so fast that my mom gets a mouthful of water. In the wild the fish waste sinks to the bottom. Siphoning you are bringing all the waste and food from the bottom of the tank. So, it is not just water. LOL I was just wondering how other people started it and it is like 67.11% that use there mouth.