How to make a siphon for an aquarium with your own hands?

The aquarium is designed to delight in its appearance, but for this it needs constant care. The beauty and cleanliness of the fish’s home lie entirely on the shoulders of their owners. Maintaining order in the aquarium is not easy. A variety of devices, including filters and siphons, help to cope with it simply and quickly. Moreover, some of them can be done easily by ourselves, making it easier for ourselves to frequent and such a necessary procedure.

In aquariums, the dirtiest place is the soil, on which the numerous vital products of fish and other inhabitants of the underwater world are accumulated, as well as the remains of food. As a result, it has to be cleaned regularly of dirt.

Experienced aquarists know that It’s very, very difficult to maintain cleanliness in the underwater world without a siphon. After all, if it is not good enough to remove the mud deposit from the bottom, over time, when it decomposes, toxic substances begin to be released. Moreover, it is necessary to clean the soil at least once a week.

Not so long ago, the soil was cleaned by flushing, which took a lot of time and was dangerous for fish. After all, after a while, your own biological environment is established in the aquarium, which is easy to disrupt. Most often, when washing, the aquarium vegetation suffered, therefore, in particular, the siphon became a salvation for it.

It is worth clarifying that both tiny and huge aquariums of several hundred liters are equally in need of cleaning.And a siphon can help with this, which perfectly removes dirt, excrement from the inhabitants of the aquarium and silt.

There are two types of siphon for an aquarium:

• mechanical;
• battery powered electric.

As a rule, differences in these species are few. Filters are a glass and a hose, and the method of use for all siphons is the same. The principle of operation is that the filter is lowered into the aquarium and installed at the bottom, and after a while all the sewage flows by gravity along the hose and into the substituted container. When the water becomes bright and clean, you can move the "underwater vacuum cleaner" to another area.

Most often, siphons are made in the form of a long hose, at the end of which a tube is fixed. Additionally, a special pear for pumping water, a funnel or a cylinder can go in the kit. It is best when the walls of the siphon are transparent, so that it is noticeable if stones, small fish or snails are caught. It is worth noting that in electric siphons it is often possible to regulate the flow of water, but they are suitable for aquariums with a depth of not more than 0.5 meters.

A wide selection of siphons is offered in stores, but despite this, it is advisable to be able to make it yourself from improvised materials. In fact, making an “underwater vacuum cleaner” for an aquarium at home is very simple and also very cheap. Wherein time costs are also minimal.

It’s worth starting a siphon for the aquarium with the preparation of the necessary materials and tools. Quite often, home-made models are made from droppers, plastic bottles or disposable syringes. So, you should prepare in advance:

• a disposable dropper or a plastic bottle, or a syringe;
• rigid hose;
• a straw for a cocktail;
• weighting agent;
• knife;
• knitting needle or awl;
• electrical tape;
• silicone as a sealant.

Sure, The electric siphon is most convenient to use, but taking into account its disadvantages, it is better and cheaper to make an assistant for cleaning the aquarium with your own hands. The main element in the aquarium siphon is the hose. It is chosen, as a rule, depending on the size of the aquarium. For example, if the capacity is 100 liters, then a hose with a diameter of 8-10 mm is ideal. If you select too large, then the water may drain earlier than the bottom is well cleaned.

Making a siphon from a bottle involves a number of steps.

1. First, a funnel is made from the bottle. To do this, cut it in half and take a part with a neck. This will be the main element of the aquarium vacuum cleaner. A half liter bottle is enough for an average aquarium.
2. For a stronger suction of water from the bottom, an uneven edge is made in the form of serrated notches or a zigzag section. However, this option requires very careful handling of the siphon so as not to damage the fish.
3. The next step is making holes in the bottle cap. In this case, the diameter must match the diameter of the hose. The tube should not easily pass into the hole so that there are no leaks.
4. Now you need to insert the hose from the inside of the cap into the hole. In the middle of the funnel, no more than 2 centimeters of a tube are passed. All remaining hose lengths must remain outside.
5. The ideal hole in the lid is not easy to make, so it is best to use silicone for sealing. After it is completely dry, you can use the siphon.

From a disposable medical dropper, a siphon for an aquarium is made in a slightly different way.

1. First, disconnect the needle from the test container. The easiest way to do this is with a knife.If the parts are fastened too well, then you can simply trim around the edge.
2. Now with a knitting needle or an awl it is necessary to remove the protective net, since it is not needed in the siphon.
3. Next, cut off the needle attachment unit.
4. After that, carefully pull the hose out of the clamp. A weighting material is put on it, which can be a weight from a flexible sprayer. After that, the clamp returns to its original place.
5. The last stage - a cocktail tube is put on the hose. The drip siphon is immediately ready for use. It is especially good to use it for small aquariums.

An excellent siphon can also be made from a medical disposable syringe.

• The manufacturing process begins with sawing off that part of the syringe body where the ears and snap ring are located.
• Next, the sawn edge must be carefully cleaned with a knife blade from chipping. For the best effect, you can even walk on it with sandpaper.
• Then you should cut off the nozzle of the syringe, on which the needle is put on. If its diameter does not match the diameter of the hose, you will have to expand the hole somewhat.
• We insert a tube into the resulting hole and, if necessary, process it with silicone for better sealing. Everything, the "underwater vacuum cleaner" is ready for use.

Aquarists with experience know perfectly how to clean the bottom of the aquarium using a siphon. However, beginners can not always take into account all the nuances. As a result, difficulties arise, and it seems that using an “underwater vacuum cleaner” is very difficult. In fact, everything is simple, if you follow a number of rules.

• It is necessary to constantly monitor the end of the hose, on which there is no funnel, to see how the water drains during cleaning. Its correct location is lower than the water level in the tank.
• The lower the end of the siphon tube is in the aquarium, the greater the water pressure can be obtained.
• You can thoroughly clean the soil by placing a funnel to the full depth of the bulk bottom. Thus, even the smallest debris can be removed.
• When choosing a siphon or its independent manufacture, it is necessary to take into account all the features of the aquarium. For small containers, it is better not to choose powerful electric siphons, and large aquariums are very difficult to clean with small vacuum cleaners.
• It is worth being very careful when cleaning the aquarium with a too powerful siphon, as it is able to suck its inhabitants.
• It is best to clean the soil in one go. In this case, water should merge no more than 1/3 of the total volume.
• For processing corners and other places in the aquarium where it is difficult to get, it is better to use a siphon from a dropper with a thin tube or to purchase special nozzles for a vacuum cleaner in a pet store.
• In aquariums with a large number of plants, special narrow nozzles also have to be used.
• When cleaning, it is important to lift decorative elements such as large stones, snags, locks.
• The siphon must be kept in one area of ​​the soil until the water is clear or at least 60% of the dirt has been removed.
• If there are fry or just small fish in the aquarium, it is better to put gauze on the siphon, which is easy to fix with an elastic band or a thread.
• To create pressure in the tube, it is not necessary to bleed air from the tube with the mouth, it is enough to plug one end of it with your finger and place the other in the aquarium. When you release your finger, water begins to pour.
• When cleaning is complete, be sure to add as much water as was poured.
• The regularity of cleaning the tank with a siphon depends on the number of fish in it. Sometimes twice a month is enough, and sometimes you need to do the cleaning every week.
• Deep siphon cleansing is necessary only in those areas of the bottom where there is no vegetation
• In order to get as little soil from the aquarium as possible into the siphon, it is important to choose the right distance from its surface to the hose. If too much embankment is sucked in from the bottom, raise the socket higher. The thrust will become less, and the trapped soil will come out of the siphon.

See how to make a siphon for an aquarium with your own hands in the next video.