how to siphon once, and only once

[deranged chipmunk]

in reading through builds and journals, the one thing i am always reading is how people hate to siphon water from the bottom of their vivs. i only siphon my tanks once when i set them up and create a simple drainage system so i never have to suck on the hose again. all you need to do is place a simple valve on the end of your drainage tube, making sure it is below the level of the bottom of the tank. siphon the tank the first time and close the valve off. as long as you have water in the tube (which you should), gravity will pull that water down the tube and continue the siphon. here is a crude diagram explaining what i am talking about:


the sponge stays below the water level and keeps the tubing from getting clogged. the valves are obtainable from any place that sells aquarium equipment. the are for air pumps for bubble systems. something like this:

Two Way Plastic Valve - 2 pk | thatpetplace.com

just remember to close the valve as the water is running and you should be able to do it indefinitely.

[Mentat]

Aquarium air tubing + air valve = that will work ! And in the very strange case that valve breaks; keep end inside an empty 5 gallon pail !

[deranged chipmunk]

yes indeed. but i have yet to have a plastic valve fail. although, it is possible.

[Necromencer]

I've done something similar.

In regards to syphoning, I'll NEVER have to put my hands in the tank to syphon. I'm not sure how many people do what I've done (much like what DRCM drew) but I've seen a lot of people have messy corners where they syphon the tank manually.

I personally do not like this idea, the less you mess with the tank when you have frogs in them, the better (and less escapees I can imagine).

I've made a simple drawing on paint trying to explain what I mean. If anybody has any questions, just ask and I'll try my best to answer them.

Also, I'm not trying to highjack the thread or anything, but give an alternative (?) option that doesn't require anything but a tube.

[deranged chipmunk]

That's essentially what my post was about, just a bit more elaborate. The main reason for my post was avoiding sucking on the tube to create a differential in pressure to draw the water out each time you need to remove excess water from the tank.

[mats]

um, I discussed this with a friend and he doesn't want to suck even once instead he uses one of these, a squeeze pump, the same you use in motorboats, sorry about the swedish put the picture prolly sez it all ? Pump för bränsleslang - Biltema

[deranged chipmunk]

Yup, that works. As do baby nasal suction bulbs. Funny though, as many tanks as I have had and as many water changes I have done, I never took in a mouth of tank water. I make sure to watch the tubing carefully and when I see the water, I stop and let gravity to it's job.