To clarify, Iâm not just saying this as a joke. Seriously, donât do it! I made this post after poisoning myself with palytoxin from my marine tank whilst being careless whilst moving it. Thatâs right, guess who slorped the fish water and took in a mouthful of the 2nd deadliest toxin in the world⌠yup. Me. Trust me when I say you donât want to be experiencing heart palpitations and excruciating muscle spasms simply because you wanted to cut corners and mouth start your siphon.
Whilst I come from a marine perspective, there are other nasties lurking in freshwater that Iâm sure if you knew, youâd wonder why you ever let that hose within 3 feet of you mouth, let alone in it!
That being said, there are other ways to start siphons that donât involve you putting your mouth anywhere near a dirty hose used specifically to remove dirty/unclean water from an aquarium.
This is one of my go to methods, try submerging your hose and getting all the air out of it, putting your thumb over each end, leaving one in the tank, one over a bucket and then letting go. A super simple and easy way as gravity does all the work for you. These wikihow pictures sum this method up rather well:
Comprises of a long cyclindrical tube that you submerge and pump up and down until your siphon starts. A good workout if you ask me, but does the trick. Good for cleaning large debris from gravel
Works on the same principles as the pump action, except all you do is squeeze the blue bit. No arm jerking needed! An easy way to start up a siphon. Good for gravel cleaning, but the blue plastic is liable to split with regular use which prevents a siphon from forming. That being said, these are a pretty cheap option if youâre looking for something hassle free!
Alternatively, invest in an electric pump. Iâm not going to lie, buying one of these changed my life. No more lifting heavy barrels of water, no more spillages all over the floor. A water change that used to take 30 minutes now only takes 10. I would sell my soul for these barrel pumps.
I hope my bad experiences will encourage some of you to take heed of my warnings and move away from mouth starting! So just remember kiddosâŚ
Dont slurp the fish water!
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