I cant get my gravel cleaner syphon to work?

Question

I am moving it up and down quickly on the gravel but don't seem to be getting the 'swirling cleaning motion' where am i going wrong?

Without putting it in my mouth! I also cant get any swirly motion!!! What am i doing wrong?

Answer 1

Don't forget that the bucket must be lower thant he tank.

Try submerging the whole syphon and tube and filling it all up with water. Then plug the small end with your thumb, pull it out of the water, and aim it over the bucket. The water should come out and create the vacuum.

Or you can use your mouth. I know it sounds gross and that you dont' want to, but you don't have to get the water in your mouth, just suck till the water is coming down through the tube.

Answer 2

ok.
If this is the first time you've used one, there's a little trick to getting the water to flow. You have to "prime the pump" so to speak. I had someone at the fish store show me how to use one.

They started out by submerging the syphon tube, all of it, into the water. Filling it up entirely with water. Then, he took the other end of the tube, the side where the water will drain out, and put it in a bucket. Then he moved the syphon into the gravel, up and down motion, to keep the water flowing.

Hope that helps. I had trouble too with it.

Answer 3

You will have to start the syphon action first by mouth, before it gets to your mouth, pull the hose away into a bucket or whatever you are going to use, but make sure it is always lower than the bottom of the tank.

Answer 4

If it's one of the "self starting" ones, you just shake it up and down in the water a few times. Each time you shake it, the water will go higher, until it gets over the top of the tank and goes down the tube into your bucket. If it's not, and it's just a big tube (like mine), you put one end in the tank, the other end near a bucket, suck on the end near the bucket until water comes rushing down... and (hopefully) get it out of your mouth and into the bucket before you get a mouth full of water. :P Some people find sucking on the tube gross? I never really minded it, even when I get a mouth full of tank water, I just spit it out, it doesn't taste like anything... just water.

Answer 5

once you have started the flow of water, place the ciphon into the gravel, hold it there until you see that the gravel is starting to make it's way up, then raise up the tube part slightly. depending on the size of your ciphon you may not want to go so quickly.