[gasteriaphile]

I've looked up search for siphons, etc. and haven't found one that fits my question. I've even gone back on this equipment area for over a month.

Here's the deal. I need to clean the goop from the top of the gravel in my betta bowl. A one and a half gallon bowl. What I need is a very small and very simple siphon, or some sort of vacuum device. Is there one made that is suitably small for a betta bowl? and I am hoping if small then that also means not too much vacuum so that I can control it very precisely. I also will need one for my 4gallon nano.

All of the vacuum cleaners and siphons I've been seeing on all the sites have this huge business end! I'd like just the end of a tubing to suck up the food particles etc. What I need has to be very small in diameter (like maybe 1/4 inch? or at most 1/2 inch). It seems almost as though I could make one out of simple plastic tubing one finds at the hardware store but I don't know how to construct the part that makes the suction start. I certainly do NOT want to just suck on the other end with my mouth!!!

 

[gasteriaphile]

CStevens, I think that would work fine. I'll try and find a place that sells that kind (the business on the link you provided is not one I have in my area).

 

[gasteriaphile]

What you are suggesting seems to be the same thing as one of the previous posters. Their suggestion of a simple siphon using a bulb led me to buy one from a local auto supply store. I tried it and couldn't make it work, or figure out how to make it work. So I took it back.

Since then I have bought a product made by Lee at Petco which uses the "shake" method to activate a one-way valve, but unfortunately you have to submerge the entire working end of the apparatus and I can't do that with the small size of my betta bowl, or, for that matter, the 4 gallon tank!

So I am still sitting on Square One.

g

For my small tanks (<10 gallon) when I need to precision vacuum or do not wish to remove water too quickly I use some flexible airline hose and a bulb siphon starter by Python. It includes a 1/4 in. tubing adapter.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3728+18018&pcatid=18018

 

[gasteriaphile]

That's really neat. I had already tried that too, but with my wife's current model. I'll bet that better ones exist. With hers, the water was taken up pretty good but when I removed the cylinder from the tank the water ran back out again! But hopefully there are "high-tech" basters that hold the liquid? Thanks the continuing the thread Dude! g

For that gallon betta bowl...do what i do with mine...
a very large turkey baster. It works great when trying to get into small spaces.