Tank Cleaning by DENNIS

This is my home made tank siphon, gravel cleaner & tank filler. It is made from 1/2" schedule 40 pvc pipe and fittings, a gravel cleaner with hose and strainers from old filters. The pvc can be purchased at your local hardware store, the gravel cleaner at a fish store and the strainers at yard sales, flea markets or second hand stores, the strainers are the hardest to come by if you do not have used filters. The length of the long pipe depends on the depth of your tank and how much water you want to drain.The strainer and elbow can be interchanged with the long and short pipe. Use pvc cement and primer on all parts marked glue. Do not glue parts marked no glue, this makes it possible to interchange parts.

Attach a garden hose to the hose adaptor, do this outside. attach the other end to the faucet ( I use a quick disconnect ).Turn the water on, keeping the ball valve open till the hose fills. Then close the ball valve, turn the water off, add the long pipe with the strainer or the gravel cleaner, put it in your fish tank, disconnect the hose from the faucet and open the ball valve. Your sizes may differ from mine because of the size of strainer you find.

In the summer I fill the tanks from the faucet outside, in the winter I use an adaptor for the kitchen sink, this way I can add some warm water. It still takes me 4 hours to drain and fill my tanks.

HOPE THIS HELPS

WATER CHANGES and GRAVEL CLEANER