DIY Sand Siphon/Vacuum (for 5gal and smaller)

By "computermold"
 
Situation
 
For our 2.5 gallon betta tank, we have sand substrate and there's fish and snail waste all over it. We made a small half gallon vacuum to take out the waste and to subsequently do water changes.
 
Solution

• 1 screwdriver
• 1 half gallon plastic bottle w/a soft cap (Turkey Hill Tea for us)
• scissors
• 8 feet of airline tubing
• 2 straws

Vacuum:
 
We used the screwdriver to punch two holes in the soft cap. Then we cut about 3 inches of tubing and fitted that into the first hole; then the remaining tubing was fitted thru the other hole. On the intake end of the tubing, we attached a straw over it and cut teeth into the straw. Once this was all put together, the last straw fits over the short tube so no one has to touch the tubing with their lips.
 
Water feed:
 
Pull the tubing down thru the cap so it can reach the bottom of the bottle. Place the bottle above the water line. Screw the cap back in with a full bottle of water and pinch the short tube. Gently squeeze the bottle and once you see the water flowing, release your hold on the short tube. The flow is slow enough not to disturb the sand.

GREAT idea! My siphon just broke in the middle of a cleaning today, and thinking back to this page, I rigged one right up with an old mushroom jar. Later on I ended up getting a new one from the store, but this sure did work out great for when I needed it! Two thumbs up!