syphoning water changes advice

[jacquisunderland]

Hiya...has anyone got any advice on how they do their water changes.. I currently syphon off dirty water by sucking it through 2 hoses about 15ft long. By sucking the dirty air through and occasionally getn some dirty water in my mouth, I'm concerned this is having effect on my health.. I've put clear hoses on the end so I've got a few seconds warning but if I do get some water in my mouth I gargle immediately with a strong medicated mouth wash called Oraldene. I've tried hand pumps but other than momentary glitches such as getting gravel out of the other end of the hose I find them useless when it comes to getting the water initially flowing. I have an appointment with the doc in the morning as I think I have a chest infection and I'm losing my voice .. I've had my turtles for months and bin o'k but do you think I've caught something off the rescues? Has anyone tried or does anyone use an electric syphon pump? x

[turtlegirl]

Don't worry it is unlikely you have caught a chest infection from turtles. There is a nasty flu type bug going around that takes a week or more to get over, caught from other humans NOT turtles. However you must stop sucking turtle water from siphons. It is hazardous as turtles often carry salmonela and you can easily catch it by swallowing dirty turtle tank water.
I actually use a plastic 2 l icecream tub to remove water from my turtle tank as it's on the floor and impossible to siphon. However I have been successfully using hand pump operated siphons on my fishtanks for years. The trick is to
1. Immerse all the hose and pump in tank
2. Squeeze the pump by hand while it is in the tank to remove all air
3. When no more air bubbles can be seen in pipes remove pump end from tank into bucket and squeeze once mare to get water to flow into bucket. IMP make sure the other end is below water surface at all times, otherwise air bubbles cause airlocks. With a little practice you can easily remove several buckets of water this way

[jacquisunderland]

cheers all give it another xx

[tezd]

hi just to add to that i use a hand pump syphon and i do what turtle girl says but on mine it has a connection point for a hose pipe so i just connect it to the syphon and run the hose straight down the outside drain saves a lot of time and hassle.i defianatley dont recomend using youre mouth that cant be good for you..you can get a decent hand pump syphon for about £10-15 hope you get well soon..and good luck..

[neilb]

Fill the hose with water first, then just stick one end in the tank and the other down the drain! If you have 15ft of hose though, then water shouldn't be getting anywhere near your mouth, I've always used something around 6ft in length and an inch in diameter and manage ok. You can both feel and hear when the water is heading down the tube after the short distance from the water to the top of the tank, and then you get it away from your mouth long before the water gets anywhere near the end of the hose!

[morganthomaswintle]

Hi Jacquisunderland, dont know if they are any good but I have come across this item

www.discountedpetproducts.net/WATER_CHANGER_25FT-UKP71941.html

Take all the hassle out of routine aquarium water changes and gravel cleaning with this awesome water change kit. Each kit includes a durable plastic gravel vacuum with an attachable hose; as well as an easy faucet connector kit for attaching your vacuum and water changer directly to your home faucet. Design is durable for years of use. Simple flow valve allows you to switch quickly from a gravel vacuum to a water changer. Special splash control helps reduce dirty water splashing in the sink. No more dragging heavy buckets throughout your house; keep it simple with the Aqueon Water Changer!

25 FT is £19.15 & It also comes in 50FT at £29.87