How to Siphon Water from a Fish Tank

If you are ever in a position in which you have a lot of liquid you have to move in a quicker fashion than bailing; and you also want to save your arm the work or even the truck loads of work that bailing will cause you, siphoning is the best way. This is an extremely necessary skill that allows you to move liquid effortlessly into a container just by the flow of gravity. The only requirements for performing a siphon is a container that has liquid, a container that doesn't, and a tube. Actually, the container that doesn't is only necessary if you want to keep the liquid you're removing from the first container.

The container that has the liquid must be above the container that doers not have any liquid. Siphoning can be used with any liquid at all, it doesn't matter what type of grade or viscosity of the liquid. Place the tube into the container that has the liquid. The next step is the hardest and most disgusting part of siphoning.

Place the container without liquid at your feet directly below the container that has liquid. Make sure the tube reaches all the way down to the container at your feet. Place the tube that is in the liquid in your mouth. Suck on the tube till the liquid begins to come up the tube, very much like a straw. Just before it gets to your mouth, kink the end of the hose by folding it over itself. This kink will stop the liquid from going up or down, but it might also destroy the suction.

Place the tube into the lower container, and let go of the kink. The water will begin to flow into the lower container because the force of gravity is pulling the force of the liquid down and into the container. Because a liquid is all connected to itself, it will pull all of the other molecules and pieces towards the ground as well; therefore, it flows gently from one container to the next. If the kink did not hold the pressure, you would have to resume sucking on it till the liquid comes all the way up. However, many times you'll find yourself with a mouthful of the liquid which you should spit out ASAP.

When will you use this skill? when you're emptying a fish tank, this is the best way to do it. Many of the free standing basketball hoops require you put water in them to weight down the base. They also suggest you put water in many of the stand alone boxing bags. In order to take out water or put water in, all you have to do is siphon it over. Now you have the skill that is currently making our sewer, water, and nuclear waste easier to handle and keeping down the cost of transport.