What NOT to do when using your gravel cleaner

[purple]

I learnt a hard lesson yesterday.... i got impatient... trying to get my coke bottle/hose gravel cleaner to operate fast enough.. and put my mouth on the end of the hose to suck the water through that bit faster i do not suggest anyone try this method... when the water hit the back of my throat i nearly died on the spot!! in fact, i am positive my tummy feels bad today i am sure i didnt swallow any fish water, my throat kinda closed up a little i think but who knows.

Does anyone know what awful things could possibly happen if you happen to suck on the end of a hose that is sitting in a tank full of bacteria ridden fish water????

I can look on the bright side though, i initially thought a tetra had got sucked up and ended up in my tummy ... but it was just hiding

 

[dnaelting]

Did the same thing once, and felt the same way after. Slight sore throat and slight upset tummy. As long as you are healthy, shouldn't have any other issues.

 

[krap101]

well i use the other method. you fill the tube with water, you let the water go down the tube, fill it with water aain and your set!

its kidna wierd.. i thought i made this up but theres tons of people who already do this... lol i didnt cheat off of anybody, and we came up with the same thing.. kinda wierd and creepy

 

[Meredith]

Im sure that was gross, but you will be fine. You probably swallow worse things if you go swimming in any lakes, rivers, public pools.

 

[Guest]

I too have done this... and felt kinda funny afterward, but i think it was mostly in my head. The bacteria naturally found in the tank should be harmless to humans, unless you have a disease or something in it.
As someone said, you've probably swallowed worse going swimming in pools, lakes, oceans, and you probably pick up worse stuff using a public restroom.

you fill the tube with water, you let the water go down the tube, fill it with water aain and your set!

That's what the instructions said on my Gravel vac when i bought it 8)

 

[krap101]

did you know theres more bacteria on your tongue than in a truckers bathroom>

 

[DeFeKt]

it's probably some of the cleanest water in the world..

 

[Jchillin]

it's probably some of the cleanest water in the world..

Absolutely! No doubt about that...our imaginations usually get the better of us when we think something is foul.

 

[talloulou]

I still start my gravel vac suction with my mouth.......I know it's gross but bad habits are hard to break. I just took the few accidental "fish water in mouth episodes" as a challenge to perfect my mouth suction skill! LOL

 

[DeFeKt]

you fill the tube with water, you let the water go down the tube, fill it with water aain and your set!

WHY don't you just submerse the entire vac and tube in water. block the tube with ur finger, pull the tube out and drop it past the depth of the tank and let ur finger go..

 

[krap101]

on my gravel vac it is the pump method

put tube in water and pump until water comes out of other end

 

[WooHoo]

[/quote]
WHY don't you just submerse the entire vac and tube in water. block the tube with ur finger, pull the tube out and drop it past the depth of the tank and let ur finger go..[/quote]

Aw. You're taking the fun out of it!

 

[hashbaz]

A lot of store-bought gravel vacs have simple one-way valves in them. You put the fat part in the water and shake it up and down and the siphon starts itself. It was a year before I realized my siphon had this on it

Blow through the skinny end of your siphon. If you can't blow air through it you have the little valve.

 

[woo]

WHY don't you just submerse the entire vac and tube in water. block the tube with ur finger, pull the tube out and drop it past the depth of the tank and let ur finger go..

That's what I do..takes me a couple tries though sometimes

 

[coyote1066]

Python

I haven't had to do anything with the Python. Might be worth the investment since it'll save on antacids.

 

[Toirtis]

No worries... I used to drink a jiggerful of tank water just to get reactions from friends.

 

[DeFeKt]

probly better then drinking water out of the tap anyway.

 

[draX]

Valves? thats cheating! Anyway, you get a taste for tankwater after a while. One day I'll be able to tell my ammonia readings just from getting an accidental mouthful. Watch this space.

 

[purple]

LOL @ some of you guys... Defekt.. your idea is fabulous... and i will be doing that next time

Funny about the sore throat, because i have had a sore throat and tummy ache all day... getting better now though

 

[obedey]

DeFeKt's idea sounds hard to me. My tube is very long and i doubt if i submersed it that all the bubbles would come out. I find filling the pipe and letting the water flow until the bubbles r gone easier.