Don't suck on that hose!

[Reef man 89]

Mouth suckin 25 years and going strong...cough cough

I have no comment for this one. One would never think doing a water change could kill you. Yea it's extremely rare only 3 cases ever reported but it only takes one time to get that bacteria in your mouth and lungs. Nice wright up.

 

[tyler1503]

In 8 years of starting siphons this way, I've only gotten a mouth full of water a handful of times. I haven't had a mouthful of water in years. I learnt very quickly if you only pull the water into the tube a little below the tanks water line, it still creates a siphon. Or you could block the end of the hose with your finger when you feel the rush of air being pushed out. Or you could raise the end of the hose above the waterline with the middle of the hose looping below it.
I'm not sure how you guys start your siphons, but you're not supposed to treat the hose like a straw [emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Klcan]

Of course, if you were really worried about this, you could always install one of these for six bucks:

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Squee...F8&qid=1490209559&sr=8-2&keywords=siphon+bulb

Petsmart sells a vacuum siphon with the siphon ball attached to it. It's called a aquarium cleaner or gravel siphon but it comes in handy for my cichlids tank. For my saltwater tank I just use the pump in my sump to drain out the old tank water when doing water changes

 

[jgvergo]

I worked hard on my design so that I so that I would not have to siphon or log buckets. I guess it saved my life

 

[Finatik]

That's scary... I used to do that all the time.

 

[FDAWG]

If your scared go to church.

 

[4FordFamily]

Dang I do this all the time!

 

[Scott.h]

I've been doing it for years. On the flip side the wife will live forever!

 

[Amphibious]

Mycobacterium Marinum,may be a rare infectious bacteria but I can assure you it is very serious. Many of you know me as one of the oldest guys in the hobby/business. Set up my first SW aquarium in 1966 after 20 years in FW. Yup I'm that old, 79+, you know pushing 80. When I came down with a red streak shooting up my arm, my doctor said, blood poisoning, and treated me for that. During a follow up visit I showed him several rather large red bumps forming, two on the back of my hand, one on my forearm, one on the inside of my elbow, and one on my bicep. He didn't have a clew as to what they were and set another appointment for a week later. By that appointment the bumps were clearly like giant pimples that were seeping pus. The doctor called in other doctors in the clinic to get opinions. Pictures were taken, the open sores were probed with Q-tips and the resultant pus was put into several petri dishes for culture to ID the bacteria. The cultures were negative for any bacteria. They were scratching their brains. I was getting quite worried. The sores were growing in diameter. Did I mention they hurt like hell when touched.

I went in a couple of days later with the sores open, leaking pus, and obvious tissue devastation beneath the skin surface. This was obviously getting serious, it was a flesh eating bacteria. ONE of the observing doctors asked me if I had anything to do with aquariums. I said yes, they were my hobby. He said, "Mycobacterium Marinum"! This time when they cultured the swabs they put the petri dish into a heated chamber at body temp and the little jerks blossomed into a healthy living cultured ID'd as Mycobacterium Marinum. As it turns out Mycobacterium Marinum is a tough to get rid of bacteria resistant to antibacterial drugs. I don't remember the drug I was on but at that time they were $1 ea and I was taking 2 - 4 times a day, $240 per month. After a couple of months it was reduced to 4 a day until the pustules disappeared, healed.

Long ordeal, nothing to joke about. The guy with the lung infection could easily have died.

Point here is if you have something going on and your doctor can't ID the bacteria by culture, REMEMBER - Mycobacterium Marinum - must be cultured at body temp.

 

[saltyhog]

Usually TB drugs are used to treat it. The skin infections are much more common and are acquired through skin defects/direct contact with water. If you're really that afraid of M. marinum don't put your hands in the water....ever.

It's not hard to culture if you're looking for it. Reefers that get resistant skin infections that won't culture should alert their doctor to look for it. Even the skin version is rare enough that it would take a pretty good diagnostician to think of it without the patient mentioning his reefing hobby.

 

[flyfisherman]

Apparently, I've been syphoning the wrong way for years. Ive sucked up my fair share of tank water and gas, still kicking.

What did get me was a small cut that wouldnt heal on my finger. After a year of thinking Im a goner I went to derm. She checked it out and called it mycobacteria. Called me out for a fish tank before i even told her. My glands were swollen under armpit, bizarre. Anyways we never actually were able to confirm strain but i had to take mithocycline for 6 mos to kill it off. Dont ask me what my stomach was like after that.

Funny thing is I had a Naso tang die around the time i contracted. Unreal, i caught his sickness...

 

[SuperDragon]

Reefing might be on the list of "Dangerous hobbies that insurance companies hate"

 

[sundog101]

Why are you guys sucking on hoses?!
Just fill up the large tube thing, raise it above the water to let some run down the tube, then put it back in the water.

Here's a video I found. Just skip to where he starts the siphon.

 

[Rakie]

None of you guys have to do any of that crazy stuff or get any ball valves or blah blah.

To achieve syphon the hose must be 100% filled with water. How do we do this?

1) Put gravel vac under water, let it fill.
2) Lift it out of water, with opening facing up
3) Gravel vac facing up -- Let that water fill the drain tube -- Stop it right at the end with your thumb
4) Lower the the gravel vac into the water, making sure there are no bubbles in the line
5) You have achieved full syphon. Let go of the drain line your covering with your thumb and watch the water fly.

 

[Rakie]

Why are you guys sucking on hoses?!
Just fill up the large tube thing, raise it above the water to let some run down the tube, then put it back in the water.

This is exactly what I was just typing out LOL it's not rocket surgery here 'gents

 

[sundog101]

Your instructions are better

 

[Snuggs]

While dirty water is disgusting, the chances of one getting sick are rare. And since mycobacterium are abundant in soil as well, and more likely to be INHALED, (swallowing doesn't produce disease), common yard chores would put susceptible people at risk

NTM lung infections are caused by mycobacteria that are found in the soil and water. Most people who are exposed to environmental NTM do not become sick. Doctors do not know why only some people develop NTM lung disease. In most cases, people who get sick from NTM have some other health condition like another lung disease or a weak immune system....
What Are Risk Factors?

• Age: NTM lung disease is more common in older people.
• Lung disease: Many people with NTM lung disease have another underlying lung problem like COPD, bronchiectasis, or lung damage due to previous infections such as tuberculosis.
• Slender Caucasian women: Some women appear to have an increased risk of developing NTM disease. These women share physical features like being tall and slender, having a curved spine, abnormalities of the breastbone, and mitral valve prolapse.
• Weak immune system: Illnesses that affect the immune system, like Sjogren’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis, may increase the risk of NTM infection. Also, certain drugs that can weaken the immune system, such as prednisone and other steroids, can increase the risk of NTM infection.
• Esophageal disorders: Acid reflux (GERD) and other disorders of the esophagus can increase the risk of NTM lung disease due to spillage of gastric contents into the lung.
• Environment: Exposure to NTM in our environment can result in infection. High-risk sources include indoor hot tubs and pools and exposure to soil.

 

[Rob's Reef]

Hmm, I always just spit it out and follow it with a beer! Gonna have to change up my routine... ;p

 

[Black Pearl]

I have always used a turkey baster or put the whole hose into the water, get all of the air out and then put my thumb over one end and pull that end out and into the bucket and let go. I have never suck on a hose.

I use a turkey baster also but I put the tube in the tank the other end in the bucket place the turkey baster on the end of hose blow out air into the bucket end of the tube then suck the water through the tube with the turkey baster to start the siphon

 

[Nomadic1]

Get one of these...so simple. Works great...been using one for over 10 years.

https://www.amazon.com/Super-Siphon-Hose-Pack/dp/B000ZORJ1E