Siphoning Tubes
As much of the debris dead snails, feces, and uneaten food—is usually too heavy to float or be suspended in the water, the filter will not be able to gather it up. The auxiliary tank cleaner to be used to remove this heavy debris is the siphon.
Originally, most siphons were constructed primarily for the removal of water, but recently new types of siphons have been placed on the market to siphon the dirt out of the tank. Special valves have been devised that allow for the picking up of the lighter debris without disturbing the heavier sand.
Those siphons, which are known as vacuum or dip tubes, work on the siphon principle but are not continuous. When you place your finger over the top of a straw and then put the straw deep into some water, you notice that the water rushes into the straw as soon as you release the finger from the top. This principle was utilized in constructing a widemouth "straw" to pick up bottom debris. Obviously the dip tube must be emptied after each insertion.
