Stainless Steel Straw

[anthonygf]

Someone on this site mentioned using SS straws with a hose attached to suck out undesirables. Well I did that today, got a 1/4" SS straw with a hose attached with it flowing into my filter housing. I have some GHA patches that I have been working on removing this past month with manual removal. I have been running my magnesium at 1500 for a couple months now and the algae starts to turn white and die making it easy to remove. Using the straw was so much easier to remove, sucking out the loose and dead algae direct into my filter pad, I also sucked out a few mushrooms that are cropping up where they are not wanted.

WOW! What a joy. And to my surprise I discovered a white squiggly worm 1/4" long in the water column wiggling along and sucked him up as well. I wish I had the chance to photograph it as was new to me in 6 years of reefing.

I would like to thank this person for showing me this idea. I love it. Thank you.

 

[lapin]

nice

 

[Cell]

Got a pic of the straw contraption?

 

[WVNed]

I get plastic toilet riser tubes and cut the wide end off. They are 3/8ths in.

 

[anthonygf]

Got a pic of the straw contraption?

Here you go. It is a 1/4" bent straw inside a 1/2" hose, use a rubber band to keep the straw sealed and tight inside hose. I place the straw in tank, start siphon and place the end of the hose in my filter box. My box has several holes for over flow that it fits into. I can siphon all day long and not worry about losing water and the filter catches all the stuff. Works like a charm. Might even suck up aiptasia, but if you do suck up aiptasia I would not reuse the water, just run the drain in a bucket because you may not filter the aiptasia spores.

 

[anthonygf]

I also have a smaller diameter straw for aiptasia when they pop up that way I won't loose to much water.