AQUARIUM SIPHON

Abstract

A siphon for siphoning water from an aquarium into a bucket includes a siphon tube having a first end for insertion into the tank and a second end for insertion into the bucket. A first pair of magnets is provided for releasably attaching the siphon tube to the tank and a second pair of magnets is provided for releasably attaching the siphon tube to the bucket. The siphon further includes a magnetic float valve for closing the second end of the siphon tube when the water in the bucket reaches a predetermined level.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/080,738, entitled “IMPROVED FISH TANK SIPHON,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to aquariums and, more particularly, to new and improved siphons for aquariums.

An important step in maintenance of aquariums is regular vacuuming of the gravel or substrate using water siphon. This removes debris and droppings from the substrate without disturbing the aquarium's water conditions.

When using current siphons many things can go wrong. The user must be very careful when performing the operation and it is typically a very messy process. The amount of water removed needs to be monitored, the hose can come out of the bucket, the bucket can overflow, you must constantly hold the hose inside the aquarium so it doesn't fall out of the aquarium while supporting the hose so it doesn't kink. The hose drips as it moves in and out of the aquarium and interruptions during the process cause stopping and restarting of the entire process

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved siphon which greatly simplifies the siphoning procedure and avoids the drawbacks of prior siphons by automatically stopping the siphoning process when the correct amount of water has been removed from the aquarium.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved by a siphon for siphoning water from an aquarium into a bucket, which includes a siphon tube having a first end for insertion into the tank and a second end for insertion into the bucket. The siphon tube is releasably attached to the tank and releasably attached to the bucket. Means are provided for closing the second of the siphon tube when the water in the bucket reaches a predetermined level.

Other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a siphon illustrating certain features of the present invention used to siphon the contents of an aquarium.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1 illustrating an alternative embodiment thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an embodiment of a siphon 10 illustrating certain features of the present invention used to siphon the contents of an aquarium 12 into a bucket 14.

The siphon hose 16 is secured to the aquarium 12 using two magnets 18,20 to hold the hose at the top of the aquarium so it can't be pulled out of the aquarium if you let it go for a moment. This securing is very helpful in that it allows one hand to be in the aquarium to move corals and other decorations that the sediment collects under while the hose stays put. Also, if interrupted you do not need to stop the entire procedure and restart it. The securing magnetic mounts are placed on the hose so that there is just enough hose in the aquarium to reach the entire aquarium bottom. It also relieves the pressure that might have kinked the hose at the top of the aquarium. Previously, the hose was always being pulled down by the weight of the hose and water in it and one had to fight this pressure constantly to move the hose. With the hose now secured by the mounting magnets, the process is now greatly simplified. Also, the process is not nearly as messy. Previously, the hose was wet and dripped when it was pulled in and out of the aquarium as it was moved while vacuuming different areas.

The top securing magnets 18, 20 also eliminate another problem as the hose 16 tended to kink at the top of the aquarium 12. The weight of the hose 16 pulling down and the force of moving the hose 16 in the aquarium 12 caused the hose to restrict the flow where it bends at the top of the aquarium. The magnet mount 18, 20 eliminates this by providing a strain free radius over the top of the aquarium 12.

Another pair of mounting magnets 22, 24 secures the end of the hose 16 inside the bucket 14 collecting the dirty water. This end had a tendency to be pulled out of the bucket 14 as the hose was constantly being moved during the process using previous siphons. It is not only secured with this system, but it is secured at the exact level set so just the right amount of water is removed. For example, if you have a ten gallon aquarium and need to do a 20% water change, the magnet mount secures the end of the hose at that desired 2 gallon level.

This system has a magnetic float valve 28 designed to stop the flow when the correct amount of dirty water is removed. As the water level in the bucket 26 rises to the desired level, the float 30 in the valve body floats up and contains a magnet or metal disk 31 in the top of the float. When this magnet 31 floats up close to the end of the hose 16, the flow is automatically stopped. The end of the hose 16 also has a magnet or metal ring 33 at its end and when the water level brings the two into proximity, they grab each other and stop the flow after the correct level of water is reached automatically, as preset by the height in the bucket where it was secured.

This valve 28 is also great if the phone rings or any other interruption comes up. If you need to pause the process, you can simply let go of the siphon tube 16 as it is secured in the aquarium, then manually cause the valve 28 to lock by raising the float 30 stopping the flow. When you are ready to resume, just pull the float 30 back down, then resume the process. The valve 28 also enables you to start the process without the need to suck on the end of the hose to start the siphon. This can be done by placing the hose 16 in the water, closing the valve 28, and then removing some of the hose from the water. The water in the hose can then automatically start the siphon when the valve 28 is opened. This can be done using either end of the hose. The end of the hose with the valve can also be submerged a bit and sealed to hold a bit of water to start the process when the valve is opened.

FIG. 2 shows more details of the mounting of the magnets. Note that in FIG. 1 one of the magnets 18 of the top pair 18, 20 is mounted on the aquarium while the other 20 is mounted on the hose 16, and one of the magnets 22 of the bottom pair 22, 24 is mounted on the bucket 14 while the other 24 is mounted on the hose 16. In FIG. 2, both magnets of each pair are mounted on the hose.

In FIG. 1, the magnets 20, 24 are secured to the siphon tube 16 by the use of Velcro frames 32 and Velcro straps 34. The magnets 18, 22 are held in place by the magnetic attraction of magnets 20, 24, respectively. Similarly, in FIG. 2, the upper pair of magnets 20, 22 is held in place by a combination of magnetic attraction, Velcro frames 32 and Velcro straps 34. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the lower pair of magnets is similarly attached to the siphon tube 16.

The term “aquarium” as used herein means any tank, bowl, or other water-filled enclosure in which aquatic animals and/or plants are kept.

This system can be added to an existing siphon by simply adding the two magnetic mounts and the valve.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A siphon for siphoning water from an aquarium into a bucket, comprising:

a siphon tube having a first end for insertion into the tank and a second end for insertion into the bucket;

means for releasably attaching the siphon tube to the tank;

means for releasably attaching the siphon tube to the bucket; and

means for closing the second end of the siphon tube when the water in the bucket reaches a predetermined level.

2. A siphon for siphoning water from an aquarium into a bucket, comprising:

a siphon tube having a first end for insertion into the tank and a second end for insertion into the bucket;

magnet means for releasably attaching the siphon tube to the tank;

magnet means for releasably attaching the siphon tube to the bucket; and

magnet means for closing the second end of the siphon tube when the water in the bucket reaches a predetermined level.

3. A siphon for siphoning water from an aquarium into a bucket, comprising:

a siphon tube having a first end for insertion into the tank and a second end for insertion into the bucket;

a first pair of magnets for releasably attaching the siphon tube to the tank;

a second pair of magnets for releasably attaching the siphon tube to the bucket; and

a magnetic float valve for closing the second end of the siphon tube when the water in the bucket reaches a predetermined level.

4. A siphon according to claim 3, wherein the second end of the siphon tube includes a first magnetically attractive element and the magnetic float valve includes a float having a second magnetically attractive element, the float being responsive to the level of water within the tank for lifting the float for moving the second magnetically attractive element into sealing engagement with the first magnetically attractive element to prevent any further water from being siphoned from the aquarium into the bucket.

5. A siphon according to claim 4, wherein one of the magnets of the first pair is mounted on the aquarium while the other is mounted on the hose, and one of the magnets of the second pair is mounted on the bucket while the other is mounted on the hose.

6. A siphon according to claim 4, wherein both magnets of the first and second pairs of magnets are each mounted on the siphon hose.