Consult your local pet store for more information about the water requirements of your particular fish.
Do not use a household bucket that might have chemicals from prior cleaning projects. Although you are only using this bucket to discard fish water, it’s really best to keep your pet’s supplies separate to avoid confusion.
If you can’t stomach sucking on the tubing, some siphons make special priming balls that start the siphon for you. Seek one out at your local pet or aquarium store. If you do end up drinking a little water, rest assured this is not harmful.
You should see matter being sucked out of the gravel as you work. If you don’t, press the opening deeper into the gravel. As you move the siphon about the tank, be careful not to bump or frighten your fish. Work slowly.
It can be helpful to let your new and old aquarium filters run in tandem for a couple days to keep from changing the ecosystem of your tank too rapidly. [13] X Research source
