Review on Aqueon Siphon Vacuum Gravel Cleaner Mini: Compact 5-Inch Cleaning Solution by Eufemia Ragi

This product meets the needs of small aquarium owners and serves its intended purpose quite well. Having a 2.5 gallon freshwater aquarium with goldfish (yes, I now know it's not the best environment for goldfish) is very important for keeping the water clean. Since I don't have a filter, I do daily water changes of about 25% and use this mini siphon about once a week to siphon off any food or waste that has collected at the bottom of the tank. I used it for the first time yesterday on a 75% water change and it took me about half an hour to do the whole thing. I think I could cut that time in half as I get better with the siphon. While this item is handy, I don't think it saves me time compared to simply emptying the tank, flushing the gravel through a filter with tank water, and then assembling it all. Overall I think it's a decent product but it didn't save me the time I expected. If I had a larger tank (5-10 gallons) it would probably be more useful. Pros: - Strong suction, can empty my tank in under a few minutes if I'm not careful - Does a great job of separating dirt/trash from gravel - Pretty easy to use Con - This will suck up some gravel, not much , but be prepared - The "up-down" motion required to start sucking takes some practice to perfect. - The suction is so strong that I find it better to remove the fish from the tank when using it. As others have pointed out, the plastic tube stays bent due to the way it is packaged. I'm sure it will smooth out over time, but it's difficult to work with at first and you have to constantly straighten the tubing to keep the flow going.