Aquarium syphon

Claim 1

For use with an aquarium tank, a filter tank associated with said aquarium tank, layers of filter material in said filter tank, and a pump drawing water from said filter tank below said layers of filter material and returning filtered water to the aquarium tank; a syphon comprising, in combination, a long leg of said syphon reaching substantially to the bottom of said aquarium tank, a short exhaust leg of said syphon connected to said long leg and extending into said filter tank, and a check valve fixed at the bottom of said short leg opening to allow water to flow therefrom, said check valve closing on removal of said short leg from said filter tank trapping water in said syphon so that said syphon automatically starts on replacing said short leg in said filter tank, said check valve having a closed side wall, a top, a base, said wall, said top, and said base forming a chamber, a collar formed on said top to receive said short leg, said top containing a first opening within said collar and a second opening forming a circular valve seat, a valve guide containing a guide aperture, means mounting said valve guide so that said guide aperture is disposed over said valve seat, a valve element Having a lower spherical surface and a vertically arranged stem, the stem of said valve element extending upward loosely through said guide aperture and extending above said valve guide to be grasped by the fingers of a user to rotate said valve against said seat.