quick water changes?

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Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


a1k8t31524
 
Posts: 939
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 5:10 am

quick water changes?

by a1k8t31524

ok so i have an idea to make water changes and top offs a little eaysier on myself but i am not quite sure how to do it. i want to set up 2 10 gallon tanks under my 55gallon tank so then when i take water out i want to find a way to just pump the ready treated water back up into my 55 tank....i know it is possible. and i am sure that some of you may do it already
so any suggestions on how i can do it?


spongebob4460
 
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:37 am

by spongebob4460

Ok i just spent the last week researching this same idea... here is the closest I have come and I actually really like this method. I purchased a drill pump from Home Depot for $8. The only other pump that pumps water against gravity, aside from a sump pump, will cost roughly $60 and has 3-4 feet of working length. The drill pump is cheap and more versatile. Basically, you buy a short garden hose and cut off desired lengths from both ends (i cut off about 3 feet from each end). One end can be screwed right into one end of the drill pump... the other hose end needs a connector (since this is usually the part that screws into a hose gun... roughly $0.50) to attach to the other side of the drill pump. Then you place one end into ure treated bucket, the other end into the tank, and you put your power drill into the small drill pump and begin "drilling". It will suck water straight from your bucket to the tank in a matter of moments.


Peterkarig3210
 
Posts: 1980
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am

by Peterkarig3210

I was already replying about this with you on another thread, but do you know how a toilet works inside the back? There is a valve attached to a float. When the water gets up to a certain level the float also goes up, and at a certain height the valve turns off and so does the water. What you need is a valve that is connected to a float that turns on when the water goes down too much. You could have a reservoir tank sitting higher than your fish tank with water that's prepared and ready, and the valve and float could be very small, and you could use air pump tubing too. I bet you could get parts to make this from a hardware store. I guess you could have the ball float work a power switch and run that drill pump you were thinking of too, and you would have the reservoir under the tank and out of the way.


spongebob4460
 
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:37 am

by spongebob4460

Ok let me add to my previous reply:

You will need a very strong drill (not cordless) to get the pump primed (ready to suck water against gravity). Also, u will have to check that the inside of the pump is cleared of any lube that comes on the parts before shooting it into ure tank, so let the unit run for awhile until its cleared.


Peterkarig3210
 
Posts: 1980
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am

by Peterkarig3210

Hmmmmm. This is silly. I'm not sure I would trust that the pump wouldn't have toxic issues no mater how much you clean it. What about one of those pump up sprayers from the hardware store, like a 2 or more gallon one? If you tweaked the spray lever by extending the part you squeeze to make a long lever attached to a ball float, you might be able to get the float to in effect squeeze it when the water goes down, thus allowing water to be transferred. When the water gets high enough the lever will be extended again. You just have to pump up the container and fill it every now and again. What do ya think?

quick water changes?

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