siphon a must?
- Thread starter ckehl
- Start date
murph
Active Member
Yep just use a clean cup dedicated to aquarium use only and you should be fine.
On the extreme side my twenty gallon sump sits pretty much on the ground so siphoning out any debris that collects in it is not possible. I do have a twenty gallon wet/dry shop vac though. I can pull twenty gallons out of that thing in less than a minute.
It makes doing a twenty gallon water change pretty quick and easy
On the extreme side my twenty gallon sump sits pretty much on the ground so siphoning out any debris that collects in it is not possible. I do have a twenty gallon wet/dry shop vac though. I can pull twenty gallons out of that thing in less than a minute.
It makes doing a twenty gallon water change pretty quick and easy
pfitz44
Active Member
Originally Posted by Murph
Yep just use a clean cup dedicated to aquarium use only and you should be fine.
On the extreme side my twenty gallon sump sits pretty much on the ground so siphoning out any debris that collects in it is not possible. I do have a twenty gallon wet/dry shop vac though. I can pull twenty gallons out of that thing in less than a minute.
It makes doing a twenty gallon water change pretty quick and easy
Thats Awsome!!! I should get one of those...... do u time it?? How do u know when its done?
Yep just use a clean cup dedicated to aquarium use only and you should be fine.
On the extreme side my twenty gallon sump sits pretty much on the ground so siphoning out any debris that collects in it is not possible. I do have a twenty gallon wet/dry shop vac though. I can pull twenty gallons out of that thing in less than a minute.
It makes doing a twenty gallon water change pretty quick and easy
Thats Awsome!!! I should get one of those...... do u time it?? How do u know when its done?
murph
Active Member
Its an industrial strength shop vac a neighbor practically gave me when he moved. Since the sump does not actually hold twenty gallons due to the water in the plumbing I know its done when the sump is empty which nearly fills the shop vac.
Never actually timed it but its definitely under a minute. I then just fill the sump back up to capacity with new water and turn the plumbing back on. Water volume in the system is probably somewhere just over a hundred gallons so this works out perfect for a twenty percent water change.
They sell adapters for the hosing at most hardware stores so I don't even have to put the shop vac hose itself into my sump
Never actually timed it but its definitely under a minute. I then just fill the sump back up to capacity with new water and turn the plumbing back on. Water volume in the system is probably somewhere just over a hundred gallons so this works out perfect for a twenty percent water change.
They sell adapters for the hosing at most hardware stores so I don't even have to put the shop vac hose itself into my sump
oceanists
Active Member
Goto home depot and get a 8 foot legnth of hose ......... this is what i did for my water changes ......... I got a 5 gallon water jug went to home depot got the vinyl hose , went home ...... i empty water from the tank untill the wjug fills all the way then i pour my new saltwater in to the tank from another jug , it is fool proof
jttenpro
Member
I like the shop vac thing, pretty cool. With my 20 gallon quarantine, that sits on the floor, I use a powerhead. I attach one piece of tubing to one end to siphon the debris and another piece of tubing attached to the powerhead goes into a bucket to siphon the water for water changes, works great for me. With my 90 gallon display I just do a straight siphon into a bucket.
mudplayerx
Active Member
A siphon isn't a must, but it really helps out a lot. First of all it allows you a more effective means of detritus removal....especially if you use a clean toothrbrush to lightly scrub your rocks prior to draining the water. The siphon is also a good way to drain the water from the bottom of the tank, which may or may not have higher concentrations of excess nutrients.
Lasty, a siphon is just convienient. It allows you to draw water from the tank without dripping all over the place.
Lasty, a siphon is just convienient. It allows you to draw water from the tank without dripping all over the place.
ktsdad
Member
I stole an idea from another member on these boards.
I use an old Magnum 250 canister filter as a vacumm for my sump.
Since the sump sits on the floor, starting a syphon is out of the question.
The Magnum filter works great, the flow rate it slow enough to give me time to vacumm the entire bottom of the sump.
I run the output into a plastic container that has water marks for 10 and 20 gallons so I know how much to replace.
I use an old Magnum 250 canister filter as a vacumm for my sump.
Since the sump sits on the floor, starting a syphon is out of the question.
The Magnum filter works great, the flow rate it slow enough to give me time to vacumm the entire bottom of the sump.
I run the output into a plastic container that has water marks for 10 and 20 gallons so I know how much to replace.