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DIY Project DIY Water Changer, No more buckets!!

Re: My Water Changer

I bought the same pump form ebay and it arrived today so I'm gonna try it out tonight.

Is it gonna be alright to put straight in the tank and not worry about sucking up my fishes?
 
Re: My Water Changer

durtydurty said:
I bought the same pump form ebay and it arrived today so I'm gonna try it out tonight.
Is it gonna be alright to put straight in the tank and not worry about sucking up my fishes?
I don't think any fish will be sucked into that pump, unless you have fry in the tank. I usually stick it to the front glass using the provided suckers and fish stay clear of it.
 
Re: My Water Changer

Superman said:
Top tip:
When going to pump the water out, you'll need to fill the hose first. So attach it to the tap and push water through the pump until all the bubbles are pushed through.
Otherwise, your impeller will only rotate in air!
Depends on the pump design, the pump on this post doesn't need that, it will automatically fill with water and you don't have to fill it first, it will pump straight away.
 
Re: My Water Changer

Just used it to pump water out of the tank, then put a bucket in the bath put the pump in the bucket and filled it with water added tapsafe then pumped it back into the tank.

Big water change which took no time at all.

I am gonna put a bit of hose on the inlet in the future to save putting the whole thing in the tank/bucket.

Best tenner Ive spent in ages.
 
Re: My Water Changer

stuworrall said:
londondragon, do you have a description of that pump you bought off ebay as the link in your first post goes to the item but its expired. just looking at setting one of these up :)
Its one of these: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1000-LTR-INLINE-I ... 911.c0.m14

That one is rated at 1000lph and mine is only 480lph, should just empty the tank a little faster which can't be bad.
The good thing about those is that you don't have to remove them from the tank when you want to refill, just empty the tank and then connect the hoses to the taps at the other end and just leave the pump in the tank while you filling up ;)
 
Re: My Water Changer

stuworrall said:
cheers paulo, looks like a nce bit of kit and will please my wife no end with no buckets!
Just a warning, water changes become very boring! No more bucket spills all over the place etc... you been warned! :p
 
Re: My Water Changer

Hi Paulo,

This is a little bit off topic... I am looking at getting an inline pump. How do you rate the Hailea you have?

I recall that in an earlier post you mention that you don't use it inline but submerged. Have you since tried it inline? Is it quiet?

ta! Matt

PS I have a Hailea internal pump and I think it is really good. It was cheap as chips but in no way inferior when in use. I don't mind paying more for a better pump, but I do mind paying more just for a brand name!
 
Re: My Water Changer

a1Matt said:
I recall that in an earlier post you mention that you don't use it inline but submerged. Have you since tried it inline? Is it quiet?!
Hi Matt, when I first tried it leaked so I have never tried it again as it makes no difference to me if its inline or in the tank.
 
Re: My Water Changer

Cheers for letting me know Paulo.

I think I'll keep Hailea on the maybe list for now (the leak doesn't bother me, everything I hook up externally seems to leak at first :oops: ... I am grateful that jubilee clips are cheap and readily available ;) ).
 
Re: My Water Changer

So do you add de-chlorinator as you fill or after you finished? I've been doing pretty much the same thing, just straight out my window through a hose and back up again from the tap. So easy!! :D
 
Re: My Water Changer

jay said:
So do you add de-chlorinator as you fill or after you finished? I've been doing pretty much the same thing, just straight out my window through a hose and back up again from the tap. So easy!! :D
I add it when I remember to add it LOL most people don't seem to add anything these days.
 
Re: My Water Changer

Although I have a water pump that I could use for water changes, I was wondering if one could use a Y connector on the external filter outlet to empty the tank. The external filter would act as a water pump... With the use of appropiate taps I could also fill the tank through the outlet.

What do you think of this?
 
Re: My Water Changer

keymaker said:
What do you think of this?
In theory you could I guess, you just attach the shut off taps to the filter tubbing, but then I don't like any stuff on the filter tubbing let alone more things that could go wrong and flood the place ;)
 
Re: My Water Changer

Paulo, thx for the answer. You are right, I reckon the danger of malfunction is greater than the added comfort. I will leave the filter hosing alone. :)
 
Re: My Water Changer

Great idea. I bought a B&Q hose at the weekend and fill from the mixer tap in the kitchen. No more buckets and much quicker. I had been boiling water in the kettle as I thought hot tap water was a no-no. Fish seemed perfectly happy with water from the mixer tap so I guess I was making life too hard. I add dechlorinator as I start to fill as the flow gives it a good mix, when full I give it 5 minutes to work before switching on the external filter.
When emptying using the pump do you vacuum the tank separately? One advantage of syphoning is that you can use a gravel cleaner to remove the fish and plant waste. I'm fortunate that I have a window next to the tank and can syphon straight into the flower border. No need for a pump and the flowers think the nitrate is great!

B4M
 
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