# Water change pump



## austinroberts23

Okay. I am looking for a cheap, small, easy to use pump for water changes. I empty the water by siphon but the way our house is set up it is tough to get the water back in with no spill. I am looking for a pump (hand or electric) that I can use to pull the water from the bucket on the ground into my tanks. Anyone know of one?


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## snyderguy

Any powerhead will work. I do this exact same thing except the pump is in a 55 gallon barrel and I just hook a hose up to it and away it goes to my tank.. Just make sure you get a strong one. Like more than 500 gph

Something like this is good http://www.ebay.com/itm/Water-Pump-500-GPH-Aquarium-Reef-Sump-filter-pump-Aquarium-powerhead-/310350550357?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4842559555#ht_753wt_923


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## emc7

Preferably one that won't die the first time it pumps itself dry. Agree with the large size. No fun waiting all day to fill a tank. You can make something yourself or buy it @ jehmco http://www.jehmco.com/html/safety_siphon_aquarium_drain.html


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## austinroberts23

What I was thinking was a non submersed power head with one hose heading into the tank and one feeding from the bucket.


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## austinroberts23

I don't kind sitting with it while it fills to make sure it doesn't run dry. It's more the lifting up to have it gravity feed


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## emc7

There are auto shut off and auto fills, but they tend to be much pricier than ones you watch. At 550 gph, a 55 with fill in 10 minutes. Not too bad. 

The other way to do it is to put a large water container high and use a hose to gravity fill lower tanks. 

The Little Giant water pumps have hose ins and outs, but they tend to be overkill for a home aquarium. Good if you also have a pond. 

Power heads are cheaper but you need to keep most of them wet to keep them cool.

I have one of the jehmo things with a big power head on the end of a hose. It is hard to get the last 3 " of water out of anything. An in-line pump would be nicer but I haven't found any cheap. Let up know what you find.


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## austinroberts23

I'm talking weekly changes so 5-15 gallons at a time. Pretty much just to make it do the wife can help without having to lift the bucket 5' to sit on the tank. Hose connected inline to a power head inlet should work fine. Just work the outlet with another Jose to put in the tank?


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## lohachata

how close are your tanks to a faucet..kitchen or basement...since all of my tanks are in the basement i use the garden hose system...one hose with a pump attached for draining..one hose hooked up to the sink with a hang on shut off valve for filling...although you could also make it work with only one hose..


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## snyderguy

I wish I could do that with my faucet. I'd like to buy a hose that would extend all the way to my tank from the faucet but I don't think the pressure is strong enough.


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## austinroberts23

None of my faucets will work other than my outside one. But the water is frigid and non treated so wouldn't really work out.


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## AquariumTech

I would not use a pump to get the water out, the problem is that all the dirt, debris, and other organic material is going to get stuck in the pump and jam it up and possibly damage it. 

Really you need to use a python type siphon and just use an outside faucet. You can get the 50FT python and it goes through my house with no problems, and I have a very long/big house. It not use an inside faucet most pythons come with and adapter for it.

To pump clean water back in is no problem for pumps. I would suggest a pond pump, they are fairly inexpensive for their performance, and can withstand a lot of head pressure with a bunch of GPH.


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## emc7

I use my powerhead thing to pump water out of bottom tanks. I do need to disassemble it periodically and get the java moss out of the impeller and wash the gunk off. But moving a pump from tank to tank can spread disease. More often, I gravity siphon into a bucket and pump out of the bucket. still a chore, but it helps.


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## AquariumTech

emc7 said:


> I use my powerhead thing to pump water out of bottom tanks. I do need to disassemble it periodically and get the java moss out of the impeller and wash the gunk off.


All it takes is the right piece of gravel to get sucked up, get in motor or impeller and you say good bye to both; or at the very least they will be damaged.


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## arch aquatics

i use a 300 GPH power head to pump out ruffly 900-1200 gallons of water every Saturday night.

We have a shepherds crook made from PVC that attaches to the end of a 100 foot garden hose. The power heads fit perfectly inside the PVC and so long as i have an outlet or power strip i can pump about anything given time and enough beer!

LOL more tanks means more time to pump water......hence the fish room overhaul and the soon addition of a semi auto water changer

Most pond pumps have inlet and outlet barb fittings and would more then likely work for your application given some creative plumbing to connect everything


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