43 replies to this topic

[aussiemcgee]

 it all takes about 1 stubby but i wish it took longer.

 

Love it !

 

I can usually fit one in during a siphon and one during refill !

[Westie]

it takes me about an hour to drain 40% and fill again in my 6 footer. I might have to invest in one of those pumps.

2 and a half years later and I still haven't got one of those pumps. Might head to Bunnings tomorrow...... Or maybe I'll thing about it in another couple of years? Shame you can't buy them with all the hose fittings ready to go from a LFS. I'm "technically challenged" to say the least...

[Delapool]

That is quick changes. I fill two 20litre buckets with a gravel vac and take to different garden beds - that takes about 8 to 10 minutes each time. Then refill tank with hose and switch heaters back on straight away. I've been thinking of speeding it up but straight after I rush off to gym anyway so figure the bucket lifting does some warmup. Still takes me about 90 minutes to replace 200litres. Skimming off plant leaves at the start was quite a bit. And if I decide to prune plants it can easily drag out as I bring the ladder inside so I can reach the tank centre.

Edited by Delapool, 07 August 2016 - 05:57 AM.

[Mattia]

Still takes me about 90 minutes to replace 200litres. Skimming off plant leaves at the start was quite a bit. And if I decide to prune plants it can easily drag out as I bring the ladder inside so I can reach the tank centre.

<br /><br />Jeeeeeeez! What takes you guys so long? <br />For one of my clients I do a 50% water change and gravel clean in a 8x3x3 AND 40% water change and gravel clean in a 4x18x2 and refill the small tank in just a bit less than 90 min ...

[Bostave]

Hi all, i have 3x2x2. I do a 50% water exchange every Sunday. I have ro unit that gives me 200 litres in 12 hours of water on Thursday and I bring this inside the house on Saturday night. A heater is left in overnight to raise the temperature to 30 degree Celsius. I use the suction based gravel filter on the tank and it takes 20 minutes to drain. While that is happening, salts and trace liquids added to the ro water and are stirred with the pump and hose which are later used to fill the tank. The filling up takes 15 minutes but sometimes. The water bins are 150 litres and have wheels so it is easy to move them. The waste water is the rolled out and a hose is left in there to drain the water in the garden.

[chocky]

i have a pump attached to a garden Hose which is then attached to one of these
https://www.bunnings...inkler_p3125108

which i place on the lawn

i then attach the garden Hose to the tap to refill and add my dechlorinated while it's filling

[Cawdor]

Since I posted two years ago I have upgraded to a faster pump and I'm draining 1100L and refilling in just over an hour. That's roughly half the water out of my 6 tanks.

I refill using two taps and 18mm hose so it's faster. I use the same hose for draining & refill. Very easy.

 

[Delapool]

Jeeeeeeez! What takes you guys so long?
For one of my clients I do a 50% water change and gravel clean in a 8x3x3 AND 40% water change and gravel clean in a 4x18x2 and refill the small tank in just a bit less than 90 min ...

Lol - probably trying to read forum posts at the same time doesn't help.

[Westie]

I went to Bunnings today and picked up a couple of these:
https://www.bunnings...dapter_p3120484
No joy looking at the pumps though, as I couldn't find anyone to ask..... Good old Bunnings

[sandgroper]

I use a spa pump, 19mm hose and a 250 litre rubbish bin. pumping out and back in again takes about 15 minutes.

[Jules]

I have a 60mm pool creepy crawly hose, dumps 50% of my 7x2.5 (500lts of water gone) in about 4 minutes, which of course floods the grass area in my back yard and my pup thinks its the best thing ever, refill in less then 10 minutes from the garden hose. Waterchanges are no longer a hassle and are done in 20minutes, its great!

Edited by Jules, 09 August 2016 - 11:28 AM.

[Chopstick_mike]

What about when you need to get all the waste from under the rocks ?? I have to take all the rocks out , Which I do every 2nd WC takes about 45 mins with a little sump pump otherwise if it's with out taking scape out its lucky to be 20 mins

[aussiemcgee]

it takes me about an hour to drain 40% and fill again in my 6 footer. I might have to invest in one of those pumps. 

 

or get a bigger hose?

[Jules]

What about when you need to get all the waste from under the rocks ?? I have to take all the rocks out , Which I do every 2nd WC takes about 45 mins with a little sump pump otherwise if it's with out taking scape out its lucky to be 20 mins

 

I'm luck both my tanks have very minimal scaping in them (suspended driftwood in the water column) and very fine layers of sand which amazingly trap little to no waste.

[Westie]

or get a bigger hose?

That's the first time anyone has said that to me
xoxox

[Westie]

I ended up getting a 1500lph submersible pump for about $30 and it has an attachment that lets a hose click on. It's not a strong fit on the hose, so I'll dial down the flow rate on the pump to the minimum and connect the hose and see how good it drains the tank. Here's a pic of the pump:

And with the hose attachment screwed on:

[Delapool]

Be curious how it gets on. Did the hose come with it or get from Bunnings?

[Westie]

Garden hose from bunnings. Pope brand. Cheap as chips. The little black screw in fitting that connects the pump to the hose came with the pump. It actually came with a smaller screw in fitting too.

[bigjohnnofish]

couple tips.... get an old U-piece pipe from a cannister and shove a piece of hose on one end inside the tank and trim this hose to the level you want to drain to... and then so you dont suck up any fish place a small sponge over the end of the hose.... other end of the U-piece attach enough hose to drain water outside or into garden bed or back lawn or whatever.... start the siphon then go and do whatever you want - it will stop when the water level goes below your inside tank hose.... so at your leisure you can return and fill it.... basically takes 2min to setup...... 

 

i fill from a pre-prepped reservoir of water via a pump and hose and fill the tank.... i leave smoke alarm with 2 wires attached to the test button dangling into the tank at the desired fill level... and when water rises and comes into contact with the 2 wires smoke alarm goes off and i then know the tanks full.... in mean time i can go do whatever i want as long as im within hearing distance of smoke alarm... this really only takes 2 min too....  

 

so when i waterchange 50% in an 8x3 tank it takes couple hours but only 4 min of that im actually doing anything - leaves plenty of time to watch the bulldogs beat the hawks     

[Buccal]

I do a similar thing, I've timed all my water changes and processes,,, so I have sequenced count down timer alarms all ticking away on my iPhone sitting in my pocket,,, hhhmmm, I've just thought of two aquarists apps lol, jee, that may already exist.

But yes, nothing like a good regime that works fluent and efficient to save time and protect passion levels within.