Water from Container to Tank

[Mikers]

Hello there,

I've read that a lot of you let water stand for a day before you add it to the aquarium.

Well, I was wondering, how exactly do you get the aged water into the tank?

If I change 30% twice a week, that will be 30 gallons. So, I was hoping to buy a rubbermaid container about 30 gallons, and place it under the aquarium.

Add a heater, and air pump, and then let the water stand. But how would I go about getting this water, that is below the aquarium, into my main tank?

Thanks a lot,

Mike

[dishpanhands]

Most use a pump and hose. something like one of these.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/product/productInfo.web?picGroupKey=15914
Get a good size one or its slow...

[Elite Aquaria]

I have my Water Containers above my racks so mine are gravity feed. Since I live in Florida, I do not need to heat my storage container most of the year.

Dan

[Green Country Discus]

Having upgraded/added on storage tanks several times I will give my opinion. Water storage is one of the most important/time savers you will find with Discus and their maintenance. Having aged available water at the proper temp and a pump and hose to deliver this "nectar" is the bomb. I/we have tried the garbage cans with-out satisfaction. My advice would be to buy/spend some $+- and get a tub (there are deals on containers) made for liquid storage, heat it properly, equip it with a pump to deliver in a timely manner ( we use-lil Giant 1250 GPH with 3/4"ISD hose), and set up a way to drain fast. We are hobbiests, with full time jobs, and the less time you waist moving water, the more often you will WC and the more your Discus will thrive. Setting up a storage tank is cost wise like setting up another aquarium, if done properly..remember that your time is worth $ and your enjoyment will increase if maintenance is eased.We need to work on seting up float controled fills on our tap ageing tubs.. Do have overflows on your tubs.....this use to be our biggest source of floods LOL. HTH

[Mikers]

Thanks for your repiles everyone!

Is a 200gph pump really that slow? I mean, 200/4 = 50 gallons, and one quarter of an hour is 15 minutes, so 15 minutes really isn't that bad to fill up my tank?

Or am I miscalculating something? I mean honestly, do I need a 1250gph pump?

Thanks,

Mike

[RockRiverfish]

Mike,

The pump size and time involved really depends on an individual's circumstances. Spending 10 or 15 minutes on one or two tanks is no big deal, but for someone with 10, 20, 30+ tanks, the time can really add up.

Your math is right, but you also need to consider that most pumps are rated for maximum flow at zero head. You probably don't need a 1,250 gph pump, but that 200 gph unit might not fit your needs either. Once you start pumping water "uphill" the performance decreases. In other words, you will want to size your pump based on the actual desired output.

From the bottom of the storage container to the top of the tank is probably 3 feet, and maybe add another foot of head for pipe restriction, elbows, etc. Therefore, you would be looking for a pump that moved the desired number of gallons per hour at 4' of head.

Pumps are designed with a wide range of applications, so just check out the flow curve for the unit you are interested in to make sure you will get the output that you are looking for.

[FishLover888]

Get a bigger pump. The 200 gph is the best the pump can do. If you add in the hight and distance the water will have to travel to get into the tank, it will slow down a lot. The last thing you want to do is waiting for the water to fill your tank.

I have a pump that rated 1300L per hour, that's about 300gph and it takes about 20+ minutes to move 44 g of water each time. I wish I had a bigger pump. Next time when I order something on line, if there is a good price on pumps, that's what I will buy. I think if I can save 10 minutes of time by replacing the pump, it will be worth it since the waiting is really boring and waste of time for sure. I'm going for at least 600gph, maybe more if the price is not too high.

Save you some trouble and buy a bigger pump.

[Mikers]

What you guys are saying makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

I'll look out for a stronger pump.

Mike

[Blue Ram]

I have just recently done some research and purchasing on doing this exact same thing. I have 3 tanks in the upper level of my house (46, 50 and 54 gal). Manual water changes using a pail are time consuming and killing my back! I have purchased a 55 gal food grade storage container (from Pepsi) that has a lid. I purchased a 200 watt heater, a pump, hose, airstone and misc. pumping parts to make the changes easier and ultimately safer water parameters for my fish. Hoping to be able to do a water change this weekend using this system. I purchased a 350 gph pump from mops.ca. They are a CDN online store with great prices. You should check out the pumps they have. I got mine for $85 with no shipping!

[Mikers]

I feel everything in Canada is overpriced (haha, it is :D ), so I'll be looking for pumps in America this March break as I'll be there anyways.

I can find a 900gph pump for 37.99 at bigalsonline.com.

Mike

[RyanH]

Hey Mike,


Get on Ebay and pick up one of these:

http://search.ebay.com/water-ace-r6s_W0QQfromZR41QQpqryZwateraceQ20r6s


I have two of them and I love them. They are inexpensive (about $90), durable, easy to use, and will fill a tank very quickly even if it's 6 feet off the ground and in the other room.

They are fantastic pumps IMO.:)

[FishLover888]

This is on sale for $30 on eBay. I just bought one for $45, including the S&H charge. I think they ship to Canada too, for few dollars more.

[2jzpower]

i'm doing the exact same thing got my pump from www.bigalsonline.com it's made by Pentair Aquatics (Rainbow Lifeguard) and most have the 3/4 inch adapter i'm 100% positively sure up to the quiet one 3000 model here's the link to all of their pumps and they have a graph of flow rates at the height you are pumping to (head) both in gallons and liters /hr. http://www.pentairaquatics.com/products/detail/quiet_one_pumps.html

the 1200 is 19.99 and the 3000 which i got is 39.99.. at big al's
hope this helps

[dishpanhands]

Just wanted to stay that the quite one I have is anything but that....lol
It pumps good so I use it just for wc in the small storage tank..I don't remember the model# but I know its atleast 500 gph..

[FishLover888]

Got the new pump (1300g/h) from eBay and it filled my tank with 60g of water in few munites. I think it worth the money.

BTW, this is a refurbished product on eBay. Cost me about $50 including S&H charges.

[2jzpower]

Just wanted to stay that the quite one I have is anything but that....lol


hey but isn't it just oh, so nice not having to lift a bunch of 5 gallon buckets... then not pouring it in too fast so it won't stir tings up too much.. then not too slow so your arm gets too tired... then wiping the glass down...

lol