Water change with powerhead?

[Atitagain]

@Tihshho. Hauling buckets lol I’ll pay double before that. Lol. 
Your idea does seem to be overall best option if cost wasn’t a factor. But I’ll probably try the powerhead first if it has enough power great if not I can use it elsewhere and get a $30 fountain pump.

as always great info. I think I will get the bigger can instead of a bucket tho as it will help with storage of my water change equipment.

Thank you

[Atitagain]

On 9/20/2021 at 1:16 PM, Guppy Guy said:

In the book “breeding show guppies” by Bryan George Chin, he demonstrates using a siphon feeding into a 5 gallon bucket with a bunch of small holes, placed inside a 40 gallon storage tote with a sump pump in it. He gravel vacs the tanks with the siphon, the water goes into the 5 gallon bucket, the holes stop the sucked-up fish and plants from escaping, the water trickles out of the holes into the tote, and a sump pump pushes it out to his garden(a fountain pump would probably work too).

I personally siphon the water into a bucket, dump that out, and refill the bucket with clean water, and pump that into the tank with an ancient maxi-jet from marineland. Don’t ask me what model it is, I got it for 5 bucks from my LFS, and the paint is hard to read.

This sounds like a real good idea it protects from losing fish and plants plus filters the mulm and debris 

 

On 9/20/2021 at 1:56 PM, Jimfish98 said:

I would not bother as it is likely not to impact your water/sewage bill at all. Most water municipalities bill sewage on an estimate of the amount of water being used going back out the drain eventually. Some have winter rates assuming 100% in and 100% out and summer rates being lower assuming landscaping, pools, washing cars, etc. Measuring water usage is easy due to pressurization but gravity flow of waste out of your house is too difficult to get accurate. I would first check in to see exactly how it is billed before taking any steps. If you are looking to greatly reduce costs, a lower flow shower head or toilets would produce greater results. 

Thanks for helping , I’m thinking your right as in use the water to fill it’s probably already estimated into the sewage bill. I will check into this. But it’s really about cutting cost in the fish room. I’ve had my budget for it cut big time and trying to save everything I can without hauling buckets lol 

[Streetwise]

Top Fin has a water change kit with an in-line pump with a power switch on the cord. I got it for a project idea:

I don’t know how powerful it is, but I will check later.

Cory has a video demonstrating a water change kit with a submersible pump.

[Atitagain]

On 9/20/2021 at 4:31 PM, Streetwise said:

Top Fin has a water change kit with an in-line pump with a power switch on the cord. I got it for a project idea:

I don’t know how powerful it is, but I will check later.

Cory has a video demonstrating a water change kit with a submersible pump.

Something like this would work, suppose it’s a matter of it could lift 3 1/2-4ft and a strong enough flow to keep up with a siphon. 
you really MacGyvered that up. Interesting project.

[B1gJ4k3]

I've attempted a "power water changer" with a powerhead before with mixed results. In my experience, the powerhead is great for starting a siphon for a downhill water line...and not much else. I haven't had much luck moving water over any sort of incline. I tried it with the refugium I built for one of my 125s and couldn't even get it to lift water through a 1/4" tube over a height of about 8-10 inches with a mid-sized powerhead. Even with a large AquaTop 600 GPH powerhead hooked up to a garden house, the flow rate isn't that much better than just a standard siphon over the same distance. The AC powerhead looks to be about middle of the road as far as flow rate, so I wouldn't trust it to do much lifting, especially over 3 or 4 feet.

If I'm understanding you correctly, I would think your money would be better spent looking into a submersible pump of some kind.

[Randall from Texas]

On 9/20/2021 at 11:11 AM, Littlefish said:

Is your sewer on a meter?  If I'm not mistaken in my county the sewage fee is based off the water used according to our water meter. 

Tank water is still a great way to water plants, regardless.

This, you're sewer charge is based on your metered usage.

[Tihshho]

On 9/20/2021 at 10:25 PM, B1gJ4k3 said:

couldn't even get it to lift water through a 1/4" tube over a height of about 8-10 inches with a mid-sized powerhead

Yep, that's where mag drives excel as they are made for pumping volume at a head pressure that can attain 5-6'+ when you get into the larger pumps.

[B1gJ4k3]

On 9/20/2021 at 6:21 AM, DaveO said:

The co-op power head looks like a redesigned aqua top that the co-op also sells. It is rated to push water a max of 3.6 feet high.

I think that distance is the maximum length of an uplift tube that it would sit on top of, either on an undergravel filter (as they were originally intended to be used) or on a sponge filter. I don't think that measures it's ability to lift water up that distance.

[Atitagain]

@Tihshho. @B1gJ4k3 thanks for all the advice, I figured as much and even if it did work how good would the flow rate be lifting that high. Think I will go with a fountain pump or maybe a mag if I can get a good deal on a quality one. Don’t think it would be wise to buy a cheap model if I go that route.

[Bullsnark]

On 9/20/2021 at 12:08 PM, Atitagain said:

I’m not sure about this, I just know it’s two separate charges. And unless I want to run and restart the siphon after every tank (14) I have to keep water running. So if I do all 14 tanks (normally would do 8-10 each Sunday) I have water running 3 1/2-4 hours straight. 

I can tell you for certain that your sewer is not metered. Sewer charges are based off of water consumption. In some circumstances, I had customers that had been charged sewer fees for years, but actually had septic tanks and weren’t actually connected to the sewer in the municipality; they were able to contact the water department and have the levied fees removed from that address from that point on, though they didn’t get refunded for years of overpayment (22 years in one instance) I was a plumber for 7 years, but no longer ☹️

[Atitagain]

On 9/21/2021 at 3:27 AM, Bullsnark said:

I can tell you for certain that your sewer is not metered. Sewer charges are based off of water consumption. In some circumstances, I had customers that had been charged sewer fees for years, but actually had septic tanks and weren’t actually connected to the sewer in the municipality; they were able to contact the water department and have the levied fees removed from that address from that point on, though they didn’t get refunded for years of overpayment (22 years in one instance) I was a plumber for 7 years, but no longer ☹️

Thanks for the info, that makes sense. I feel for those people, it’s probably something most people wouldn’t give a second thought to. Even for 22 years. Wow! 

[Gideyon]

I've seen powerheads to gravel vac, but the water stays in the tank. The debris is caught by polyfill.  Just a DIY contraption with a cut out plastic bottle stuffed with polyfill. 

If you did that, then you can do an easy water change with a water pump.  Stick it to the level you want to change, and put the output either out the window or in a bucket with a tube. 

[Atitagain]

On 9/21/2021 at 3:38 PM, Gideyon said:

I've seen powerheads to gravel vac, but the water stays in the tank. The debris is caught by polyfill.  Just a DIY contraption with a cut out plastic bottle stuffed with polyfill. 

If you did that, then you can do an easy water change with a water pump.  Stick it to the level you want to change, and put the output either out the window or in a bucket with a tube. 

Thanks, I broke down and went to hardware store and bought a barrel and a fountain pump today. Not the cheapest route but I need to save time as well, with so many tanks and so little time had to pay a little more up front.

[Streetwise]

I think @Cory may have other videos on this topic, but this is the one I found.

[Atitagain]

On 9/21/2021 at 5:02 PM, Streetwise said:

I think @Cory may have other videos on this topic, but this is the one I found.

Thanks for taking the time to look that up @Streetwisei like how it will just stop where you set it. 20%,50% whatever. I am still gonna get a ACO powerhead and give this a try. Anything to save time so I can spend more enjoying them wet pets.

[B1gJ4k3]

Funny enough, in the video, you can actually see the powerhead struggling to get the water over the lip of the tank. When the tank is full, it's not a huge problem because the uplift is minimal and the siphon takes care of the rest, but when it's partially empty like that, a mid-sized powerhead like that can't even lift it 6-ish inches.

[Atitagain]

On 9/21/2021 at 5:22 PM, B1gJ4k3 said:

Funny enough, in the video, you can actually see the powerhead struggling to get the water over the lip of the tank. When the tank is full, it's not a huge problem because the uplift is minimal and the siphon takes care of the rest, but when it's partially empty like that, a mid-sized powerhead like that can't even lift it 6-ish inches.

Yea that’s main reason I went ahead and got a pond pump, I have to go up 3 1/2 feet and the one I got is rated for 5-6 feet lift 300GPH

[Streetwise]

This is similar to the challenge of filtration for my school turtle tank.