• You liked BFD7 now you should join this forum and of course become a club member to see what CCA is all about.
  • Thank you to everyone who registered and showed up for the BIG Fish Deal #7.

Best Siphon / Water Replacement Tool?

mchambers

Former CCA member
With a pump in the tank, you're not going to get much, if any, removal of waste, because the pumps all have screens so that junk doesn't get in the impeller. When I want to remove waste from the bottom, I use the water changer attached to the faucet. I suppose you could somehow attach a pump to the output end of the water changer, and use the gravel vac that way, but I haven't found a way to do that. Also, I think you'd clog the pump.

As far as the length of the tube is concerned, I think the bigger issue is whether you are siphoning downhill or uphill. If the water is flowing level or downhill, any pump will do fine. If you're trying to send the water uphill, you need a more powerful pump. Pump manuals or specifications will tell how much lift (vertical rise) the pump can handle, and that will give you some idea of what you need.
 
hey Beanie, i put the pump and stick it on my glass wall about 2/3 down. 525gph is pushing through 50 foot of my tubing fine. I change my 150gallon, 125 gallon, 75 gallon, 55 gallon, and 30 gallon setup in about an hour and a half
 

Frank Cowherd

Global Moderators
Staff member
If you are siphoning out debris and snails and gravel and stuff you do not really know what it is, the best way is to get a five gallon bucket and a siphon hose that allows you to siphon into the bucket but not much longer than that. Then put a large fish net on top of the bucket. Also put in the bottom of the bucket a pump attached to a hose to pump the water to the drain. Start the siphon. Rocks and sand and snails and debris will be caught in the net, the pump will continue to work without clogging up. The siphon is short and the drop is as long/far as it can be so the flow rate is as fast as it can be. My only problem with this set up is that when the pump is sucking air and not water it is a bit noisy so I put a switch on the pump so I can turn it off easily and back on as needed.
 
Top