Water change pump requirements

[stevo1957]

I have a cyclid tank - Not that big at 135 ltrs but due to a bad back, water changes are becoming a bit of a problem, even though I only do about 4 x 12 ltr buckets each time.

Thought I'd try a pump setup but am totally confused with the technical aspects of flow rate and head loss etc, so not sure what spec of pump I will need.

Height of my tank is about 1.3 mtrs.
The run to my laundry sink is about 20 metres.
My laundry is down 2 steps from house level, so total height from laundry floor to top of tank is about 1.8 mtrs.
I plan to use 12mm ID clear tubing - there will be no need for joiners or elbows.
Flow rate from my laundry tap would seem to be approx. 50 ltrs per minute, given I fill a 12 ltr bucket in about 15 seconds.

My laundry tap does not have a connector to it, so I plan to use the pump in a bucket in the sink under the running tap, to top up the tank with fresh water.
I have always added Prime and Stability to the tank after each water change, without issue.

I don't want to spend a fortune and have been looking into some cheap pumps on Ebay by Vivosun - the 400 GPH and 800 GPH units

https://vivosun.com/products/vivosun-400gph-submersible-pump1500l-h-15w-ultra-quiet-water-pump-with-5-3ft-high-lift-fountain-pump-with-5ft-power-cord-2-nozzles-for-fish-tank-pond-aquarium-statuary-hydroponics?_pos=1&_sid=07999febd&_ss=r&variant=33533635821613

https://vivosun.com/products/vivosun-800gph-submersible-pump3000l-h-24w-ultra-quiet-water-pump-with-10ft-high-lift-fountain-pump-with-5ft-power-cord-3-nozzles-for-fish-tank-pond-aquarium-statuary-hydroponics

From what others are using, I'm thinking the 800 GPM unit will certainly make taking the water out quick and easy but I don't know if I will have enough pressure to get the water back in.
If I don't, I think the tank is too small to go any more power on a pump so am thinking I just make a connection to my garden hose and fill with normal tap pressure....but pump would be preferred as less hassle in getting hose outside etc for tap connection.

Any assistance would be appreciated in terms of what I would need or whether I am best going for a smaller pump just to drain with top up via the garden hose.

 

 

 

[Slipshodman]

Hi @stevo1957

Just offering what i have done to save carrying buckets for the tanks in my lounge room

I added a "Y" connector to the cold water line for my washing machine laundry tap, then added an extra tap on one side with garden hose fittings. On the other side connected my washing machine as normal (so the misses was still happy that she didn't have to do anything when someone uses the washing machine) 

From the garden hose fitting i added a short hose to a small hose reel and made a hook to sit over the edge of my tank.( a couple of pics attached) 

My largest tank in the lounge room is 6ft and has an FX6 on it so i have a hose connected to the outlet of the FX6 ans switch it over to dump water out, then use the hose from the laundry to fill it back up.

I always dose prime before i start filling it back up for the whole tank size, then again about half way through filling as i do 50 to 75 % water changes 

Just to offer a thought to your plan as with a tap you can totally regulate the flow of water filling up your tank to ensure no temp shock when adding cold water, "low and slow" as they say, with a pump that could be harder to do 

As for pumping out water from your tank, well gravity should help you out with a long enough hose attached to one of these from a hardware store, that's what i use for my other tanks to dump water out, its just a siphon pump and after you start it gravity does the rest, its only like $5 at a hardware or cheap dollar shop.

Everything i got from Bunnings in stainless so no brass fitting to chemically effect the water going into the tank and all up maybe cost me $50 or something like that so could be a lot cheaper than buying a pump and this is basically fail proof, no parts to replace over time, its just plumbing 

 

I hope that helps with your ideas 

 

Cheers 

 

[Skippy]

Bunnings have an indoor tap to hose connector that my solve your laundry tap connection problem.

I used to use 19mm clear vinyl tubing for my water changes but I found it to be prone to kinking and eventually splitting.  I've replaced it with reinforced hose which is much easier to wind up and tidy away too.

[stevo1957]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Some good ideas to pursue. I don't want to spend a lot on additional plumbing though at this stage, given we will be moving to our new house next year when construction is complete.