Aquarium Maintenance Gadgets

[Shifty1303]

Hi all

Question born of increasing back pain from carrying heavy buckets around for you all today...

I have considered getting a python system for a while now but have been put off by the water they appear to waste whilst emptying the aquarium. Recently I saw fluval have a siphon called the aquavac+ which is battery powered and can be used to both siphon and fill the aquarium from buckets at ground level which saves lifting them above shoulder height. Just wondering if anyone here has used one and whether they are good or a gimmick? If the latter, any good alternatives available? I considered rigging up a small pump and hose for getting water from the buckets on the floor to tank height already but this product from fluval appears on paper to solve my issue.

Also, has anyone picked up any useful water parameter monitoring tools in their time? I have an api test kit which I use but recently saw the seneye digital monitoring system. Again..good or gimmick? Am I unaware of a better/easier way to monitor nitrates and ph in particular?

Regards,
Shifty

 

[gmc1]

I use a plain long clear piece of hose.it goes from tank straight into sink.takes no time at all.i do however still fill tank back up with 25 litre bucket.

 

[Akasha72]

I too have a serious back problem and lugging buckets isn't good for me either. I'm planning on making a DIY python at some point but bills keep getting in the way of the cost!
I do however have a small folding table which is about waist height and I put my bucket on there and use a 1 litre jug to add the water slowly and steadily. Minimum stress for me and fish.
 
I can't help with the gadgets though as I've not even seen either. 

 

[Shifty1303]

i normally tip buckets from above the tank but i pour them through a cheap colander which disperses the water really well and prevents a lot of unnecessary water and substrate agitation. i might go down the diy route too and get a basic pond pump and hose along with a 70ish litre storage tub/bucket etc and pump it up into the tank. i worry that the battery powered siphon would eat through expensive batteries and would still be quite slow.
 
honestly, if the seneye digital monitor could monitor nitrate i would buy one tomorrow regardless of price those API nitrate tests are good but get so tedious after a while

 

[Gruntle]

I honestly haven't checked my nitrate levels in almost a year. The tank is up and running, I'm on top of my water changes and have fairly heavily planted tanks.
 
I watch my fish, and I guess if their behaviour changed I'd do a full water test, but so far, so good.

 

[Far_King]

I use one of these https/fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-marin-water-change-pump
 
And the tube I run into a cheap plastic colander to dissipate the water.  Worth every penny!

 

[Akasha72]

Far_King - it says it can lift the water two meter's but my tank is about 6 or 7 metre's away from my kitchen sink. Would it have the power to move the water that far or not?

 

[Far_King]

It seems to pack quite a punch but I use it to take water from a 25litre can up to the tank.
 
It also states not to run it for more than 15 minutes continuously.
 
I'm not sure if it will damage it on a longer length or not.

 

[NickAu]

I have a powerhead with a long hose on it for the 100 gallon tank, When I do a water change ( 50% ) every week, I just stick the power head in the tank, the other end of the hose in the sink and turn the power head on, It don’t take long to pump out 200 litres, Because I pre heat and pre treat my water I have 2 plastic 100 litre drums I fill with water the day before I heat it, it takes over night in winter, then before I put it in the tank I add prime making sure its well mixed, Again I use a power head to do this when ready I use a power head and hose to pump it into the tank, Bit time consuming and fiddly but the heaviest thing I lift is a hose or empty plastic drum.

 

[Shifty1303]

Ok ill try that. What size powerhead is it? I want to make sure the one I buy can handle pumping water roughly 1.5 metres up vertically from buckets on the floor

 

[NickAu]

I had 2 of these spare after I put canister filters on my tank.
 

OTTO Internal Aquarium Power Head Sponge Filter 600 LPH Fish Tank Filtration

 

[Phillysailor]

I'm new to fish keeping, and built a tank. I'm just cycling, but am glad I took the time to do a couple of things, tho' not gadgets per se.
 
I drilled a bulkhead into the back of the tank, at the waterline. A pipe leads from there (through a shut off valve) via 1" PVC to a barb and then 3/4 ID tubing fed down into a 2" PVC drain stand pipe in the wall. The tubing terminus is 1 foot below the tank bottom, and the PVC ends a foot below that. The drain pipe runs into the drain beneath a shop sink on the other side of the wall.
 
I've a 3-stage filter from the cold water tap there through 1/4" tubing to a Y, one of which feeds a filtered tap at the sink, so I can wash tank items and not kill bacteria. The other line runs to the tank, where I have a needle valve, to control flow. I can do a water change just by setting the flow to a reasonable rate, and then walking away. Excess water drains, and I wait enough time for an appropriate water change. 30 mins is 10 gallons, and the temp doesn't change much.
 
The whole thing is in a built-in bookcase, used to hold a big cathode-ray style TV. Doors enclose the top, and the face frame blocks the sides, so it's really quiet.

 

[Far_King]

Sounds very smart.  Do you have any pictures of it?

 

[TheTank]

Agree
Would love to see pictures!

 

[DrRob]

I've got a whale pump. 12v caravan thingamy, looks like the one from Maidenhead. Works nicely with a 12V adaptor to get the bucket emptied.
 
I've also got a drain point under the tank, so I can just feed a hose into the drainpipe and let the tank drain for water changes. Helps a lot.