Help On "pumping' Water Out

[xtraman122]

Haven't been here in a while, but I'm looking for advice on a better way to do my weekly maintenance. Week after week I've been hauling 3.5 gallon buckets of water from my 55gal tank to a chair that I stand on, where I lift the buckets up over my head to dump them out a window. I have to do this annoying procedure because my room and fish tank are in the basement, so I have to get the bucket out the window which is higher up than I can just reach. So I've been looking for something like a simple in-line pump that I could just hook up to my gravel vac(with more pipe) and just pump the water directly out the window. I just don't know what to get, like size, flow rate, brand, anything. I know that there are those vacs that suction from a faucet, but I'm not sure if they would have enough suction to pull the water up roughly 6 feet. Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Pete

 

[Tolak]

Get a stong plastic garbage can, I use a 32 gallon Rubbermaid job. Siphon your tank into this. Get a utility pump from the hardware store; http/www.acehardware.com/product/index.j...2631240.1260936

Toss the pump in the can, hook a hose to the pump, put the hose out the window. Plug in the pump when the can starts to fill. I have a 1400gph pump that has been in use for years, runs through 50' of hose, across the basement floor to my sump pump.

Eventually you will vac something you want to retrieve, such as fry or smaller fish. You can easily net them out of the can. If they head down the line with an inline pump you will either have to stop the pump, if you are fast enough, dismantle and retrieve the fish. If you aren't fast enough fish goes through pump impeller, not a good day for the fish.

 

[xtraman122]

Hmm, never even thought of that, because those submersible pumps seem to be much more common than the inline ones. Good idea.