high end / custom water handling fixtures... what do you use???

[Magnum Man]

one of the most important parts of my "power" water changing, is control of the flow... the diaphragm pump I'm using, allows for the stall of a shut off/ control valve, I'm currently using a stainless "J" hook on my draw line, with a mesh end, that goes 9 inches into the tank, as a safety measure, so I can't accidentally completely drain a tank, if I were to get interrupted while doing water changes... this has been working exceptionally well, with no modifications needed, it hangs on the tank, and is hands free during use...
I'm now working on ( in my head, as I'm still really busy for another couple weeks ) a fill end... I'll need a couple different ones... I currently have a stainless "J" hook end, with no reducer valve, that works great for the bigger tanks, in my main group, but not so well, on the smaller tanks, and the couple hard water tanks I'm filling with well water from a garden hose, need an end yet... I'm looking at a coil of 1/2 inch stainless tube, and a stainless garden hose female end (they will be food grade tig welded ) with a compact stainless ball valve, which I'll be able to control or shut off the flow... I'll be adding a stainless ball valve to the fill "J" hook on the one for my main tank group, so I can reduce the flow, when filling my 10 gallon shrimp tanks, as at full flow, it blows everything around, in the tanks... I'm choosing stainless for a couple reasons... durability, and weight, over plastics, at full flow, when filling larger tanks, there is a tendency to want to jump out of the tank, and whip around like a fire hose... I have 2 of the 10 gallon shrimp tanks, that are only a few inches off the floor, and without the weight of the hose holding "J" hook down, it's "blasted off" from the tank, a couple times, if I don't wedge it in properly, of coarse this sprays water all over... adding the weight of a stainless ball valve will help significantly... plus being in the food industry, I have a lot of experience with stainless, and prefer it to other metals... with less chance of raising the copper level in the water for tanks that may contain shrimp...

anyone else eccentric enough to not use the normal??? what do you use, and why???

 

[Magnum Man]

well, I'm closing out my old plant, before retirement, clearing the building for the new tenant... yesterday I found a box with several new 1/2 inch stainless ball valves, just the right size, when clearing junk, to go to the dumpster... Perfect size, and just as many as I was looking for, for my fill ends I'm making, including the new one that will be needed for the 250 gallon tank, as that will be on a different floor of the house from the RO water pump and switch, it'll be important that I can shut the water off at the tank... with my current set up, with no shut off valves, The corded switch is mounted on the wall, behind the main group of tanks , in my work area, so I just cut the power... it's been working well, except the issues with the 10 gallons listed above... the added weight, and the ability to easily customize the flow, will be a benefit though...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I use a more basic system. For emptying I use a submersible pump. I have several of these in different sizes for smaller tanks. But, On bigger tanks I can pump out a windows or into a toilet. So I have bugger pumps which are adapted to accept garden hose size connectors. I rvent over draining by how deep in the tank I place the pump. The worst that might happen is a pump would get burned out. So far even when they have run dry for as much as 30 minutes, none has fried. I have never emptied a tank to where the fish were in trouble.

For the return I have 2 options. I use the Python J-hook which adapts via a garden hose connection. For smaller tanks I use a fan style nozzle

The other thing I do is not to use the metal end connectors. I do not want these spending time in tanks of refill cans, So, I cut them off of hoses and replace them with plastic.nylon ones, I also have a non metal ball valve on the and of most hoses.

However, due to space and house cleaning needs, I have to stow a lot of my equipment weekly. I do not have a fish room and I have tanks spread out in the house. At best I have been able to do some localized air power where I have had 6-8 tanks in a single room. But all tanks are self-contained, have their own filters and do not share water.

 

[Magnum Man]

title of this thread might sound "uppity"

but these are my water handling fixtures I had made... 2 with ball valves, and barb fittings are the RO water change fixtures one of them with with the garden hose end goes on my expanding hose, that has a shut off on the output side, for well water fill, of live bearer tanks, the other goes outside for filling farm animal water tanks I need more weight than plastic fixtures offer, pumping my RO, and well water fill water...

 

[Magnum Man]

well the outside one works awesome, for filling cattle tank

it flows twice the flow of the nozzle, that came with the hose, that i was clipping to the panel to fill the tank

cattle are happy it's above zero outside

works great on the sheep water tanks as well...

I just topped of the aquariums last night, but expect the one for the aquariums , will work just as well...

 

[GaryE]

These are cool approaches. Here I am with a potable water hose, with a garden hose attachment at each end. Then to empty, I have gravity, a pool hose and a set of different siphon hoses depending on tank size, running to a drain near the floor.

I have no cows or goats either.

 

[Magnum Man]

I only have $20.00 into them, over parts... being in the food industry, most of my life, I'm really partial to stainless... all my water changing is hands free... I've posted pictures of my stainless mesh draw tube, now with these heavier outlets, and the ball valves, the system will work, from 5 gallon, to 250 gallon tanks... I can't tell you guys, how great it is, to no longer have to haul 5 gallon buckets, for water changes...

though, with my power gravel vacuum, I'll be filling 1 gallon milk jugs, for the house plants, 4 at a time, in a milk crate... right now, that will only be done when vacuuming gravel, but soon, with the power system, I may end up just using water change water, once I'm well caught up on bottom vacuuming...

 

[Magnum Man]

.... and doing water changes today... RO filling