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Re: [APD] just out of curiosity



No pails for me. If God wanted us to move water in pails, God wouldn't have let us invent hoses, pipes, and tubes. There is no aquarium inaccessible to a faucet -- it's only a question of length of hose.
 
Some folks go all out for automated systems that store water and periodically drain and refill aquaria. These are pricey or time consuming to construct. However, very convenient once installed.
 
I do all my tanks, large and small, the same way. I have a pump attached to a siphon that is attached to a 3/4 ID garden hose that drains into the backyard. It only takes a few minutes to drain 100 gallons. The pump and hose diameter make a terrific diff in water flow!
 
The siphon I use is like this :
 
http://www.jehmco.com/PRODUCTS_/HARDWARE_/Safety_Siphon_Aquarium_Drain/safety_siphon_aquarium_drain.html
 
You can buy them or make one yourself out of PVC and good powerhead. The hardest part for DIY is finding the swivel female hose attachement in PVC. With this thing you can drain the water to a specific level more or less unattended.
 
Refilling takes longer. I still use a Python, which allows me to control the temp of the water at the faucet. However, the narrow tubing means a lower water flow than when draining. A half dozen tanks, inlcuding a 150 g, takes me about 1/2 hour to drain and refill, unless I do pruning and filter cleaing at the same time.
 

Scott H.
* * * * * * * * * * * The 6th Annual AGA Aquascaping Contest entries are on display: http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org As a service to the community the AGA has opened forums: http://forum.aquatic-gardeners.org/ 


----- Original Message ----
From: Eli Moss <mossy173 at gmail_com>
To: aquatic plants digest <Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com>
Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2005 9:29:01 AM
Subject: [APD] just out of curiosity


All you folks with aquariums topping one hundred, two hundred, even three
hundred gallons, I have a question: how on earth do you handle water
changes?  It's manageable for me, with my sum total of sixty five gallons,
to just lug a big pail between the bathroom and my room a few times.  I'm
sure there's a much more clever way to manage this on a larger scale, how do
you go about it?  Not that I plan on moving up, I don't quite have the time
or money, it's just a question that's been in my head.

A Curious Eli

p.s. I have a lyretail black molly that grazes on algae far more efficiently
than any other fish I've ever had or seen, it almost singlehandedly
destroyed my BBA invasion in a couple weeks.  I highly recommend trying one!
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