Safety Siphon

[Melody]

How hard would the powerhead Saftey Siphon (http://www.jehmco.com/html/safety_siphon_aquarium_drain.html) be to make yourself? Has anyone ever used them? They seem way too cheap to be any good....lol....but if they work well, it could make things easier. I was thinking of getting the last one - its on sale for $44.

[BC_Kron]

That would be very easy to make, and they do work great. Some 3/4 pvc, 4 90 degree elbows and a powerhead. Take about ten minutes, and cost about $10.00 (not including powerhead) to make. Wanna deal??????

[Melody]

I'm still trying to figure out how they work :rolleyes: . I take it I need a garden hose, it syphons down to the level it reaches and then stops syphoning I gather. I would be here anyways, but it would be nice to just sit and watch and it should suffice for bare tanks. What about the end on the inside? I'd be afraid of sucking fish up.:wideeyed:

If I decide to go with it, deal we shall! You should see about getting the powerheads wholesale and go into business. If the mechanically challenged like myself are willing to pay $45 USD + shipping & taxes.... ::D: . You might be able to strike a deal with Paul at Pacific Aquatics even - he can get the wholesale powerheads and you give him a good deal for supplying the store and ...

Sorry, aaaaalways thinkin'....lol.

[BC_Kron]

It would act like a HOB filter, only instead of filtering the water and returning it to the tank, the powerhead pushes the water out the garden hose. The end in the tank has a guard on it, same as a filter pick up, that stops fishies from being sucked up.

[thegrandpoohbah]

Just slip a piece of sponge over the powerhead intake to protect the fish. It will make draining tanks easier but won't really help with weekly waterchanges because it won't vacuum the bottom.

[Melody]

I like that idea... too easy! Why doesn't everyone do that? I suppose the lack of vacuum isn't good in gravel tanks but if I could do waterchanges in the bare tanks that easily I'd be doing them a whole lot more. The bare tanks include the ones with growing babies so that would be good.

Is it meant to be portable? I suppose I'd need varying sizes with the wide range of tanks I have. I have one powerhead for the UV sterilizer that I don't use all the time but its an HOB - would that work?

Its a a very good thing that I have such amazing friends in this hobby....lol...I'd be the perfect gullible target for the average salesperson when it comes to this stuff. Give me techie, give me facts, but give me mechanical and I'll give you one big blind bambi in the headlights look :Embarassing: . Thanks for your help. :smile:

[BC_Kron]

we could always make the inside the tank part screw on and off. Thus allowing one to interchange different length pickups. The HOB powerhead would probably work, we would just have to be more creative with the pvc.

[Melody]

I don't mind getting a new powerhead for the purpose - it would probably be easier than switching one out anyway and easier is the name of the game.

This working outside the home stuff has seriously interfered with my hobby time :mad: .... but the money is better....lol.

[BC_Kron]

Tell ya what. You get the powerhead, and I'll put together a D.I.Y. article of the build. You can be the first testimonial.::D:

[Melody]

Works for me Bill, thanks! When I screw it up, I'll buy one from you! :laugh: Now I just have to figure out which powerhead would be best. I don't mind investing a decent amount into the system if it will save me some work - my time is worth something too, or so I'm learning. I'm also learning that it often pays to do it right the first time regardless of how much more it costs.

No wonder you landed a awesome lady like Jackie, you're a handy guy to have around....lol...don't forget to tell her I said hi! Kick her butt into the forum occasionally too, we could use her smarts around here and she always makes me smile.:smile: <<=== See?

[thegrandpoohbah]

Here's a thought, just get a powerhead like a Maxijet 1200. They come with a suction cup mounting bracket. Attach a length of hose to the output, I think it's a 1/2" but I can't remember. Stick the PH in your tank at whatever level you want to drain the tank down to. Run the other end of the hose into the sink and then plug in the PH.

I use this method to switch tanks around. Drain the tank to a temporary container. Swap the tank out for the new one. Then pump the water back into the new tank. Much easier than my old bucket method and much less messy.

[Melody]

I like the idea of hanging it and leaving. Whatever makes that possible makes me happy. ::D:

[Katalyst]

I don't know if this would help at all Melody but when I was looking for power heads for the exact purpose you are now the manager from Big Al's who I am friendly with walked around me and discussed which one was better etc. etc. He maintains a tank maintenence business on the side and uses the largest of the Aquaclear powerheads, can't recall the exact name but its the 500 GPH one which is labled on the front of the box.

I have one in a box somewhere, now I just need the poor husband to have 5 minutes to spare. Poor guy is working like a dog and some slave driver is forcing him to do tank maintenence while she goes to Florida. :laugh:

BC Kron I'd love to see an article done on this as I am too mechanically challenged and need to pretty pictures to understand things.

[Melody]

Thanks Kat! They certainly sound like a great item.

[hp10BII]

I'm a little late, I never saw this post before. :SLEEP: Are you up and running with this Mel? I have one of these contraceptions...I use it every day. As mentioned, best for bare bottomed tanks. The whole idea is that you can use a garden hose, or even your existing python hose because it can be fitted with garden hose adapters. I bought the 3/4" inside diameter model and use a separate dedicated hose for it.

[Melody]

Nope, not yet, I told him to take his time. If it was that easy I'd use it more often and therefore wouldn't need to vacuum as often anyway, especially if I get these plants going in some tanks.

Great to hear from the voice of experience - it sounds almost too good to be true otherwise, thanks!

[RatMan]

my only question is and I might have missed something, what happens when the level desired is reached , what shuts the pump off?

[thegrandpoohbah]

my only question is and I might have missed something, what happens when the level desired is reached , what shuts the pump off?
Good point. Most powerheads can't be run dry for very long.

[Melody]

I can't imagine using it without being here to watch it, so that doesn't concern me. I think they're intended to make things easier, not automate the process.

[CACAdmin]

Yes, you have to be here to monitor the level but otherwise it's a breeze. I'm still working on the idea of adding the gravel vac to the the intake end of the powerhead (but need to buy a bigger powerhead for that). However, for a while now I have been doing waterchanges by using a powerhead to drain the tanks to level I want (the hose goes directly down the drain) while gravel vac'ing into a bucket. I am only doing a gravel vac every 2 weeks so every alternate week, waterchanges are a breeze. ( I just move the powerhead from one tank to another. While one is emptying, one is filling with a hose... sure speeds things up.::D:

[hp10BII]

I've used the contraption both with water pump and w/o. I don't let it run dry because I have the pump set below my water level. If I want to drain to 1/2" water level (I do this a couple times week) I remove the water pump with about 8" of water left and I adjust the end of the pvc tube to the very bottom. Still drains quickly w/o the pump, 3/4" ID hose moves water fast. The pump is useful because you do not have to prime the hose and saves (I'm guessing) 5 min of drain time. This is on a 75g, someday, I'll see if the hose can reach my larger tank upstairs.

You could walk away then if you like, but I still stay around to make sure the fishies don't stress out too much and I want to be there to start filling up right away.

[Melody]

I am getting more and more anxious to have one of these things, the more powerful the better. I will still have to vac - I have to feed the bottom heavily for the snails so it naturally gets mucky, but in the bare tanks it would be fine and for extra changes.