hey all im just looking for a pump to use for water changes. my sump is on the floor so getting a siphon doesn’t really work well and i don’t really want to shell out money for a new pump just for water changes.
anyone have anything like 200-300 gph they have sitting around?
i have a few pumps. how about an aquaclear 70?
how far are you from 19301?
I’m confused… Why don’t you leave your return pump on and siphon water from the top which will lower the water level in your sump? Or for that matter put your siphon tube on the lock line of your return pump in the display. Won’t have to even use your mouth to get the siphon started and it will come right out of your sump. Not sure what you are looking to do here.
[quote=“Gordonious, post:3, topic:2676”]
I’m confused… Why don’t you leave your return pump on and siphon water from the top which will lower the water level in your sump? Or for that matter put your siphon tube on the lock line of your return pump in the display. Won’t have to even use your mouth to get the siphon started and it will come right out of your sump. Not sure what you are looking to do here. [/quote]
because the one thing i planned poorly was for water changes, the last baffle in the sump leaves the return pump chamber less than 5 gallons so siphoning the main tank with return pump running runs the pump dry.
What i do is kill the pump and scoop the water out of the sump but i could just drop a pump in it and pump it into buckets then pump the new water in.
im doing 20 gallons each change.
[quote=“Mr_X, post:2, topic:2676”]
i have a few pumps. how about an aquaclear 70?
how far are you from 19301?[/quote]
is it a stand alone pump or the entire filter??
I use a maxijet 1200 with 30 feet of 1/2 inch vinyl tubing to move water around. likewise my sump on the 75 is a smallish old tidepool sump. 5 gallons drains it dry in the pump half. so i just drop the maxijet into the tank and take out as much as i want. When I take water from the tank, the pump doesnt really run dry, just sucks air and water, so i leave it running sometimes. The sump pump is a mag 7. it stays wet, and clatters. Been doing that for 11 years with only two impeller replacements.
Or i just syphon water from the tank to a bucket. I recycle used, old reef tank water for water changes on the clown fish tanks. 5 feet of 5/8 tubing works real good. then just pump or bucket dump new salt water in the sump to refill.
[quote=“TimH07, post:5, topic:2676”]
[quote=“Mr_X, post:2, topic:2676”]
i have a few pumps. how about an aquaclear 70?
how far are you from 19301?[/quote]
is it a stand alone pump or the entire filter??[/quote]it’s just the pump…it’s the old 802.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/215156/product.web?gdftrk=xh23lc0p/7HDy~g3JgKLc1yycIZnnTde~MdYdMz34k0M7MuEfgSX8kr/6rgc3byGtlbDyJQyo3UM3sGjvotZCQUIjv08iDuQxjFF7zvpLEsPUXDd~6a8YV14H/7rPoo~8Lhqs/fFqwlUh6DG3KnKOA__
i’ll contact you soon, dont need it this minute, but soon… (just bought some new furniture)
I don’t understand why you need to take water out of the sump. It is an open system. Why not just cut the system off and siphon from the display tank.
Probably wants to be able to vac some of the sump crud out. Mine accumulates some scrud (technical term) after a month or two.
[quote=“Gordonious, post:9, topic:2676”]
I don’t understand why you need to take water out of the sump. It is an open system. Why not just cut the system off and siphon from the display tank. [/quote]
becacuse i have corals in the “dry zone” with pumps cut off and if i siphon 20 gallons out im at just over half tank in a tank with columns built to the top of the water line and corals everywhere.
cutting off the return drains about ~10g from the main tank to the sump, siponing water from the tank while running only lets me pull 10g from the tank before the return sucks air, doing 20g WC means i have to cut the return and pull from the sump, which i cannot pull 20g from with a siphon as the sump level drops below the bucket level so i need to pump it out or scoop it out and im sick of scooping it out… if you have doubts come see the tank 
I just keep the sump pump running while i syphon from the top tank, and let the sump pump suck air. then refill to the sump. It doesn’t bother my mag 7. what’s yer worry? do you have an external pump? it will still have enough water and air in it to keep it lubed.
i think if you run some of the pumps dry it’s very bad for them. i shut my pumps off before draining the sump.
Tim half time I do a water change in any of my tanks at home corals are in the air. I will often cut the pumps off all my tanks and drain them one by one lugging 10g at a time up the steps to the second floor and dumping it in the toilet on the first floor.(no drain in the basement) Then I’ll get a shower. Sometimes check my e-mail and then go down and fill them up one by one. If you have premixed water on hand I don’t think you will have to worry about leaving the rocks and coral up top out of the water unless you have any sponges you purchased up there.
As far as leaving the corals dry you should ask Andy from DPA how much we have left his corals out to dry. He had shrooms and zoas on a rock that were out of the water for probably 6-8 hours one night. We also took his SPS out of the water in the middle of the winter and redid the egg create in his entire frag tank and placed the corals back in. I mention middle of the winter because Andy left the door half the time to smoke while me and the corals shivered. Ok maybe the corals weren’t shivering, but it was snowing outside. And everything lived.
You would be surprised how long healthy corals can live out of the water especially when placed back in healthy conditions afterwards.
I’m not alone in this either. I can’t tell you how many tanks Armco works on where draining the display tank and leaving the corals in the air is done. Some of these tanks have larger more expensive corals then the ones you saw at Armco head quarters.(another tank where the corals typically get exposed during a water change.)
I think it is a great idea to get the crap out that has settled in the sump on occasion, but at the same time if water changes are difficult you are less likely to do them. If you are less likely to do them, in my opinion, you’re less likely to have a successful tank.
Even if you decide still not to do water changes from the tank I hope this will help you to better understand your corals and what they can go through. Perhaps it will put your mind at easy when fragging in the future or during a tank more or rescape or whatever.
All just my opinion from my experience. No two tanks and no two reefers are exactly the same.
Ive been leaving my upper half tank corals high and dry during water changes for 10 years in my 75… like i said, i drain from the dislpay tank, which empties the sump but leaves enough water to keep the pump running and drops the water level in the tank 6-8 inches. corals have slime to protect themselves and stay wet inside. I might turn off halft the lights with the hood up, so as not to warm them too much. but the same thing happens on pacific island reef tops at spring tides and blow out storms. coral reef tops are completely exposed to air for entire tide cycles, and eitherout in the sun, moon or often fresh water rain while the tide is out. they are pretty well defended. but air drying does kill the coraline down to the water line.
External pumps are a different story. more power, and shaft seals to worry about and cavitation. if you have any concern, just pull the plug as the sump runs dry.
I syphon that fluff and detretis out of the sump now and then. its just waste and calcification making nitrates, and at times if it piles up in slow spots or corners, ive seen it turn black, anerobic and make hydrogen sulfide. I just turn off the pumps, fill the sup to the brim and syphon to a bucket or wide shallow plastic tub on the floor . you can get enough syphon flow to suck out the mud. When it slows when the sump level gets to the bucket level, empty the bucket and refill the sump by syphoning from the tank, its a water change.
About once a year or two, i tear the sump out, and do a major acid cleaning of the sump and equipment in there. pumps, skimmers baskets. I get lots of tube worms and deposits building up on everything. plus lots of settled dirt. then it all goes back together, clean and at full flow again. Dont forget to also acid wash the hoses. I do pumps and hoses and overflows all the time. they fill up with sponge, carbonate deposits, algae if near light, and tube worms. it can cut the flow to a trickle. Thats just regular maintenace.
Much of the time when I do water changes on my main system at home I don’t even have to cut the main pump off because of the size of my sump. That being said I have recently been randomly cutting the pump on and off when I have a free second to kick out some of the sponges that build up in the tubing. The tang loves it. FOOD!