The Puffer Forum

Up until now i have been using 5 gallon buckets for water changes. This worked well with a gravel vac for my 20g and two 5g as they are waist height or lower and smaller volumes. Now with my 29g brackish i had begun to look up an easier method. I read (i believe on this forum) that a lot of people use Rubbermaid brute barrels for their wcs. I went out today and grabbed a 32g brute and a wheeled base for it. As far as a pump for getting new water from the barrel into the tank, what i found have been fairly expensive. I have a brand new poolcover pump that i am planning on dedicating to wcs . This does 1800gph. The couple of questions i have are. . . 1. When getting these brute barrels new, I have a strong plastic smell coming from mine, is there anything i should do to prep the barrel for the first time before mixing new water? 2. When people are running pumps to mix the new water do they have any hosing attached or just drop the pump in and run? 3. As i will not be using a full barrel, 32g barrel and 29g tank, for one wc, is it ok to leave the mixed water in these barrels for an extended period of time? I do have a tight fitting lid. The most the water would be sitting would be aprox. 2 weeks

Not all Brute containers are/were food-safe plastics. Check the company web site for lists.

1. Like everything about this hobby, fish-keeping reservoirs need rinsing. I break in new ones with at least 3 water changes over a 1-2 week period. I co not know if that is absolutly required, but I am anal about fish and tanks.

2. My pumps reside in the reservoirs full time. They have heavy-walled (Eheim) tubing coming out of the reservoir with an external loop hanging down (with Eheim external hard plastic braces at the rim contact point to avoid pinching and a clear siphon tube at the open end. That can hang over the rim to circulate the water and keep the temperature even. I have glass strips covering most of the top of the reservoir (some reduction in evaporation). But those buckets stay in the fish room. Out in the house, I use fish tanks as reservoirs for appearance sake. Those tanks are sometimes under, sometimes beside or behind the display tanks. All reservoirs are filled by a Python Clean-and-Fill. I have not carried buckets since the Python was invented, and never will again. There are heaters mounted on glass strips in the buckets to keep them at tank temp.

3. I do. My reservoirs are always full. But, be careful with fitted lids - they tend to drip condensation on the floor. My reservoirs in the house are in tanks with fitted lids inside the rim to avoid that, as they are used only weekly. Those in the tank rooms I use pieces of glass and the top is partially open to reduce wicking over the edge. Those floors are seamless waterproof flooring, but are used ~ every other day. If they were ti sit for extended periods, I would not keep them circulating at tank temperature all the time.

HTH

So a little research and I came across this

Colors yellow, gray, and white are USDA Meat and Poultry Equipment Group Listed and assist in complying with HACCP guidelines

So it looks like im good there. I will be rinsing as you recommended. Thank you for the recomendation of the python amd particularly about the condensate from the lid. I may try to work out some sort of seal on the top of the barrel. I will be modifying the lid to reduse the need for removing it.

Mine are gray and quite elderly now, but still do the job. In our use they seam to last forever.

Thinking things through in advance is always good IMHO & IME. I am a planner, likely a bit compulsive. I confess that I did not think about drips from the lids when I first started - that was an unpleasant incidental finding when I first got the big Rubbermaids. So running ideas past the crew here can help avoid unplanned side effects. between all of us, we have likely made almost all possible mistakes at one time or another.

My handiest gadget is remote dead man switches for the reservoir pumps: I never put the switch down because if I do the pump stops. I cannot tell you how many tanks I have run over by getting distracted. $$$ but for me worth it. My wife does not like floods...

I actually have an un-used float switch for the pump I was talking about. Thought it was unessesary since the pump does 1800gph and im only filling > 15 gallons every time. But think about it again it would be alot easier than trying to unplugg the cable, as id be occupied hold one end of the tubing and a pitcher to ease the flow.

For your water volumes that pump seems like overkill. I had a client who would not let me use a python and whose tank set up made pouring water in from a 5 gallon bucket impossible. I attached a normal powerhead to a hose and dropped it in a bucket. Worked great and the flow was not too much for the tank.

It is entirely overkill but it is something brand new that was picked up on clearance and cannot be returned. I have a hard time justifying paying full price for a smaller pump if I can make this work with pumping into a pitcher that overflows into the tank. I did my first w.c. with this pump yesterday and my gsp wasnt phased. But with that being said I will keep an eye out for sale items going forward to hopefully eleminate the need for the pitcher. Thank you guys for all you advice.

Flow switches can be problematic IME. I avoid the common float type. They can be upkeep problems even in soft water.

I was going to have the float switch under one arm while filling. Then lift my arm, dropping the float, cutting the power to the pump. It would definitely be easier with something foot operated but just trying to utilize items that I already have.

Working with a device you already know is always better for me. As for me, I am no longer as quick a learner - my learning curves seem to be slowing down, along with my reaction times...

So I have defintely found some more suitable solutions from some online aquarium shops. These pumps have a much more reasonable ghp range and priced 20-50 dollars. Rather then what I was finding at hardware stores, overpowered and $100+. As far as the deadman switch you were talking about is this something you bought or made yourself. It seams like it would be easier than the float switch.

I bought them online years ago. I'll have to try to remember the name of the supplier - they are extremely good but $$$. I started using them while I was still in the lab - to get individually switched plug strips.

If I come up w/the name, I''post bacl...

So I got a 50 foot python system and a smaller punp I just need to modify the lid to prevent drips and opening for fill/mixing holes. Question about the python. I did some test runs with it to rinse out the barrel. The pump leaks when siphoning right below the attament to the faucet adapter before the main body. Has anybody else run into this?

Be sure there is a rubber washer in there. Tighten the hose to the connectors.

I likely got the devices from McMaster-Carr, an excellent source for relatively high-quality equipment like that. They have far better equipment than local hardware or chain home stores. Their stuff is worth the difference in price to me, as It does jobs I want to do - such as individually switched plug strips. The ones from Home Depot and such have one switch for the whole strip, and rarely last over a year or two. My oldest individually-controlled plug strips are over 30 years old and still going just fine. Pricey but all but endlessly reliable. I'm big on that. It is all part of being a cranky old man who remembers when appliances were appliances and expected to last. I despise disposables sold as appliances.