The Puffer Forum

I'm slowly inching forward in finding a position for my new larger tank to the point that I am thinking water changes. I understand that a lot of people use powerheads and I'm wondering what is the most popular.

Does anyone know if there are any available that can be connected to a standard garden hose (internal diameter of hose is 13mm/ 1/2 inch)?

Does anybody use in-line valves in their canister filter pipework to pump water out?

I use an Aqua-Supreme Submersible Pump 725gph. This is for my saltwater tank so it lives happily in a brute barrel in my closet behind my tank. I have about 8 feet of tubing attached. When mixing and heating i have it on full blast. When i go to fill i turn it to its lowest setting a fill my tank. I have this on a footswitch which helps alot. A pool cover pump should have a regular garden hose attachment..

I use the pump that came with a cheap skimmer, the brand was boyu or something. Terrible skimmer but the pump is ace, was about £38 pound I believe and hose fits to the pump

I use an old Penguin model that's obsolete... it's old but keeps on going. I use it to drain my ponds outside in the fall, and from my water barrels into the house in the summer. I'd be lost without it

Thanks everyone. I've been looking at self-priming in-line pumps but they are either ridiculously expensive or pump a miniscule amount of water. I even looked at pond vacuums but they are also expensive and would probably suck up the fish given the GPH rates

Think I'll look for a powerhead with a 13mm outlet and then probably fit isolation valves on both sides of the hose.

I missed the second half of the question. Unless you are using the old tank water for something, you cant get any better than the python for draining. It also makes filling any water-change barrels a breeze. One accessory i highly recommend is the brass quick disconnect adapter. The only issues i've heard people having with the python is the body cracking due to repeated over tightening. With the quick disconnect you attach the fitting to the siphon and the sleeve to the sink once and they never need to be removed.

Welch4 wrote:I missed the second half of the question. Unless you are using the old tank water for something, you cant get any better than the python for draining. It also makes filling any water-change barrels a breeze. One accessory i highly recommend is the brass quick disconnect adapter. The only issues i've heard people having with the python is the body cracking due to repeated over tightening. With the quick disconnect you attach the fitting to the siphon and the sleeve to the sink once and they never need to be removed.

Thanks Welch4. I had a look for Pythons online but they seem to need a screwed connection to a tap? The amount my other half spent on taps I wouldn't like to do anything to them, not even slip a push connection over them!...

I use the tap in my basement & have a 100' hose to bring the water upstairs.