Vacuum Pump?

[Lisa]

Hello,

I purchased a battery-operated gravel vacuum/water siphon that does a
decent job of removing water but doesn't really pull up the gravel
enough to suck out the gunk. (I have a 50-gallon wide horizontal tank
on a stand - I attached about 30 feet of silicon tubing to the pump, so
that the old water drains out the nearest window.) Regular siphons
don't work well, either, given the amount of tubing that the water
needs to flow through to reach the drain point.

I DON'T need a Python-type vacuum - all the water in the house is
softened, unfortunately, so I don't ever refill using the tap water.
(I refill using RO in a cooler.)

I just want a stronger suction vacuum that will drain out the length of
the tubing to the outside (i.e., no buckets). Any ideas for getting a
stronger pull without using a python-style vacuum?

Thanks,

- Lisa in Central coast CA

[Billy]

"Lisa" > wrote in message
oups.com...
| Hello,
|
| I purchased a battery-operated gravel vacuum/water siphon that does
a
| decent job of removing water but doesn't really pull up the gravel
| enough to suck out the gunk. (I have a 50-gallon wide horizontal
tank
| on a stand - I attached about 30 feet of silicon tubing to the
pump, so
| that the old water drains out the nearest window.) Regular siphons
| don't work well, either, given the amount of tubing that the water
| needs to flow through to reach the drain point.


Larger guage vinyl tubing?

[Richard Blincoe]

is there any way you can fit wider diameter hose to it??.... the wider the
hose the less restriction to the flow...

"Lisa" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello,
>
> I purchased a battery-operated gravel vacuum/water siphon that does a
> decent job of removing water but doesn't really pull up the gravel
> enough to suck out the gunk. (I have a 50-gallon wide horizontal tank
> on a stand - I attached about 30 feet of silicon tubing to the pump, so
> that the old water drains out the nearest window.) Regular siphons
> don't work well, either, given the amount of tubing that the water
> needs to flow through to reach the drain point.
>
> I DON'T need a Python-type vacuum - all the water in the house is
> softened, unfortunately, so I don't ever refill using the tap water.
> (I refill using RO in a cooler.)
>
> I just want a stronger suction vacuum that will drain out the length of
> the tubing to the outside (i.e., no buckets). Any ideas for getting a
> stronger pull without using a python-style vacuum?
>
> Thanks,
>
> - Lisa in Central coast CA
>

[Billy]

"Richard Blincoe" > wrote in message
...
| is there any way you can fit wider diameter hose to it??.... the
wider the
| hose the less restriction to the flow...


Go to a big-box place like petsmart, since they have a huge selection
of dry goods. Look at the gravel vacs and select the one with the
largest fitting on the end. If they stock Python replacement parts,
this should be ideal. I think the Python takes 3/8" I.D. tube. Then
go the the hardware store and get some vinyl tube that matches it.

[Robert Flory]

"Lisa" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello,
>
SNIP> I DON'T need a Python-type vacuum - all the water in the house is
> softened, unfortunately, so I don't ever refill using the tap water.
> (I refill using RO in a cooler.)
>
SNIP
>
> Thanks,
>
> - Lisa in Central coast CA
>
Just curious, why spend all the time and money on R/O?

bob

[Lisa]

Actually, it's not much extra time, and not any extra money, either. I
always used tap water when I lived in the midwest. We bought this
house in August, and as it turns out, there are no "unsoftened" spigots
to be found. Even the outside ones flow through the softener first.
(Weird, I know. I think the fixtures all corroded before they installed
the softener, so the previous owners wanted to make sure that softened
water was going everywhere.) We could rearrange the plumbing to get
the untreated water to one outlet, but that would take some money and
hassle. I WOULD consider doing that, except that the previous owners
also installed a very high-grade RO system, with a 10-gallon holding
tank. It is amazing - no idea how much it cost, or why they felt the
need to install it, but it works great. The rep who came out to
inspect it said he's never seen such a setup in a residential use. The
water tested really pure. It's not a problem to get a lot of RO water
when needed for changes and etc. I do about 25-30% weekly for all 3
tanks - just dump the RO water into a 10-gallon rolling cooler, treat
it, and then wheel it over and dump it in.

My pH is a bit low, but it climbs to neutral with adding some Chichlid
Buffer and Kent "RO Right" before dumping it in the tank. Everything
seems stable in the 3 tanks I currently have running. All three LFSs
that I asked recommended the RO system, seeing that we had such a
setup. 2 of them use RO water for their own tanks (and also sell it by
the gallon). Maybe we just have weird, bad water here!

And, since the municipal water is high in phosphates, and its hardness
is well over the outer limits of any of the testing kits I've tried,
I'm pleased that I have the option to skip it. Fish seem happy, and
are growing like crazy. :-)

- Lisa in Central Coast CA

[spiral_72]

Just curious. Why would one use a powered vacuum? The regular ol'
plastic ones do pretty good I thought. I'd be nice to not have to tote
buckets of water though.

my aquarium page, info and pics at:
www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html

[Angrie.Woman]

"spiral_72" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Just curious. Why would one use a powered vacuum? The regular ol'
> plastic ones do pretty good I thought. I'd be nice to not have to tote
> buckets of water though.

Have you heard of the Python? I bought one after hearing people rave about
how good it is, and now I'm raving about how good it is.

A

[Jim Anderson]

In article . com>,
says...
> Just curious. Why would one use a powered vacuum? The regular ol'
> plastic ones do pretty good I thought. I'd be nice to not have to tote
> buckets of water though.
>
> my aquarium page, info and pics at:
> www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html
>
>

I use a HOT Magnum Pro w/ vac on my Fish Only tanks before a water
change. Then snap on a hose and pump out the old water. Add the
conditioned fresh water, rinse the micron filter, then use it to polish
the water. Never got the hang of vac-n-bucket.

--
Hope this helps.
Jim Anderson
( 8(|) To email me just pull my_finger

[Timothy E. Raborn]

>
> I DON'T need a Python-type vacuum - all the water in the house is
> softened, unfortunately, so I don't ever refill using the tap water.
> (I refill using RO in a cooler.)
>

How about just using the Python for vacuuming only and not for refilling?

[Lisa]

Yes! Yesterday, I succeeded in making a DIY Python. It cost less than
$12 US total, using 50 feet of 5/8 in. tubing for $3, and adding a
$6.00 drain-fill waterbed kit and a couple clamps/adapters for $2-3).
What a difference! I can actually see the gunk coming up from the
gravel now, where I never did before with that weak battery-operated
pump. I did scavenge the gravel vacuum end from the old pump, though.
It is nice seeing all that mess go into the sink. (I don't handle
buckets well, LOL.) I just couldn't justify Python's prices - I found
between $50-75 for a 50-foot system - especially since I didn't want to
refill the tank with my softened tap water. I just wanted a stronger
suction to clean the gravel well and pump the debris into a nearby sink
instead of a bucket. (The sink is somewhat lower than the tank, but
not much lower.)

I've now learned that the battery-operated vacs are a weak, expensive
waste of time, but this DIY Python is very cool. Also, I'm considering
rigging some kind of a water-reclamation device to save all that
waste-rich water for my garden. :-)

- Lisa in Central Coast CA

[Billy]

"Lisa" > wrote in message
ups.com...
| Yes! Yesterday, I succeeded in making a DIY Python. It cost less
than


Hmm. In your OP you said you didn't want a Python....so you're a
convert? <g>

billy

[Tedd Jacobs]

"Lisa" wrote...

<snip>

> [...] I'm considering
> rigging some kind of a water-reclamation device to save all that
> waste-rich water for my garden. :-)

oh yeah! my house plants have been thriving and taking over the place since
i started feeding them waste water from my tanks. (now if i could only do
as good with the plants *in* the tanks) ;-)

tedd.

[Lisa]

Yes - I didn't want a Python because of the money. Ouch! :-) But I
am now a convert of the CHEAP, DIY kind. I am not especially handy or
mechanically inclined, so if I can rig a DIY Python, then anyone
probably can, LOL.

Usually, I don't mind paying a high cost for something needed, but
those Pythons are just a waterbed kit, some hose and some couplings!
They charge a lot of extra money for just a few more feet of hose, too,
that probably only costs them a buck or so.

Also, I was thinking that there HAD to be a better way to siphon into a
sink without running all that water - it still seems wasteful to me.
That's why I am working out how to save/reclaim it. But, the
Python-style really is the best system that I could find for my
problem. Hauling buckets wasn't working out. :-)

- Lisa

[Angrie.Woman]

"Lisa" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Yes - I didn't want a Python because of the money. Ouch! :-) But I
> am now a convert of the CHEAP, DIY kind. I am not especially handy or
> mechanically inclined, so if I can rig a DIY Python, then anyone
> probably can, LOL.

Hey - you could post a web page with a "how-to!" You're right about the
cost. I bought mine second-hand, so that takes the sting out of your post a
little. ;)

Where do you buy waterbed fill kits?

A

[Lisa]

Hey, A - Actually, here is a DIY "how-to" webpage I used as a guide:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_python.php

The only difference is that I used 5/8-in. ID (interior dimension)
clear silicon tubing instead of the garden hose pictured (it's lighter
and easier for me to coil and store). Since I already had the tubing,
I wanted to use it up. Also, I used hose clamps instead of the
male-female garden hose adapters, since I wasn't interested in using
the Python for filling the tank, anyway.

I found the waterbed kit for $6 at a local "Ace" hardware store. The
Target, K-Mart, and Wal-Mart near me had stopped carrying the kits a
couple of years ago. (I think waterbeds are falling out of vogue.)
They weren't at Home Depot, either. The waterbed kit would definitely
be a case of "let your fingers do the walking" - to call around to see
who carries them. A store that sells waterbeds would also be a good
bet - if you can find one. :-)

- Lisa