"Adam Gottschalk" wrote in message
...

I don't know what most folks do, but I quickly grew tired of heaving
buckets of water up on top of my desk to refill my 15-gallon tank--and
I
haven't even started on my 40-gallon one yet! In addition, I mention
this because I thought it could be of use to some, though I am not in a
wheelchair, I am disabled, certainly "balance challenged" would be an
operative phrase. So I could pretty much guarantee the occurrence of at
least one major episode of major spillage.

So I got a power head, connected 8 feet of vinyl hose to it, and now I
wheel my home-made dolly-board with readied water out to the tank, pump
in the bottom of the bucket, and plug 'er in. I got a Maxi-Jet 900, I
think ($16?) and it pumps the 3 feet or so at a nice speed, not to
fast,
not too slow. Tomorrow, I'll go get a box and a flip switch and drill
it
into the dolly-board so I can turn the pump on an off instantly, rather
than having to yank an electric cord out of a socket (especially in the
close company of water). Not a big deal, but for me, it makes life a
whole lot easier and safer.

Kewl ) Is there any other hobby which has so many DIY gadgets
associated with it (mechanical for feeders, chemical for water
modifications, fluidic for water movement, electrical for controls, etc
etc).

If I can add to your excellent idea (which only requires everything to be
on the same floor ;~). Is there room on your dolly for a 2nd bucket and
a watering can? That way you can cart over a full &, an empty bucket to
fill during the water change. The watering can gets filled too, for
watering the house plants ;~).

If the gravel-vacuum hose you use will slip over your faucet (simplifies
filling the source pail) and slips over your powerhead, then you can
gravel vac into the empty pail, and then break the suction and move the
hose over to the powerhead to refill the tank. I suggest you invest in
one of these progressive hand clamps with the plastic ends, sold at
hardware stores. They let you clamp the hose to the tank, so you can
easily handle the pail-end of the hose without anything slipping to the
floor (it's like a third hand).

I would also suggest plugging the powerhead in before you start your
gravel vacuuming. The powerhead would harmless stir the water around in
your source pail (a little aeration doesn't hurt), so you don't have to
go near a switch with wet hands. When the gravel vacuuming is complete,
slip the hose end from the waste pail into the powerhead outlet (this is
where you need the clamp holding the other end of the hose in the tank
;~). The water will squirt a bit while you are fitting the hose on, but
at the bottom of a 5 or 6g pail, it shouldn't splash upwards.

If the source pail's water volume is the same (or slightly more) than the
waste pail, then you don't need to rush to disconnect the powerhead's
electrical plug. Let it run dry and as soon as you hear the air, you can
calmly (with dry hands) unplug the power cord :~)

Other options, besides using a Python type water changer, some people use
holding tanks which are located above their waterline. Drain/gravel vac
as usual, and then open a valve to allow water to gravity fill your
tank(s).

Just a few odd ideas.
--
http://www.NetMax.tk/