Good battery powered siphon?

[kj5kb]

Is there a NEED for it to be battery powered?

I use a penguin 660r powerhead (about $30) for water changes. It comes with a hose adapter for 5/8 (I think) hose. I can pump water 30' across the house to a drain if I need to.

It won't vac, but does a great job of changing water...

 

[Obelisk]

Is there a NEED for it to be battery powered?

Not at all. I've just been looking for something that's self-starting.The battery-powered siphons were just the first thing I discovered as an alternative to my Python.

Actually, I ended up ordering something that isn't battery powered, or even electrical. If that doesn't work our for me, I will try out a pump.

 

[Reframer]

also... you said you "use the drain outside" to do maintenence on your tanks... why not just hook up a python or aqueon water changer to the outside faucet? that would allow you to drain your tanks and fill them with 1 unit and it would only require the effort of hooking it up

Well, people who live in cold climates can't turn on the outside faucet for 5 months out of the year.

 

[Reframer]

I went to the DIY store and bought some vinyl tubing and a larger gravel vac, ran it 20 feet out the closest window and worked great. Only cost a few dollars too!

 

[psyche]

Make sure it runs well clear of the window, my Dad rotted out a windowsill next to his tank.

 

[Reframer]

Thanks for the info. I noticed that if the hose is straight and not curled it works best.

 

[Obelisk]

So I did order one of these, and it works great:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...m?pcatid=12752

I did cut off about 1/3 of the siphon in order to make it easier to start the suction. I also added some more tubing since it only comes with about 6 ft of tubing.