Good powerhead for 5 gallon bucket?

B

BavarianBuilt

AC Members
Jul 2, 2008
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I've got three five gallon buckets that I mix my water in for the water changes. What are some good, cheap, power heads I can put in these buckets to keep the water moving? I guess I need something that is capable of attaching to the curved wall of the bucket. Are there any pumps that could provide water movement in all of my buckets from just one water pump? Everyone feel free to share your setups, I'm looking for some ideas here :) TIA!

Gary
 
I use a maxijet 600 in the bucket, n once its done i use it to move the water from the bucket to the tank also!
 
Thanks guys I'll check those out. Right now I've just got an air pump with some tubing creating bubbles in my buckets. It hardly does anything but at least it provides some water movement. I like the idea of pumping the water from the bucket to the tank during water changes!
 
I should have added that I also move that water into my tank with the power head as well. I have used a maxi Jet 1200 before and it was way too much power in the bucket and for moving the water.
 
I use Maxi-Jet 900s to mix sw and move it from the bucket to the sump (one per bucket). I can definitely see how a MJ 1200 would be too strong for a 5 gallon bucket, as I use the 5 gallon buckets the salt mix comes in to mix sw and the MJ 900 really churns and splashes if it flips the wrong way. BTW, I don't attach the powerhead to the bucket, it just sits in the bottom of the bucket. However, the magnetic mounts made for the MJs by AlgaeFree are strong enough to hold a MJ to the side of a standard 5 gallon bucket despite it being a rounded surface. The Hydor Koralia magnetic mounts are as well, at least on the #3 and #4 models, as I've done it while cleaning those powerheads in a vinegar solution.

As for a single pump to circulate water in numerous buckets all at once, it could be done if you really wanted to. A little bit of imaginative plumbing and pretty much any return pump that'll move water from a sump against 4' of head pressure to a display tank with good flow would be plenty strong enough to circulate the water in multiple buckets. I see a couple different set-ups in my mind, but I'm not really sure they would be worth the expense or time to construct considering how easy it is to just drop a couple MJs into buckets.
 
I still haven't picked up these pumps, however drfostersmith.com is having a sale on them now so I'm going to order a few 600 pumps. What length and diameter tubing will i need to buy to attach to these pumps so that i can pump the water from the bucket to my aquarium?
 
Wait until you get the pump. Then you will know the diameter to fit the end and the length depends on how far the bucket will be from the tank. The higher you tank is off the ground the longer the tubing, but the harder the pump works. I set my water on a folding chair so the smaller pump can get it into the tank at a rate that is not creating a tidal wave.

PS. Be careful not to unplug the pump while the outlet house is still in the tank(under water). It will often cause a reverse siphon and start dumping water back in your bucket.
 
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