Changing water in an aquarium with a hose using a bypass

Preparation

Before we talk about how to prepare an aquarium for draining the water, it should be clarified that this process depends on the number of liters.
So if the tank is quite large, then the water in it will become clogged much less than in a small one.

preparation algorithm :

• prepare the equipment necessary for draining the water;
• relocate all the inhabitants of the aquarium; for this, simple devices such as, for example, a net are used;
• remove all decor from the aquarium.

What equipment will be needed for pumping?

Full list of what you will need:

• a clean container to temporarily place fish in;
• container for algae and decorative elements;
• a net that is convenient to catch all the inhabitants;
• hose;
• siphon, which is used to clean the soil;
• a bucket where you can drain the water from the container.

Equipment for draining water is selected depending on how many liters the aquarium is designed for. If it is no more than 200 liters, then you cannot do without a hose, a bucket, a siphon with a bulb and a ball valve.

With partial replacement

To partially drain the water you will need:

With complete replacement

For complete drainage you need:

• hose;
• siphon or pump;
• a clean container to temporarily place fish in;
• a net that is convenient to catch all the inhabitants;
• bucket.

In what cases is the “hose” method suitable?

Using the method of draining water through a hose, we rely on the physical phenomenon of communicating vessels. The dimensions of these containers do not matter.

Therefore, there are no restrictions or any requirements for the size of the aquarium. You can drain water from small containers or from large volumetric tanks.

There are aquariums with a lid that are built into a furniture wall or other interior elements. For them, the “hose” method often becomes the only way to drain water.

How to pump out correctly: step-by-step instructions

There are several options for draining water from an aquarium. Let's look at each of them.

Using a hose

To replace H2O using a hose, you need:

• prepare a flexible hose that does not have microcracks and is equal in size to the height of the aquarium multiplied by 3;
• the hose needs to be filled with tap water, while firmly holding both its ends and installing clamps on them (if there are no special clamps, then the holes can be blocked with your fingers);
• one end of the hose is installed at the bottom of the aquarium, in the ground, then the dirt will go away along with the water, and the second end is directed into the basin, after which the clamps are released.

Siphon or pump

The pump is an important device for an aquarium; with its help, the water is saturated with oxygen, and also a flow is formed in the tank.

Experienced aquarists use this device, for this you need:

• 
  supplementing the pump with an aquarium pump equipped with a foam sponge, this will help ensure that the device will also act as a filter for cleaning water;

• monitor how much water flows in ; if quite a lot of water flows in, the pump stops working;
• install a special float-type valve, which you can make yourself, it will close the flow of water, serving as a regulator of the process.

Bucket

You can drain the water from the tank using a bucket using these instructions:

• prepare a siphon;
• if there is no siphon, then you can use a liter bottle by cutting off the bottom and attaching a hose to the neck;
• turn off the tap located at the other end of the hose;
• scoop water into the siphon;
• open the tap and start pouring water into the bucket.
• this procedure will need to be repeated several times.

Duct method

The main idea of ​​this method is that, with the help of certain devices, water from the aquarium flows into the sewer.

Today this method is very popular because it does not take much time compared to other methods of pumping water.

Technically, for a duct it is necessary:

• make a small hole in the aquarium;
• Glue a pipe into the hole using sealant and make wiring to drain the water into the sewer.

You can learn more about the duct in an aquarium from the video:

Using a filter

You can also drain the water from the aquarium using a filter, if it is already used in the aquarium.

To do this you need:

• insert a hose into the place from which oxygen is supplied to the container;
• direct the other end of the hose into the bucket.

Duct, or aquarium with minimal care

Recently, the so-called “duct” has become increasingly popular among amateur aquarists. The flow has long been a necessity for professional aquarists involved in breeding and growing fish. Changing water in a multi-ton household is a very labor-intensive task, but with the help of a flow can make the life of an amateur a lot easier. The idea of ​​​​the duct is that water is continuously supplied to the aquarium from the water supply in small doses, and the excess flows into the sewer. For St. Petersburg aquarists, this idea has one more advantage - the water in our tap water is generally not bad, and is quite suitable for flow without additional tricks. Fish food Aquarium stores Online pet supply stores Pet stores

The disadvantages of the method include possible changes in water parameters in the water supply at different times of the year, but nothing prevents you from temporarily interrupting the use of the flow during periods when the quality of tap water deteriorates. The system can also be used occasionally to facilitate the water change process: just turn it on for a while, that’s all the change is. Among the benefits obtained: - A better filter than changing water has not yet been invented. — “Putting down” a flow-through aquarium in the event of a disturbance in the biological balance due to overfeeding, pollution, or for other reasons is much more difficult. — If the region has good tap water (as, for example, in St. Petersburg), plant lovers can get by with a minimal amount of liquid fertilizers. — If you need to “siphon” the soil, then you only need to drain the water during the cleaning process, and it will fill up to the required level on its own. - The flow greatly simplifies the most labor-intensive, basic and regular procedure - changing water. If there is a duct, the aquarium will much more easily “forgive” you for the period when you are “not up to it.” — For growing juvenile fish, which need to be fed frequently, which does not improve water quality, the channel option is simply beyond competition. If the farm has quarantine aquariums or spawning grounds, etc. you always have a source of high-quality water - your large aquarium with a flow, from where you can simply take it and pour it, and it will fill itself. In case of problems in a quarantine or other “jar”, ​​if no special water parameters have been created in it, you can completely replace all the water with live aquarium water without harm to the inhabitants. Let's move on to the technical implementation of the duct. There are no particular problems with filling the water. The main problems arise with reliable drainage and decorative repairs. There are no particular problems with filling the water. The main problems arise with reliable drainage and decorative repairs. The easiest way to do this is if you decide that you will need a duct at the stage of purchasing an aquarium. Then everything can be much more reliable and of better quality. In this case, you need to make a custom-made aquarium, with a drain hole in one of the walls at the level of the water surface, or slightly below. This will increase the cost of the aquarium by only a couple of hundred rubles. Making a hole in a finished aquarium is much more difficult; you will have to at least drain the water and look for materials on how to do it. You need to glue a suitable pipe into the hole using silicone sealant and make wiring for draining into the sewer. With any draining method, you should pay attention to the fact that the drain hose must be thick enough, 20-30 mm, because... the water in it flows by gravity, and not under pressure, and the drainage performance is quite low. A thin hose will become clogged very quickly, if only due to fouling of the walls. When laying the drain hose, be sure to run it from the bottom, if possible without ups and downs to the end, in order to avoid the occurrence of air locks. This especially applies to small diameter pipes. If you were unable to purchase an aquarium with a drain hole, but still want to create a flow, then a design with an overflow jar will help in this case. The principle is simple - the law of communicating vessels is used. You need to make or select a suitable jar that is attached to the wall of the aquarium. This jar must be connected to the aquarium using a U-shaped tube filled with water. We get communicating vessels, the level in which, in accordance with the laws of physics, is the same. We glue the drain pipe at the desired water level, then, as in the first case, we solve the issue of draining water into the sewer. The U-shaped tube must be completely filled with water. There should be no air bubbles in it, otherwise the device will stop working, and as a result, the water will soon begin to overflow over the edge of the aquarium, “improving” first your interior, then the apartment of your neighbors below, etc. To make it easier to fill an inverted tube with water, you can use different methods. One of the available options is to bring a pump or hose connected to the outlet of the filter to its end under water in the aquarium; the current will quickly fill the tube and drag away air bubbles with it. In this design, you need to monitor the condition of the tube: if a little air appears in it, it will, of course, work, but as soon as the bubble grows, the water will stop pouring out. In this case, the tube is removed and filled with water again. The sources of bubbles in the tube can be different: biological gases from water, air sprays, filters. This almost never happened in my home aquarium over the course of a year, and never to a serious (emergency) extent. Care should be taken that there is no compressor spray or internal filter near the tube (in the reach of bubbles) in the aquarium, from which air could enter the tube. Naturally, you need to put an “anti-fish attachment” on the part of the tube that is immersed in the aquarium (like on the intake tube of an external filter). Otherwise, fish or apple snails may be sucked in there, and the consequence may be flooding. When choosing the height of the overflow jar and the length of the tube, do not make them too small. Why? When draining the water when cleaning the aquarium, the water level may drop below the end of the tube and water will flow out of it. You'll have to fill the tube again, but that's not the worst thing. The tube will remain empty, and water will flow over the edge... It is better that the jar is small in area, but deep. The water level in the aquarium can be slightly adjusted by changing the installation height of the overflow jar relative to the aquarium (the water level in the aquarium will always be at the level of the pipe in the side wall of the overflow jar). The U-shaped tube in this scheme can be glass from a laboratory glassware store or a plastic bent tube from a filter. If nothing can be found, this role can be entrusted to a bent silicone hose, the lower ends of which are secured, and a soft spring or other sheath is put on the bend site to prevent it from bending. Using the latter option, it should be remembered that the reliability of the entire structure depends on the reliability of the U-shaped tube. Therefore, even if your hands are itching to try a hastily made design, it is still better to completely redo it later and install a good, reliable tube. It is better if the tube is transparent, otherwise you will not be able to control the absence of air in it by external inspection. There is a way to make filling the tube and removing air easier. You may be able to purchase or make such a design yourself. There is an outlet at the top of the tube that can be tightly closed with a stopper. Through this outlet, you can remove air (for example, suction) so that only water is in the tube. Although in this case it is important that the cork is reliable, otherwise it will only get worse. If possible, place a small container filled with water above the tube (at home, an inverted bottle), which is connected to this outlet with a thin tube (from the compressor). In this case, air bubbles that have entered the tube, instead of forming an air lock in the tube, will rise to the upper container. But even without any tricks, the ingress of gases into a conventional U-shaped tube is so small and rare that a rare visual inspection is enough to remove them occasionally. Clogging of the tube will only occur when a fairly large air bubble is formed, the size of the diameter of the tube. In the end, no one bothers you to turn off the flow while leaving home in order to avoid accidents or deterioration in water quality. Even if we consider the unacceptable option of an accident, when someone is periodically in the apartment or office, then in half a day there will be a bucket or two of water on the floor. In order to fill the aquarium to the brim in the event of a drainage accident, it also takes considerable time, only then it will flow onto the floor, so it is still not worth comparing the consequences of a drainage accident with a broken aquarium. This situation is considered exclusively from a paranoid point of view, and if performed normally, its likelihood is extremely low. If desired, or just for fun, you can supplement the system with simple electronics in case of overflow. Electronics in an aquarium are unreliable, but as an additional emergency device they can bring joy to the owner’s soul. In this case, a solenoid valve can be used to control turning the water on and off. For a home aquarium, probably the most affordable valves are from washing machines. Another option for using a solenoid valve to turn on the flow is on a schedule, for example, only at night. This will calm your soul if you are at home most of the time at night. A flow with a timer and valve can also be useful if you use a liquid fertilizer dispenser: the water is changed at night, and in the morning the dispenser gives the daily dose of fertilizer, and we do not waste it down the drain.

I. Zverev, consultant
Read part 2. How to arrange a flow-through aquarium in an apartment

We answer the question - how can it be easier to drain water from an aquarium using a rubber hose?

When maintaining an aquarium, the biggest problem is changing the water. This event has to be carried out quite often.

If the container size is large, the procedure turns into a serious test, requiring considerable time and physical preparation. As a rule, water is scooped out with a ladle or other improvised means, but this method has a lot of disadvantages - turbidity rises, it is not possible to pour out certain layers of water.

Let's consider an easier and more effective option - releasing water using a rubber hose.

Pros and cons of such a drain

The advantages of draining through a tube include:

• 
  you can remove water from certain areas of the aquarium, make a fence from the bottom areas, or only from the top;

• it becomes possible to drain a certain amount of water with great accuracy;
• during the procedure, no turbidity rises from the bottom;
• the whole process is clean, without splashes or puddles on the floor.

The disadvantages of the procedure are considered to be:

• if water is poured into a bucket, you will have to carry it in your hands to the drainage point, which requires physical effort;
• Draining through a hose takes longer than scooping;
• If the drain is made through a long hose directly into the sewer, filling it with water to start overflowing is very difficult.

What exact tool is needed for draining?

To drain the water, you need a flexible and elastic hose, the diameter of which is not too large.
Its walls should not be too thick and rigid, and the cross-section should ensure sufficient rapid drainage of water, otherwise the procedure will take too much time.

The best option is a rubber hose with walls thin enough so that they can be pinched with your fingers at any time to stop the flow. Alternatively, you can insert a small plastic stopcock into the gap to stop and restart the draining procedure.

Step-by-step instructions - how to properly pour H2O out of a fish house

Water is changed quite often - for small aquariums (up to 100 l) - weekly, for larger containers it is needed at least once a month.

Therefore, fish owners need to acquire the necessary equipment to make their task easier. Let's consider the procedure for draining water.

Tools and accessories

Before starting the procedure, you must prepare all the necessary tools or supplies.

Among them should be:

• rubber (or polymer) hose of the required length and diameter;
• container (bucket, tank, other reservoir) where water will be drained;
• a rag for cleaning up accidentally spilled water;
• a medical syringe or rubber bulb to create a primary vacuum in the hose.

How to drain completely?

Water is drained by filling the inner cavity of the hose with water.
Usually one end is immersed inside, and the other is kept ready over the bucket.

The syringe (without a needle) is pressed to the outlet, its piston is pulled out with a sharp movement, creating a strong vacuum that sucks out the water.

The hose is then immediately lowered into the bucket and the water begins to pour out. The main condition is that the receiving container (bucket) should be located lower than the aquarium.

Recommendations for choosing a siphon for an aquarium

Before purchasing a hose, measure its required length, and purchase a transparent hose, the internal diameter of which is 0.8 - 1.2 cm. The hose for the siphon should have a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the pebbles in the aquarium, or be transparent in order to notice the formation in time congestion. It is worth considering that the thicker the tube, the greater the water flow. When buying a hose, pay attention to what material it is made of. Reinforced, corrugated and other reinforced structures are not suitable for an aquarium hose. It is better to buy a hose made of polyvinyl chloride, which is light, elastic and compact. Such a hose must be stored rolled up, without kinks, otherwise cracks may form in their place. Experienced aquarists advise using special brackets, brackets or clamps for the hose so that it is securely fixed and does not come off the drain spout. For this purpose, you can use a small piece of plastic pipe a couple of millimeters larger than the diameter of the drain hose. The scrap must be carefully bent and secured so that the drain hose is not compressed. The corrugated connection of the drain hose with a siphon for an aquarium is very convenient, since the hose does not get pinched when trying to clean the farthest corner of the aquarium or siphon the soil in a high aquarium.

It is very convenient if dirty water from the aquarium is drained directly into the bathroom drain pipe. To do this, you can install or use an existing V-shaped corner designed for draining dirty water from an automatic washing machine. If it is impossible to drain water from the aquarium into a special pipe, then you will have to install an adapter on the side of the bathtub or toilet to securely fix the hose.

However, most often aquarists use a regular bucket as a container to drain water from the aquarium. When water is poured, the siphon drain hose is completely lowered into it and filled with water. The free end of the drain hose is clamped with a finger, removed from the aquarium and lowered into a container (bucket), when the finger is removed, the water begins to flow by gravity. If you wish, you can adjust the speed of liquid flow in the siphon. To do this, near the junction of the siphon with the drain hose, it is necessary to make a hole in the tube equal in diameter to the cross-section of the tube itself. The intensity of the water flow can be adjusted by either opening or squeezing the hole made with your finger.

Another successful aquarium device that makes working with a siphon easier is a special fastener. Typically, the drain hose at the siphon is lowered into a container, usually a bucket. At the same time, the end of the hose tends to jump out of the bucket and flood the floor, so you have to support it with one hand. But with a high aquarium, this is inconvenient, since sometimes you need to use both hands to move the siphon along the bottom. It is in this case that fasteners will help out the aquarist. It is a plastic half-ring that is attached to the wall of the bucket. A hose is threaded through the fastener. In this case, the diameter of the drain hose may vary. If, for example, an aquarist wanted to lengthen the siphon hose, then he will have to use an additionally purchased hose of a larger diameter and when connecting two hoses, by inserting one into the other, the fasteners will allow him to hold this larger diameter hose. A drain hose secured in this way will certainly not be able to slip out of the bucket while both hands of the aquarist siphoning the soil are occupied.

There are models of siphons for aquariums that are equipped with a tap valve. Convenient accessory. If, for example, when cleaning the aquarium soil, dead roots (leaves) of plants stick to the protective grid of the lower part of the cylinder, or a fish accidentally swims in, then the siphon will not need to be pulled out to remove the debris. Simply turn the valve to shut off the water and, as the suction effect stops, the debris will fall off the grate. It is also convenient to use a faucet valve when dirty aquarium water has completely filled the drainage container - it shuts off the flow of water and there is no need to remove the siphon from the aquarium. You can safely go and pour out the dirty water to free up the container for the next portion of liquid to be drained.

Criteria for choosing an aquarium pump

The market offers the widest range of aquarium pumps from domestic and foreign manufacturers; when choosing for an aquarium, you must consider the following.

Installation type

All aquarium pumps can be divided into two types: external and submersible. The first ones are located outside the aquarium and are usually attached to its walls from the outside; the most common type is a submersible pump located inside the aquarium.

Almost every aquarium pump used for pumping water has suction cups or special clamps at the bottom of the body; it can be easily installed on the walls of the aquarium both outside and inside.

Fig.2 Example of installing a pump in an aquarium

Performance

The passport of each submersible pump indicates the volume of water pumped in liters per unit of time (performance).

When choosing a pump for a specific aquarium, it is necessary to multiply its volume by 3 - 5 times, the resulting value must correspond to the passport data for the pump's performance, measured in liters per hour.

The pump operates continuously, so to save energy you should choose models with a lower value.

When choosing a pump, not only the volume of the aquarium is taken into account, but also its internal microclimate: the number of living inhabitants, the level of vegetation, the presence of decorative elements. A more powerful model in a small aquarium, or vice versa, can lead to disruption of its operation and adversely affect the microclimate.

Height H

One of the parameters of electric pumps indicated in the passport data is the liquid lifting height h, which is directly related to the power and performance of the pump. This value can be important if you use a pump to gradually fill with rising water or pump it out of the aquarium.

Noise level

If the main technical parameters are almost the same for all manufacturers, then the leading brands are superior to their competitors in terms of noise level.

The housings of all aquarium pumps are made of plastic, the only difference being the motor axis. In freshwater aquariums, a pump with a metal axis is used; for saltwater aquariums, it is made of ceramics.

A pump for pumping water is also called a compressor, and also, from a more scientific point of view, an aerator. The main function of such a device is to pump out water and provide it with oxygen in the aquarium. The aquarium itself is a closed space; plants and fish growing in it without aeration will lack oxygen.

Living plants in an aquarium are capable of processing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, but plants alone may not be enough for the normal life of its inhabitants. Aquarium pumps are used to saturate the water with oxygen.

In an ordinary reservoir, enrichment processes occur naturally, as a result of water movement and wind blowing. This does not happen in an aquarium, and without a compressor the liquid will turn into a kind of mush or swamp. The compressor is designed in such a way that air is supplied to the tank through special tubes, after which the water is enriched with oxygen.

The supply pressure can be adjusted with special clamps located on the tubes. Sprayers are installed on the pump tubes. Sprayers can create bubbles of varying sizes, but the smaller they are, the more space in the aquarium they will fill.

After leaving the atomizer, air bubbles rise upward, where they burst and destroy the film on the surface and thereby improve the natural enrichment of the glass reservoir. When bubbles move through the aquarium, the water layers are mixed and this leads to a uniform distribution of liquid temperature.

If aquarium water is not sufficiently enriched with oxygen, various diseases occur in its inhabitants and plants. In a complex and neglected state, the fish may even die.

Aquarium water pumps are classified according to several parameters.

Sprayers for aquarium

Piston pumps move air through themselves due to the installed piston. These devices have more power than membrane ones, but also produce much more noise and vibration. Most often, such devices are installed in aquarium columns or large aquariums. The advantages of piston pumps include long operating life and high productivity.

Air supply by a membrane compressor is carried out using the operation of membranes installed in it. These membranes are designed so that moving air flows in only one direction. When operating such a pump pump, it does not consume a large amount of electricity, and the noise level is much less than that of piston pumps.

Based on the type of installation, the following air supply devices can be distinguished:

As the name implies, submersible devices are installed under water using special suction cups or clamps. Outdoor air compressors are mounted outside the aquarium. To carry out aeration, air tubes are installed from the pump into the aquarium.

Piston compressor device for Hailea ACO-388D aquarium

The composition of the water in the aquarium may be different, which is reflected in the internal structure of the devices. Water can be fresh or sea. In such cases, different materials are used to make the impeller, such as:

• for fresh water, stainless steel is used;
• For sea salt water ceramics are used.

So, what happens during a water change and what do we want to get out of it?

1. Increase the amount of what is less in the aquarium water and what is more in the “new” water. (Calcium, Magnesium, Trace, for example)
2. Reduce con that has accumulated for a number of reasons in aquarium water and con water less. (These are, of course, nitrates and phosphates, everything else that is added in the final product along with the feed, and organic products of animal metabolism, including toxins).

Some things can be removed from aquarium water using other export methods - sorbents or algae (scrubber or other export methods based on all kinds of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria). Water changes can supplement or perhaps replace them entirely. This needs to be dealt with.

I proceed from the fact that “new” sea water is cleaner and the concentrations of macro and microelements in it that are necessary for aquarium animals are more favorable than in “old” aquarium water, in which some of the elements have been used up and products of animal metabolism and some undesirable chemicals have been added to it elements that may get into the water with food or in some other way, for example, due to the negligence of the aquarist. I won’t even consider the questions of “Living” or “Dead” water, since I consider this to be complete heresy. I hope that there are not so many apologists for the concept of “Living/Dead” water and their number can be neglected. No offense. Therefore, my opinion is that water changes are good for the aquarium. Now it remains to figure out how much and how often it is advisable to change the water in order to improve the quality of water in the aquarium, namely, removing what is unnecessary and adding what is needed.

Let's look at a typical water change regime. As a rule, a certain volume of water is changed one time at a time once a month or, say, a week. Of course, there is the question of equalizing at least the temperature of the “new” water in relation to the temperature of the aquarium, if this one-time replacement exceeds the volume of 5-10% of the volume of aquarium water, in order to avoid stress to the animals. However, most aquarists who regularly change the water in the aquarium adhere to this model.

Picture 1

Figure 1 shows a model of how the concentration of a certain substance in aquarium water changes (conventionally this is Nitrate, but the concentration of something else will also change) provided that this substance is not added to the aquarium during the year. That is, this is a model of a certain ideal case. We see four graphs - once a month 0%, 7.5%, 15% and 30% of the volume of aquarium water is changed. The initial nitrate level is assumed to be 100 ppm. Accordingly, with each change, the nitrate level is diluted and reduced in accordance with the volume of new water that is replaced.

Black stripe – no changes, nitrate level remains unchanged at 100 ppm.

Green zigzag – replacement of 7.5% of the volume every 30 days. Every 30 days we see a drop in nitrate concentration and after a year the level drops from 100 to about 45 ppm.

And so on.

Of course, this ideal model has no practical meaning. Because, for example, the concentration of nitrate constantly increases as nitrogen is added to the aquarium as animal feed.

Figure 2

Now let's look at a mathematical model of what happens in an aquarium under conditions closer to real ones. Let's assume that there is 0 ppm nitrate in the aquarium, it accumulates in the aquarium water at a rate of 0.1 ppm per day. This is the typical rate of nitrate accumulation in a reef aquarium.

As can be seen from the graph, with 30% changes once a month, nitrate gradually increases, but during the year it does not increase more than 10 ppm. Smaller changes once a month do not stop the rise of nitrates. In addition, we see that after a change, nitrate drops and then gradually increases until the next change. That is, the concentrations of nitrate, as well as all other elements, change abruptly from substitution to substitution.

Now we have come to consider a model of how the composition of water will change if the volume of water being replaced is the same, but it will change not once a month, but more often. Let's consider a specific example - a 100 liter aquarium, the task is to replace 30% (30 liters) per month. This can be done at one time, you can change 15 liters every 2 weeks, you can change 10 liters every 10 days, or you can change 1 liter every day. Obviously, 30 liters of new water will be filled in per month, regardless of the replacement regime. You can split the changes into even smaller portions by changing the water several times during the day, practically turning the changes into a flow.

It was already mentioned above that some aquarists consider such substitutions unreasonable, since each subsequent substitution will also drain part of the “new” water that was just added. This, strictly speaking, is true, but the quantitative expression of this process is quite small. If you change 10% water three times, the second time only 10% of the first volume of 10 liters of water added will flow down the drain. That is, it will be 1% of the volume of the aquarium. So the losses are small. Here is the mathematical calculation of efficiency. Let's take our example with 30% water changes per month. With a one-time 30% change, we remove 30% of the nitrate from the aquarium. If we divide this 30% into 6 five percent changes of 5 liters each, we get 1-(0.95) to the 6th power = 26.5% nitrate removed. Namely: 6 changes per month of 5 liters each are equal in effectiveness to a change of 26.5 liters done at a time. That is, with such a fractional change, we actually lost some of the new water, but it is not so great - only 3.5 liters per month out of 30 liters of new water. If we divide the changes into even smaller parts, say 1% 30 times a month, that is, 1 liter per day, we get 1-(0.99) to the 30th power = 26.0% of nitrate removed. That is, the efficiency per month is not 30 percent when changing 30 liters at a time, but 26% when changing 1% of the volume daily, which corresponds to 30% changing the volume over the course of a month. If we calculate the actual flow rate for changing 30 liters of water per month continuously in a 100 liter aquarium, the calculations will give us an efficiency of 25.92%, compared to an efficiency of 30% for a one-time water change. It would seem that a one-time change of 30% of the water in the aquarium is more effective than changing the water using a flow for a month, however, we see that the difference is very small. With a one-time replacement, 70% of the original nitrate remains in the aquarium, and with a flow after 30 days, 72-74% of the original nitrate remains.

Figure 3

Another graph to illustrate the process. Figure 3.

Two models are superimposed on it, the first is the graph presented above in Figure 1, this is the ideal case when nitrate is not added to the aquarium for a year - 0%, 7.5%, 15% and 30% are replaced once a month volume of aquarium water. The initial nitrate level is assumed to be 100 ppm. These are zigzag charts. Superimposed on them are schedules of daily replacements of the same monthly volumes - 0%, 7.5%, 15% and 30%.

In other words, change daily at 0%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% volume per day. These are straight lines, almost as effective as one-time monthly changes, but do not “jerk” the water parameters. Do not forget that when making changes, all water parameters, and not just nitrate, will behave in this way.

Figure 4

For us, the following model is of practical interest; this is a situation similar to what can happen in some aquariums. The starting level of nitrate (or whatever) is 100 ppm, it continues to be added to the tank at a rate of 0.1 ppm per day and we do water changes of 0%, 7.5%, 15% and 30% per month. Zigzag charts are one-time substitutions, and straight lines are daily substitutions of the same monthly volumes.

As can be seen from the graphs, throughout the year, even with small changes of 7.5%, the level of nitrates decreases. Of course, the larger the volume, the more the nitrate concentration decreases. But it is absolutely obvious from the graph that daily changes of the same volume of water per month as a one-time massive change of the same volume give almost identical results. Which is fundamentally important. This suggests that the duct for removing some unwanted substance from the aquarium is as effective as one-time replacements. The exception is emergency situations, such as chemicals getting into the aquarium or an accidental overdose of something. In this case, only a massive one-time replacement, or even better, several massive one-time replacements can correct the situation and save the aquarium.

Once again I want to emphasize that this example with nitrate is of a generalized nature. Other ions, phosphate, metals entering the water with food, organic substances and metabolic products of hydrobionts will behave in the same way.

The first part of Randy Holmes-Farley's article is about removing things from your aquarium water through water changes. However, substitutions also perform the opposite function, namely replenishing spent elements. Something is absorbed by animals, something reacts and precipitates. With the help of substitutions, these processes can also be compensated. I will write a separate article on this topic, based on the same article by Randy Holmes-Farley, but in order not to make this article too long and overloaded with information, and simply put, not to make it indigestible, I will only say that since many elements, in particular, calcium and magnesium are so intensively consumed by corals (if it is a fast-growing SPS and LPS reef) that only very large volumes of replacements are required - 30-40% of the aquarium volume per day!!! Able to compensate for this expense. Of course, such waste is unreasonable, and only very small coral gardens make sense to maintain by replacing them with new water. And so it is necessary to compensate for the consumption of elements using balling or calcreator.

Jecod dosing pump 2-channel

Now let's move from theory to practice. How can you implement a flow in a marine aquarium, or rather, how I organized it in my 2 aquariums.

As can be seen from the article by Randy Holmes-Farley, the optimal minimum would be to change 1% of the water volume of the aquarium per day. To organize such a replacement, it is convenient to use perestaltic pumps. You can take this double programmable pump

We program one head for draining, and the second for filling. The volume of water being poured should be set slightly larger than the volume being drained. We prepare the salinity of the new water with a slightly lower density. This must be done so that during these changes “Protoka” also compensates for the evaporation of fresh water from the aquarium. We calculate the total volume of water to be changed so that 1% of the aquarium volume is replaced in several cycles during the day.

RUWAL additional pump

Or you can buy two separate programmable peristaltic pumps, like these.

I have a large aquarium - a display of 2000 liters (this is based on external dimensions) + sumps of 1000 liters, that is, roughly the volume of this system is 3000 liters. And the small aquarium is REDSea Max 130 (bought quite a long time ago from Aqua Logo ), its volume is 130 liters. To organize the flow in the system, I use a special microprocessor dosing pump. One of the advantages of this pump is that it is reversible. That is, using a simple combination of check valves, it is easy to organize draining and filling with one pump. Below is a schematic diagram of how this is implemented. When the pump rotates in one direction, one check valve allows water into the tube, and the second one on the second tube closes and vice versa. Just a couple of check valves and a smart pump with reverse allow you to create a “flow” in a marine aquarium.

It is programmed very simply: the pump operating time is set, for example, 3 minutes, the waiting time, for example, 60 minutes and 2 pump operating speeds, for example, 6000 ml and 6500 ml. And you still need to put an end to the first cycle of 6000 ml. This is for reverse, that is, the pump will spin in the opposite direction for the first cycle, pumping water out of the aquarium. That's all. In this situation, the pump works like this for 3 minutes, it pumps out water at a speed of 6 liters per hour, that is, in 3 minutes it will drain 6000/60 * 3 = 300 ml from the aquarium, then the pump rests for a minute and turns on again for 3 minutes, but in another side - pouring new water. And it will fill in 6500/60*3=325 ml of new water. Then the pump rests for 60 minutes and the cycle repeats again. To calculate how much water will be changed per day, you need to make a simple calculation - 60+3+1+3= 67 minute cycle. In a day, 24 hours are 1440 minutes. We divide 1440 minutes by 67 minutes and we get 21.4 cycles of 67 minutes. Round up to 21 cycles. In total, 325 ml*21=6825 ml of new water will be poured per day. That is, 6.8 liters. If you have a 100-liter aquarium, 6.8% of the water will change in one day. During the week, changes will amount to 47.6%, almost half the volume. In order for them to be not 6.8%, but 1%, something needs to be corrected. You can reduce the pumping speed, you can make the pumping time shorter, you can make the intervals between changes longer, but in fact, it’s optimal to adjust all 3 parameters and achieve the desired result. The main thing is to decide how much is optimal for your system - maybe 10% per day will suit your aquarium, and if the volume of the system is small, the cost of salt will not be exorbitant.

What nuances might there be? If you have a small aquarium, say up to 100 liters in volume, it is better to do more cycles, that is, set the interval between cycles to 30 minutes and adjust the other settings to this value. Then every 30 minutes a little will be replaced, which is much better and unnoticeable for the aquarium and its level, especially if there is an automatic top-up. By the way, if there is an automatic top-up, it is better to set the reverse mode for the second part of the cycle. That is, first new water will be added, and then, after mixing with the old, the corresponding portion of the old water will drain out of the aquarium. Again, if there is an automatic top-up, the density of the new water should probably be the same as in the aquarium. Since auto-topping is responsible for compensating for evaporation. If you have an emergency overflow into the sewer in your aquarium, organizing the duct is simplified. You just need to organize regular addition of new water, and the excess will drain into the drainage.

In conclusion, a small clip of how my pumps work. The left one only adds water to the larger system, while the right one drains and tops it up.

© Aqua Logo Lev Mironov

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Water pump - purpose

An aquarium pump used to pump water is an essential part of an aquarium's equipment to keep it clean. To do this, a filter in the form of a foam sponge is installed on the protruding outer part of the pump; passing through it, the water is purified and returned to the aquarium. Another purpose of the pump is to create water circulation; in some cases (aquarium corals), without this function the aquarium will not be able to function optimally.

The standard aquarium maintenance schedule is weekly cleaning, which also includes pump maintenance.

The pump is the most important element for maintaining the necessary microflora in the aquarium. It is necessary to choose a model that most closely matches the volume of the aquarium - any deviations can negatively affect its functioning. Preference should be given to devices from leading manufacturers with low noise levels - a small overpayment will save you from constant annoying sound and unpleasant consequences from unexpected breakdowns.

Method three. Auto

Of course, an automatic method of replacing aquarium water is considered an ideal option. If you have all the possibilities to organize it (that is: time, money, and space in the house), then it’s worth stopping at it. The stationary plastic drain pipe mentioned above will also be needed in this case, but only a few drops of water will flow down it per second. To supply water to the aquarium instead of draining water, you will need a dosing pump connected to the float switch. This switch will prevent water from overflowing.

Water evaporation when installing an automatic system must also be taken into account, otherwise the salinity will exceed the recommended value. Therefore, an electrical conductivity sensor will also be required. It will detect salinity and tell you how much fresh water you need to add to maintain the required balance in your saltwater aquarium at home. A container for fresh water is necessary in an automatic water replacement system, but thermometers and heaters are not needed in it - the replacement takes place almost drip-by-drop, and the temperature of the added water does not play a big role.

Popular models

Currently, the following models are considered the most popular and reliable:

The model range of the Aquael brand is quite diverse and is designed for any size of aquarium. This brand belongs to the budget class and the cost of the models is not high. For example, for a 350-liter aquarium, the Aquael Circulator 350 model with the same low price is perfect. In an hour, such a pump is capable of pumping up to 350 liters, and its power is only 4.5 watts. The Aquael brand has models that can pump up to 2600 liters of water per hour.

Operating principle and design features

The design of an aquarium pump is very simple. The housing contains a small-sized electric motor, on the shaft of which an impeller with blades is attached. When supply voltage is applied to the motor through a sealed electrical cable brought out, the shaft begins to rotate along with the impeller. When the blades move in a circular motion, aquarium water is drawn in and moved along a groove in the pump body, then pushed out.

Fig 1. Appearance of a standard aquarium pump

Many pump models are additionally equipped with an ejector inlet for supplying air to the aquarium; basically, this does not replace conventional aquarium aeration from a separate electric pump and is an addition to the main system for saturating the water with oxygen.

The pump outlet on many models can be moved in different directions, left inside or extended above the surface of the water to create waterfalls. The suction part of the pump body is usually cylindrical in the form of a finger with perforated holes. A massive multi-layer sponge filter is placed on it, the function of which is to purify water from contaminants.

A siphon is a device for draining and cleaning water from an aquarium. The operation of the siphon is based on the operating diagram of the pump. This device works quite simply. The end of the tube descends to the ground in the aquarium. The pipe is the main part of the siphon. Afterwards, the other end drops below the ground level outside the aquarium. And the same tip of the hose is lowered into the jar to drain the water. You can install a pump on the outside of the hose to pump out water. Thus, water with fish waste and the remains of their food will be sucked into the siphon, from which all this will need to be drained into a separate container.

The mysterious word PROTOKA, and how to implement it at home.

The mysterious word PROTOKA, and how to implement it at home.

Every more or less experienced aquarist eventually begins to get tired of the burdensome duty of changing the water for their pets. And it’s good if the aquarium is small, and the volumes do not exceed one or two buckets or a cooler bottle. But when a simple birthday gift develops into a lifelong hobby, and the number of aquariums in a single apartment begins to grow alarmingly, the problem arises in full scale. And here the duct comes to the aid of the aquarist.

Protoka, or rather a flowing water supply system, is a network of water communications permanently located in an apartment, providing automated replacement of water in aquariums in the volumes required by aquatic organisms.

First let's ask ourselves: Why? What does a flow-through water supply system give us compared to classic filters?

1. And, I think, the most important thing is to amuse your laziness. For a man will not be a man if he does not find ways to automate routine processes and free up time for himself, his beloved, for quiet Lying and Contemplation! Everything else is important, but somehow at the same time as the first. Or rather, in addition to the first one.

2. Filtration, no matter how powerful the filter is, even if it is a SAMP the size of a barrel, does not remove ALL the results of the vital activity of aquatic organisms from the water. Because in any situation, a colony of bacteria will sit in the filter exactly the size that is necessary to consume the amount of waste that, on average, all hydrobionts in the aquatic system crap. And the colony grows along with the fish. And it decreases with a decrease in fish stock. So here, as they say, you can’t jump over your head! There are also PhytoFilters. But in essence, the results of their use differ little from what happens in aquariums with grass. Yes, when using a phytofilter, one stage of ammonia decomposition is added to the processing cycle - the consumption by plants of nitrates and phosphates released by bacteria in the biofilter. But the grass does not consume all the leftovers, unfortunately. And this does not negate the need for replacements.

I know that we have apologists for the closed cycle in the aquarium, and such aquariums even exist in reality. But not everyone can live there, and it’s hard to call life in a compote made from the unprocessed waste of one’s life. Therefore, we are forced to make friends with a hose, tube and funnel. And communicating with them once a week is an unpleasant but necessary duty for any aquarist.

In short, substitutions are and remain the key to excellent health and natural behavior of fish.

Now about the cons. There is one minus here, but it’s a big one. This is the water in your tap. If in the USSR they still somehow monitored the water, now the devil is going on in the tap! And we pour this solution into the aquarium! Especially in the spring, when news from the fields, bypassing treatment plants, flows into our apartments in a murky endless stream. In my entire life, I personally know of three cases of fish poisoning in the spring from replacement water. I have read dozens of posts on this topic. So I can’t consider this problem to have been made up out of thin air. And we will learn to fight this phenomenon together.

There is, however, one more minus, or not even a minus, but an observation, the authenticity of which I personally did not have to verify, but according to the statements of large breeders, fish grown in the channel are more weakly colored, susceptible to diseases, and when brought to an ordinary aquarist , into a “replacement” aquarium, gets sick and dies more often. I cannot refute this statement. But also confirm. However, it seems to me that it would also be wrong not to note this point. In principle, if we think logically, such a situation is quite possible. Those. When keeping fish in a channel, with proper feeding, the fish grows healthy and strong, has a healthy immune system, and therefore does not get sick. (This is true. During the entire time I used the duct, the fish in my aquarium never got sick!) As for the color, I immediately disagree. In good conditions, the fish is much better colored than in the trash heap. So, once in conditions with a high content of toxins in the water, the fish naturally loses its immunity and eventually gets sick. Well, it happens. And it’s not the flow that’s to blame, but the conditions in a particular aquarium. Feed the fish correctly, remove waste completely, change the water in sufficient quantity on time (or install a flow if you are too lazy to change it) and you will be happy!

Let's move on to the constructive part. So, let’s draw up some kind of technical specification - what we want to get from Protoka, what it should do and what it shouldn’t.

The flow must provide:

— automatic water change in aquariums connected to it;

— adjusting the volume of replaced water;

— necessary parameters of inlet water: temperature, chemical and physical purity, oxygen saturation;

— safety from leaks;

— safety for aquatic organisms in case of external failures: outages of hot and/or cold water, electricity;

— safety in case of internal failures: shutdown and failure signaling;

— the reliability of the entire structure is no less than that of a house water supply/sewage system;

— performance without human intervention for a long period (min. 1 month, preferably 3 months);

— decorative performance acceptable by the Customer.

If anyone has any other requirements, please add them.

Here is a diagram of the duct:

Explanations for the diagram.

Hot and cold water should be mixed in a mixer to a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Celsius. This is for winter. In the summer, as practice shows, it is necessary to open the cold water tap, because the aquariums need to be cooled, not heated!

The faucets should be installed not of new ceramic ones, but of the old design with rubber gaskets. Such taps allow you to finely regulate the temperature in the mixer.

Warm water enters a prefilter consisting of a fine mesh mechanical filter, a rust filter and carbon filters. They need to be changed every three months. If anyone can recommend other options for prefilter composition combinations, I will be grateful. The prefilter saves us from rust, mechanical particles and suspension, and also, partially, from “news from the fields.” In spring, it makes sense to change them more often.

The preparation container is essentially a toilet tank. The reliability of the float system has been tested in millions of toilets around the world! I recommend. At this point our high pressure line ends. The float system perfectly closes it in the event of a clogged drain, which ensures high reliability and a guarantee of non-flooding if this unit fails. Illuminated by bright light, fast-growing grass eats up the remaining nitrates from the fields. It makes sense to use it only in the spring. The rest of the time it’s not necessary, but here it’s up to you. It all depends on your water supply. In Old Moscow you can safely do without grass.

In the preparation tank there is a pump head for aquariums. The power should be selected so that it is enough to raise the column above the water level of your highest aquarium, at least half a meter. A PVC hose with an internal diameter of 10 mm extends from the head. This one is much easier to blow out, and it is rigid enough to stick it into the drain hose. Drain hose with a diameter of 32 mm. PVC, preferably hard and reinforced. It is stretched in a SINGLE piece from the preparation tank to the aquariums and bent upward at least half a meter at both ends. Vertical parts can be assembled from PVC sewer pipes, tees and angles with a diameter of 25 mm. Because you will be stretching it below, under the baseboard or under the floor, you must be sure of its integrity. Remember a simple rule: no joints in uncontrolled areas!

Placing the inlet hose inside the drain hose provides many advantages: decorative effect, equalization of temperature on the way to the aquarium - clean water is heated to the desired temperature due to the heat of the drained water. Energy saving. My flow, set at 30 degrees, was so resistant to temperature changes that in order to increase the temperature in the aquarium for treatment by a couple of degrees, I had to wait half a day! So temporary temperature fluctuations in the incoming water supply do not affect the temperature of the water in the aquarium in any way.

As follows from the diagram, the water then flows directly into the aquarium through the float system. We use a faucet to regulate the flow. At one time, I poured 4 volumes per day. A lot of! But the fish and grass had a blast. True, then water was free, well almost. Now I think one volume per day is enough. But in general it depends on the total mass of the population, feeding regime, and filtration system. It should be selected individually, guided by test results and observation of fish behavior.

Overflowing through the drain, the water enters the sewer, simultaneously heating the incoming water path.

Because All aquariums are independent, which is difficult to achieve when using SAMP; we do not spread pathogens throughout all containers. This allows you to avoid an epidemic, and also use any aquarium on the farm as a quarantine one.

In each aquarium it is necessary to install a pump head with a fine-mesh sponge that works as a mechanical filter, and a nozzle on it to spray air. This design kills two birds with one stone: it saturates the water with air and serves as an indicator that the sponge is clogged. As soon as the bubbles stop coming, it’s time to rinse the sponge. Very convenient and clear. Typically, the flushing period is once every two to three months. If the aquariums are large, you can also leave canister filters in them. It will not be worse.

Now let's look at possible emergency situations.

1. All water was turned off.

The pump head in the preparatory tank has drunk all the water and is threshing with a cracking sound. It will break in a day, no more. Usually you notice this in the evening after work and manage to save it. But if not, then it needs to be changed. The flow stops and when water is supplied again, within a short time, it turns on. If it's long, then no. In practice, I (Moscow, Sokol) have never had unscheduled outages of hot and cold water at the same time.

2. The hot water was turned off.

Because the volume of hot water is much less than the volume of cold water, then the system does not feel the loss and continues to work. To bring the temperature down by 5 degrees. It takes more than a day. If you place a heating pad with a regulator in the preparation container, you can completely solve this problem. But practice has shown that this is not necessary. I kept the heating pad there for the first 5 years, then I took it out as no longer needed.

3. The cold water was turned off.

The pump head drinks the preparatory container and grunts, but no boiling water flows into the system - there is very little of it. When the cold water supply is restored, 20-30 liters of hot water go into the system, but this does not change the weather - the inertia is enormous. Minus - the grass in the preparation tank is killed. That's all. In the spring, we still monitor the system more often and go on vacation at different times. And at other times there is no grass there.

4. The electricity was turned off.

The flow has stopped. Turned it on and off I went. How long does it take before death? Everyone is different. My aquarium, I think, would last a day for sure. But usually the current is given after 2-4 hours. But this is ours.

5. Turned off everything together.

Such a combination of force majeure factors is extremely unlikely. If only there will be a war. And they will bomb. And if they bomb, we won’t have time for fish.

To ensure internal reliability, use standard hose connection systems. Use the right tool. Use safety clamps - no self-propelled guns! Then your pipes will live a long time, and you will live happily.

Let's talk about the operating mode. The flow can be poured not only around the clock. By installing a time relay to power the head, you can set, for example, a powerful replacement for 1 hour a day (for example, in the evenings, when you are guaranteed to be at home).

In this case, the probability of catching something nasty drops by 24 times. The process, although automatic, is before your eyes. Promotes mental balance. (When I started the first flow, I didn’t sleep for a month. I kept imagining a quiet gurgling sound... I jumped up, looked for leaks... I lay down... and again.)

The downside is that if you catch a poison, the grass won’t pick it out. He won't have time. Relying on the current for the prefilter. Secondly, a system operating in a constant mode is more reliable than one operating in a repeated short-term mode. Because transient processes occur, especially during startup. This is fraught with a greater likelihood of failure of electronic components or water shut-off mechanisms. In practice, this means that the head may not start. The drain will silt up and the silt will be compacted in it. Faucets may stick. Everything needs to be checked after startup. And with a constant operating mode - launch it once, configure it and don’t give a damn.

Having a flow will make your life so much easier that caring for the aquarium will be reduced to only daily feeding, washing the sponges every 1-3 months and canister filters every 2-3 years! Just a lazy person's dream! Good luck in the implementation of the project.

Comments and additions.

1. It is important to place the grass in the preparation tank and its lighting in the second section along the water flow, where the head is. Temperature surges from the water supply can damage it, but in the second section it will be safe. For this purpose, in principle, the container is partitioned. You can only lay grass in the spring, in a ball, such as elodea, hornwort, and shine brightly around the clock. If she has nothing to eat and solemnly dies in a couple of months, this will be a victory of design thought over nature! But if the prefilter does allow some kind of rubbish into the aquarium, and if it is edible, such as ammonia breakdown products or phosphates, then it will at least partially utilize them. Still, it’s better than all this immediately gurgling into the aquaculture industry.

2. Regarding blockages in the drain hose. If there is any blockage, the water in the aquarium will rise by 3-5 cm, and the float will block its flow. There will be no flood! I recommend conducting “exercises” after the implementation of the project. Turn off the water and electricity one by one, plug the drain, and see what happens. It is better to eliminate defects “before” than “after”!

3. How to insert a thin tube into a thick one if the drain path is 15 m long? I did this. Both hoses, twisted towards each other into a “spring” type coil, are placed in one layer in the bath. We take a nylon thread and tie a rag wad to it. We unwind the thread with a reserve and lay it loosely next to the bathtub on the floor. We insert the wad into a thick hose, push it through slightly, and direct a stream of water into the hose from the shower hose with the watering can removed. We hold the leaks with our fingers - the main thing is to create at least some pressure in the hose. 30 sec. And the wad with a stream of water flies out from the other end, dragging the nylon thread behind it. During the process, you can splash shampoo into the hose. It will go easier. We tie the end of the thread to a thin hose and begin to “screw” it, rotating it around the axis of the coil into the thick one, while, from time to time, supporting it by the other end of the thread. The first 2-3 meters will go easily. And then, with patience, swearing and shampoo, using massage techniques and milking skills, pull out the end until the hose passes through all the turns. Be patient. Hemorrhoids for a couple of hours. But then – happiness! Having pulled out the entire hose, rinse it thoroughly from the inside again with a stream of soapy water, drain the water and you can lay the duct! When bending, make sure that the inner hose does not bend, otherwise no pump will have enough power to break through it. Therefore, the drain hose must be transparent. At least at first. And after that it doesn’t matter anymore.

4. There is one more minus. The underfilling in aquariums will be about 10 cm to the edge. This distance is needed to place the hole for the drain, and it is located anywhere below the stiffener. In addition, a distance is required for the float valve to operate. Check the gap to the lamps or the aquarium lid so that nothing prevents the float from rising. It happens that it rests on the fixture of the lamp. Accordingly, light from the lamps shines into the eyes through this gap. Therefore, you need to seal the front glass of the aquarium from above along the water level with an overlap of 5-10 mm. I used wood-look construction adhesive tapes to cover the ends of 35mm wide MDF. Two stripes were enough. They are dense and do not allow light to pass through, unlike self-adhesive film. Iron on. If you heat a plexiglass aquarium, you need to be careful not to burn the glass so that it doesn’t turn white. It is better to heat it through a cloth or sheet of paper. Practice on the sample on the sidelines - 5 minutes and the necessary skill will appear. The main thing is not to overheat the plexiglass.

5. The water level in the preparation tank should be lower than the water level of the lowest aquarium. Otherwise, the water will flow by gravity even when the pump is turned off!

6. It is best to place the preparation container in the toilet, behind the toilet. When placing, try to provide yourself with access to all controlled units and connections, both at the duct and at the toilet.

7. The drain path is best placed along the baseboard along the floor. If you have to cross the doorways of balconies or interior doors, you will have to recess it into the floor. Make a gutter and a decorative cover there. To avoid such a decision, try to plan the path bypassing the doors. Let it be longer, but without openings! If the path passes through the kitchen or through the bathroom, this is only a plus. In this case, it is more convenient to drain the water under the sink through a cross: the top neck from the sink, the side drains from the aquariums and from the preparation tank, and a clean water tube passes through them. The lower one goes into the sewer. Because The tube is thin enough, it does not interfere with the drain. The drainage path is quite rigid. Putting him in a corner just won't work. Therefore, special clamps will be needed. All this is sold in construction stores. Just take their dimensions into account when designing your decorative hose box. The turning radii are also not small - 400-500 mm. Take this into account when wiring. I repeat, you cannot use corners here. Sooner or later they will leak. What a joy it will be for you to move cabinets and look for leaks! Moreover, the neighbors below will tell you about it. And the room will be dry.

8. Readers are interested: can Protoka replace the filtration system, and if Protoka is installed, why else is it spent on a filter? That's right. Both the duct and the filtration system, in any configuration, serve one single purpose - to reduce the concentration of harmful substances in the aquarium water to acceptable, or even better, to minimum sizes. And naturally, through simple calculations, we can always prove that the efficiency of Protoka is in any case higher than the efficiency of the filtration system, despite the fact that the volumes of water pumped by filters are larger, but the quality of water in Protoka is higher. The flow, by default, adds 100% pure water to the aquarium, and the filter allows the end products of decomposition in the nitrogen cycle to pass back. It would seem: this is a panacea! But no. Life takes its toll. And the quality of tap water is getting worse and worse every year. If in the 60-80s of the last century we calmly enjoyed cold water from the tap, now, half a century later, even people far from medicine do not risk doing this. Now we pass all our drinking water through filters. And this is the merit not only of advertising and marketing companies, but also, to a large extent, of water treatment plants, crippled by the harsh years of transition from Soviet to gangster power. Therefore, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will not “pour magic” into the aquarium. Hence the need arises to install, in addition to the Protoka, a filtration system that, at the very least, can protect our aquariums from plumbing “surprises”.

And finally. This scheme worked for about 8 years and did not give a single failure! Well, except for childhood diseases identified in the first month of operation. So I recommend it! A little work and money at the first stage will more than pay off in relaxation and time savings in subsequent operation. And this is for life!

AgirOs (c)

How to choose?

If you own a large aquarium, then it would be best to opt for an electric siphon model with a motor. It is more convenient to use. It is also recommended to use similar siphons in aquariums where frequent and sudden changes in water acidity and with a large amount of silt at the bottom are undesirable.

Since they immediately filter and drain the water back, the internal environment of the aquarium remains virtually unchanged. The same applies to the nanoaquarium. These are containers ranging in size from 5 liters to 35 liters. Such aquariums are prone to unstable internal environments, including changes in acidity, salinity and other parameters.

If you want to purchase an electric siphon, then for an aquarium with high walls you will need an equally high siphon. If the main part of the device is immersed too deeply, water will enter the batteries and electric motor, which will cause a short circuit. The standard maximum aquarium height for electric siphons is 50 cm.

If your aquarium contains small fish, shrimp, snails or other miniature living creatures, then you need to purchase siphons with a mesh or install it yourself. Otherwise, the device can suck in the inhabitants along with the debris, which it is not only a pity to lose, but they can also clog the siphon.

This is especially true for electric models. Some modern manufacturers have nevertheless found a way out of this situation - they produce products equipped with a tap valve that allows you to instantly turn off a working siphon. Thanks to this, a fish or stone that accidentally gets into it can simply fall off the net.

Rating of the most popular and high-quality siphon manufacturers.

• The leader in this industry, as in many others, is German production. The company is called Eheim. The siphon of this brand is a classic representative of a high-tech device. This automated device weighs only 630 grams. One of its advantages is that such a siphon does not drain the water into a separate container, but filters it and instantly returns it to the aquarium. It is equipped with a special nozzle, thanks to which the plants are not injured. Copes with cleaning aquariums with a volume of 20 to 200 liters. But this model has a high cost. Works both on batteries and from a power point. The battery may run out of power quickly and require frequent replacement.
• Another leading manufacturer is Hagen. It also produces automated siphons. The advantage is the long hose (7 meters), which simplifies the cleaning process. Among the many models in the company’s assortment, there are also mechanical ones with a pump. Their advantage is in price: mechanical ones are almost 10 times cheaper than automated ones.

• Another well-known brand is Tetra. It produces a variety of siphon models with different configurations. This brand specializes more in budget models.
• It is worth noting the Aquael brand. It is known for producing high-quality models at budget prices. It is also a European manufacturer (Poland).

Professional devices: a brief overview

Manufacturers of aquarium equipment offer a wide selection of siphons for cleaning soil of various types - expensive and cheap; mechanical, electrical, battery-powered and powered from a household network; low, medium and high power; with valves and sedimentation tanks, etc. Sometimes it is difficult to immediately understand which device you need to buy.

The most important thing is to take your time and thoughtfully determine exactly the brand that is suitable for each specific case.

EHEIM . If an aquarist is a fan of high-tech technical systems, then he will certainly pay attention to the products of the famous German company EHEIM. The EHEIM electric siphon (battery operated), weighing only 630 g, effectively cleans the soil without draining the aquarium water; it immediately returns the purified water to the aquarium.

The edges of the suction tube have a serrated perforated shape, which helps preserve the roots of aquatic plants. This device is designed for aquariums with a capacity of up to 200 liters and a wall height of up to 0.5 meters.

Disadvantages: high price and fast battery drain. By the way, if you install a special adapter instead of batteries, then the power comes from a household electrical outlet, and the second drawback disappears.

HAGEN is a German company that has traditionally been among the leaders in the production of siphons. The line of cleaning devices from this company is very large, and the prices can satisfy almost any buyer. Thus, the electric device Hagen Marina Aqua Vac is capable of not only effectively and carefully cleaning the bottom substrate, but is also an excellent assistant when carrying out water changes thanks to the 7-meter inlet hose, which is included in the package. True, the cost of such a device is quite high, about 6 thousand rubles.

For those who want to save on a siphon, this company offers a compact device, which is launched using an ordinary rubber bulb. In this case, to collect the draining water, you need a separate container installed below the level of the aquarium. The price of such a siphon is only around 600 rubles.

Tetra . The devices of the well-known company TETRA also found their buyers, which provided aquarists with siphons of various capacities. For example, the TETRA GC50 model is capable of cleaning the soil well even in a 400-liter aquarium, and the GC30 model is very convenient for small-capacity jars - up to 60 liters. Naturally, the cost of such purifiers varies, but in general, TETRA siphons are a budget option with fairly high German quality.

AQUAEL . Experts also recommend products from the Polish company AQUAEL. Lightweight, reliable and effective soil cleaners of this brand have long become serious rivals to German siphons. One of the main advantages of Poles is their lower price.

However, if you don’t want to bother choosing one or another branded technical device, then a simple aquarium cleaner can easily be made yourself at home.

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How to do it?

A siphon for an aquarium is easy to make at home with your own hands. For this you will need:

1. an ordinary plastic bottle with a cap;
2. syringes (10 cubes) – 2 pcs;
3. knife for work;
4. hose (diameter 5 mm) – 1 meter (it is best to use a dropper);
5. insulating tape;
6. outlet for a hose (preferably made of brass).

Step-by-step instructions include the following steps.

1. Prepare syringes. At this stage you need to remove the needles from them and get rid of the pistons.
2. Now you need to use a knife to cut the tip of the syringe so that it becomes an improvised tube.
3. From another syringe you need to use a knife to cut off the part into which the piston fits, and make another hole with a diameter of 5 mm in place of the hole for the needle.
4. Connect both syringes to form one large pipe. The tip with the “new” hole should be on the outside.
5. Secure the “pipe” with electrical tape. Pass the hose into the same hole.
6. Take a bottle with a cap and make a hole with a diameter of 4.5 mm in the latter. Insert the hose outlet into this hole.
7. Attach a hose to the outlet you just inserted. At this point, the homemade siphon for cleaning an aquarium can be considered complete.

The role of the compressor in such a homemade siphon will be played by a pump. You can also “start” it by inhaling water through your mouth.

Types of siphons for aquariums and their designs

There are two types of siphons: electric (powered by batteries) and mechanical. Models of siphons for an aquarium differ slightly from each other. Siphons consist of a hose and a glass. The method of using them is also the same. The siphon is immersed vertically to the bottom of the aquarium, dirt, silt, leftover food and excrement gradually begin to be sucked into the glass along with water by gravity, then go down the hose and flow into the water container. After the water flowing into the glass becomes light (clean), the siphon is moved to the next contaminated area of ​​the soil.

The standard model of a mechanical siphon for an aquarium consists of a plastic transparent cylinder (glass) or funnel with a diameter of at least five centimeters and a hose. If the glass is too narrow and the height of the aquarium is small, then the siphon will suck in not only dirt, but also stones, which, rising in a spiral, will fall into the hose. The siphon must be transparent in order to observe the cleaning process and move the glass to the next section of the aquarium bottom in time. You can buy an industrial siphon in any store for aquarists, since any self-respecting aquarium company certainly produces them.

Manufacturers of aquarium siphons produce several models that do not have a hose. The cylinder (funnel) in such a siphon is replaced with dirt collectors like a pocket or trap. There are models that are equipped with an electric motor. The electric siphon model runs on batteries like a vacuum cleaner, without draining the aquarium water. In this model, water is sucked into the siphon, dirt is retained in a pocket (trap), and purified water immediately flows back into the aquarium. Typically, this siphon model is used to clean the soil in aquariums with intense siltation on the bottom, but frequent water changes are undesirable. For example, when growing certain species of cryptocorynes, which need acidic old water, or when keeping fish that love acidic old water and do not require its regular replacement.

The electric siphon for an aquarium is very convenient to use. The pocket trap traps dirt, fish excrement, and silt, allowing water to pass through the nylon walls. In this case, there is no need to drain dirty water into a container, and also to filter it through a rag or gauze to maintain the necessary acidity in the aquarium. It is also convenient because the drain hose cannot jump out of the bucket, because the electric siphon does not have a hose. The intensity of water flow in this siphon model is regulated using a rotor impeller, which is located inside the device. However, the electric siphon has a drawback - it can work in aquariums in which the height of the water column does not exceed 0.5 m, otherwise water will get into the battery compartment.

When choosing a siphon, aquarists advise choosing a model with a tall glass (at least 0.2 m), so that when cleaning the soil the device does not suck up small stones. The principle of operation of a siphon immersed in the ground is similar to the work of a mixer - the pebbles rise and mix, but since they cannot rise higher than 15 cm, they fall again to the bottom of the aquarium. You should also pay attention to the edges of the glass; it is advisable that they have a rounded shape, since, firstly, this shape will make it easy to immerse the cylinder in the ground, and secondly, it will not damage the roots of the plants. The most convenient shape of the glass is oval; such a siphon easily sinks into the most inaccessible places of the aquarium bottom (between decorations, driftwood, large stones and ceramics).