not sure where to put this

[Amy05]

i wasnt sure where i should post about this, but i was wondering a good way to remove water from a fish tank. i have my 20 gal with water in it right now, and i need to take the water out. i have used a bucket to take a bunch out, but there is still enough so i can't lift it. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[recycling goddess]

a hose works... just suck on one end and it'll create suction to remove the water

[slither9192]

ya i use a clear tube. I have herd you can also use a turkey baster on the end as suction if you don't want to use your mouth.

[Amy05]

okay...so im supposed to suck the water out of my tank? i know im missing something here (lol), just help me out as to what. he he.

[JLC]

I moved this to "Other Pets" for ya...since that's where our fishy stuff usually goes.


Just get a straw and have your little brother drink the last of the water out of there.

(JUST kidding folks! I don't even know if she has a little brother! )

[JLC]

okay...so im supposed to suck the water out of my tank? i know im missing something here (lol), just help me out as to what. he he.

What you are needing to do is siphon the water out. You do this by creating suction in a hose and the water will drain itself out through the hose.

Get a hose that is open at both ends...place one end in the water...and the other end in a bucket on the floor. Suck the water from the "bucket-end" of the hose until it jussst reaches the end of the hose...then drop it into the bucket. Gravity will take care of the rest and magically suck all the water up and out of the tank. (If you've done it right. )

[Shelby]

No you use the hose as a siphon.. you can buy siphons made for tank cleaning at the pet store.. you just suck the water up the tube enough so that gravity will take over and suck the water out of the tank and into a bucket.

[recycling goddess]

okay...so im supposed to suck the water out of my tank? i know im missing something here (lol), just help me out as to what. he he.

amy i thought you'd figure out the "put the end of the hose into a bucket" part of the process.

sorry i wasn't explaining it with enough detail

[tmlowe5704]

We used that method to help drain water from our pool a little faster. We would get big hoses and stick them in the water and use a wet vac to start the suction. It was much easier on my stomach than using my mouth to siphon green water out

[Ginevive]

I swear by the Python siphon.. every aquarium should come with one in my opinion. I drain mine right out the window and into the pasture, but you can actually hook it to a utility sink tap and by turning on a little bit of water, it creates a suction and sends the water out of your tank and down the drain; then you simply switch it closed and use the hose to refill the tank.
For a small 20g tank, try getting something that's flat on the sides (like an empty milk carton or juice bottle with the lid carefully cut off.) It is much easier to bale out water with this than a rounded container like a soda bottle.