Tank Draining (1 Viewer)

[Mpolasek]

if everything goes well i should be redoing my tank and cleaning and replacing the water but first, i have to drain my tank and i have done this before with a tank outside and had lots of trouble and this time its in y room does anyone have any tips on how to go about draining the tank.
OPTIONAL: and i used copper in my tank should i wipe it down or do i just drain the water?

 

[ITreefer]

Depends on what you have to work with.

Something like this would be ideal:


But you can also use something really cheap like this plus a 5 gal bucket to cart the water out:


As far as the copper, I would scrub the crap out of that tank as much as you can. Draining the water wouldn't be enough to make me feel comfortable.

 

[Mpolasek]

ok ill do that but supplies consist of pump (as in the tank pump) 2 5 gallon buckets, 10 1 gallon containers, a bathtub nearby if i have to, cut up hands (why do i like saltwater fish so much ) , and a nightmare of a room. but thats all ok the thing im worried about is when i cant scoop it out and ill use a spoon if i have to but any tricks?

 

[ITreefer]

yeah the pump will work, just keep filling your buckets and tossing the water.
how big is the tank?

 

[Mpolasek]

75 gallons

 

[ITreefer]

That will take a while hah
Maybe use a wet/dry vac for the last bit.
Or if you have people to help you, move it outside once you've drained all that you can get.

Good luck!

 

[Mpolasek]

ya you know the worst part as mentioned above i have lots of exposed wounds on my hands since they get so dry so sticking my hand in saltwater hurts worse than getting glass in my foot (but not as much as the needle they used to get ut out)) and the worst part is i have to be quick i have temperature problems in both of my tanks i use a combination of two heaters to heat the 75 and temp has about a 5 degree change aa day but the 30 is way worse and that's were they will be so i have to keep them happy and safe in there while i redo the tank

 

[ITreefer]

Yeah that sounds painful

 

[Tangs]

Let gravity do the work You can even drain it outside like into your neighbours pool

 

[Mpolasek]

ya but the question is how do i move about 800 pounds ill just drain it in my room and dump it down the drains of my yard or the plumbing (hope that doesn't hurt the plumming)

 

[gregg]

Siphon it with the hose straight out the window into the yard Might discolor your grass but this time of year who cares. As far a cleaning the tank.. since your draining it anyway, why not take it outside and give it a good scrubbing? Hate to see you go through all that trouble and then still have copper traces.

 

[Tenny]

I've heard saltwater actually helps with the sewage system. It's supposed to be hot, but I just turn the water on as hot as possible after I put some down the drain.

As far as the cuts on your hands you can get these:

PVC Long-Cuff Oil-Resistant Gloves

Amazing deals on this Pvc Long Cuff Oil Resistant Gloves at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I generally just stick my hands in the tank, but if I have a big open cut or something I'll put these gloves on. Or if I expect to be doing a lot of work with the rocks.

 

[Mpolasek]

well im doing all this tomorrow if i have too ill just suffer though it

 

[armerjr]

Run a water hose from outside (through the door or window) and put in the tank with a rock to hold n the bottom. Turn on the hose and let the water run into the tank to get all the air out of the hose. Turn the water off and then double kink the hose. Unhook from the hose bib and move the hose to where you want it to drain. Place the hose on the ground/edge of the street and unkink the hose. Should start siphoning out until you get to the last inch or so. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice out so you could run the house out the door or use a window near the tank. Good luck!

 

[Tangs]

I am not an arbourist but 800 pounds of salt water might do more than Kill grass it is possible you might kill a tree if one is close bye. Grass is still green up here in January cus of global warming possibly. But not as green as it was in September. It is usually winter dormant brown.

 

[decimal]

Why in a hurry to drain? Work out heater situation first and stabilize temp in the 30g. Drastic swings will stress out your livestock and if you add transport to that your chances of encountering a negative outcome such as a sick fish Increase exponentially.

 

[Mpolasek]

well it turns out my most advanced heater is in the 30 the temps are stale and the damsel loves it he is the only one right now im still making sure i plan before i do here

 

[decimal]

So what are you planning?
Move the fish,
drain the tank,
rip out sand and rock,
clean tank and
re-assemble?

the copper will be still be in the substrate and rock so if the goal is to get copper out you would not be able to reuse. At least without some processing for the rock.

 

[steveb]

If you are not planning on reusing I can tell you how I drain.

Garden hose... I clamp the end in the tank near the bottom. I then turn on the faucet to purge the hose of air. I then turn the faucet off and unhook hose from spigot and let gravity/siphon drain the tank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[decimal]

If you are not planning on reusing I can tell you how I drain.

does It matter if reusing or not? would contact with the garden hose would brief eneugh not to cause any issues Or am I missing it.. again