Cheapest water change pump found!!

[ps2cho]

$16!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071D9P1SF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I purchased and it arrived today and I am pleasantly surprised. 580gph. Its a PERFECT dirt cheap water change pump. No way in hell I would trust this 24/7 on my tank, but as a throw-away pump...this cannot be beaten!

Wanted to post for others

 

[Maacc]

Thanks for the find.

 

[tdileo]

I found a cheaper one! Some clear 1" tubing and my mouth [emoji23]
Not as much flow but it gets the job done

 

[ps2cho]

I found a cheaper one! Some clear 1" tubing and my mouth [emoji23]
Not as much flow but it gets the job done

All seriousness though, I've stopped that completely after the few reports of serious health issues traced back to coral poisons. I'll let a few $16 pumps die first!

 

[tdileo]

All seriousness though, I've stopped that completely after the few reports of serious health issues traced back to coral poisons. I'll let a few $16 pumps die first!

I would think you're good as long as you don't have zoanthids/palys since they're the big corals for toxins. Of course leathers and other corals have them as well but I'm not sure how dangerous they are to humans. Some of the siphons have a built in hand pump you squeeze a few times and it flows. I definitely agree an actual pump is nice, but I usually siphon dirt off my crushed coral and rock if possible

 

[mcarroll]

@tdileo Anyone with algae in their tank is hypothetically at risk for the same class of toxins (playtoxin and derivatives like ovatoxin) if they maintain a high carbon/low nutrient environment.

In other words if they use carbon dosing and maintain zero (or near-zero) NO3 and/or PO4.

That's just likely risks from one class of toxin. ;Dead

There are lots of other potential nasties, especially in a mature tank where diversity has waned...like mycobacteria, and other stuff.

That said I still use an old-school siphon hose too. But not for long – auto-water changes are coming.

 

[ps2cho]

Not sure why it got off the idea...but this isn't for siphoning...I was kinda meaning a pump for putting freshly made saltwater INTO the tank from your brute trash can.

Or mixing new salt...way better and cheaper than a Mj1200

 

[tdileo]

Not sure why it got off the idea...but this isn't for siphoning...I was kinda meaning a pump for putting freshly made saltwater INTO the tank from your brute trash can.

Or mixing new salt...way better and cheaper than a Mj1200

Well I guess that makes sense then. Personally I don't have a big trash for water changes because I'm not a millionaire and can't afford a couple hundred gallon tank [emoji23]

 

[ps2cho]

Well I guess that makes sense then. Personally I don't have a big trash for water changes because I'm not a millionaire and can't afford a couple hundred gallon tank [emoji23]

I only have a 40b, but 10g water changes would need multiple buckets so the 18g brute can works great and it's pretty cheap.

Waiting for a MJ1200 to pump against 4ft head is so dang slow as well. This pump takes 60sec

 

[mcarroll]

Not sure why it got off the idea...but this isn't for siphoning...I was kinda meaning a pump for putting freshly made saltwater INTO the tank from your brute trash can.

Or mixing new salt...way better and cheaper than a Mj1200

IMO, leave your pump set up with the hose for transferring water to the tank or from the tank. Drop the pump into the tank for removing water, in case you hadn't thought of that....works great, but you might need to put a 90º fitting on the hose to prevent kinks.

In my old A Water Change A Day... thread I did a lot of water changes.

In the course of things I tested a lot of ways to mix saltwater. From airstones to flow pumps to a mixing paddle, and every permutation.

Using one pump for mixing and transfer is possible, but not really ideal and a little too much bother reconnecting and detatching the hose when it's not really necessary.

If you're going to use a pump for mixing, use a flow pump with a propellor – their mounting options are always superior. Performance (mixing time) is better with a flow pump too. I've used a Seio 1000, a spare Tunze 6045 and a gen 1 Hydor and all worked well.

So if you want to use a pump, set up something like this where the pump is aimed at the bottom of the mixing container:




But if you want the best way to mix saltwater, a paddle has to be it – and this is how I do it still even in a 55 gallon drum. Inexpensive, no power and no setup required, quick results, works in any size container:

 

[Dennis Begley]

Thanks for the tip. I just ordered on with my Prime account. Just what I was looking for to bring water out of my fresh and Brute salt reservoirs to my tank and ATO.

 

[citymouse]

Thanks for this tip and link!!
I was searching this site for a cheap option to do the same thing! I have 20g brute cans (2 of them) and have to do water changes in a 215g tank. I had a really nice pump, a little too powerful, but I dropped it and broke the housing at the back, now I don't know if it's safe to use, it seems like water wasn't meant to get into that area...I'm a little scare to test it (electricity-water...). What size tank and how much water are you pumping with this?
For water removal, I use a python, from the tank to the sink, easy...anything else just seems like way too much work.

 

[roberthu526]

I use python to suck water out and Rio pump to pump water back in.

 

[ps2cho]

3 years later and still working fine!

 

[shakygator]

3 years later and still working fine!

Sometimes these cheap pumps are not so cheap after all! I bought the cheapest powerhead I could find to mix salt in my 25g vat and that thing has never given me issue at all. It's been over 5 years and I run it 24/7.

 

[frank10]

python to remove and clean sandbed, old pump to fill with new water

I didn't see what the big deal with the python was until I used it. I wish I had gotten it sooner.

 

[>>klong<<]

3 years later and still working fine!

Thanks for the update. Would you recommend this for about a 30 foot run with about 5' head?

 

[ctopherl]

$16!



I purchased and it arrived today and I am pleasantly surprised. 580gph. Its a PERFECT dirt cheap water change pump. No way in hell I would trust this 24/7 on my tank, but as a throw-away pump...this cannot be beaten!

Wanted to post for others

So how did this thing hold up? I have gone through two pumps now that die way too quickly (few months) and need one that will last a bit longer

 

[ps2cho]

So how did this thing hold up? I have gone through two pumps now that die way too quickly (few months) and need one that will last a bit longer

Still works! Have never cleaned it either. Just circulates my water change monthly, then pumps it up into the tank.

At $10.99 now, its a steal!

 

[lpsouth1978]

I personally prefer this one. I like that it gets all the water down to about 1/4" at the bottom of my brute.