# Good ways to remove water from a vivarium?



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Hi,
I have water features in 2 of my vivs right now and building a 3rd one with a water feature right now. I am currently using the siphon method with a plastic tube but I have to say it's not much fun and I'm not very good at it lol.
I get some brown water in my mouth or on my clothes and needless to say I would prefer another method of doing it.

I'm not big on drilling holes in the glass because 1 I don't have the materials and 2 it would scare me to break the whole side or something.

Any other methods of doing it that you guys have been using???

Thanks


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## BlightedChemist (Jul 21, 2008)

Well, what I'm planning for my vivarium is to have the tube feeding water to the waterfall accessible so for water changes I can simply attach another length of tubing to he end where it would normally feed the waterfall, but instead it would continue down the attached tube and into a bucket.
doing this, you wont get a mouth full of icky water and it seems in practice that it would be a lot less messy, and you would only need to stop to switch buckets, depending on how much water you've got.
It will stop on its own once the water pump says there isn't enough water to pump out, and there should only be a centimetre left to sop up with a towel or something.
If thats possible with your already built tanks, I wouldn't hesitate to try it. If however your tubing isn't as easily accessible, you could try filling small buckets or cups as the water is running down your waterfall, however this seems like it would take forever.


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## SmackoftheGods (Jan 28, 2009)

Submerge part of a shoelace or piece of string in the water. Lead the other half of the string out in the open and put that side in something that will hold water. It's a longer process but you should start seeing its effects overnight.


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

This is basically what I'm doing now with one of my vivs is just taking another part of tubing and putting it where the water fall is and letting that drop into a bucket. It takes time but it works.

With my other viv though I don't have a water fall feature so that's not an option



BlightedChemist said:


> Well, what I'm planning for my vivarium is to have the tube feeding water to the waterfall accessible so for water changes I can simply attach another length of tubing to he end where it would normally feed the waterfall, but instead it would continue down the attached tube and into a bucket.
> doing this, you wont get a mouth full of icky water and it seems in practice that it would be a lot less messy, and you would only need to stop to switch buckets, depending on how much water you've got.
> It will stop on its own once the water pump says there isn't enough water to pump out, and there should only be a centimetre left to sop up with a towel or something.
> If thats possible with your already built tanks, I wouldn't hesitate to try it. If however your tubing isn't as easily accessible, you could try filling small buckets or cups as the water is running down your waterfall, however this seems like it would take forever.


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

That's so cool I never though of it.
Does the shoelace need to be lower then the water area or will the water move up the string?

Does it drip off the string along the process and make a mess or does it work pretty well?



SmackoftheGods said:


> Submerge part of a shoelace or piece of string in the water. Lead the other half of the string out in the open and put that side in something that will hold water. It's a longer process but you should start seeing its effects overnight.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

i have posted this before but here goes....
supplies:
1/4 in black rose garden sprinkler hose 
1/4 in brass valve
zip ties (optional)
1/4 in 90degree adapters (sold right next to the tubing)
1/4 in drill bit and drill (some full hoods already come with two 1/4 in holes drilled)

drill a 1/4 in hole near the corner of the hood (if it does not already exist)
cut a length of tubing 1/2 inch less than the height of the inside of the tank
cut a 1.5 in length of tubing and attach the two lengths via the 90 degree bend
cut a third piece of tubing to your liking but so that it reaches from the end of the 1.5 in piece to below the bottom of the tank. (the lower you can get it the better)
attach this piece to the 1.5 in piece again via a 90degree bend creating a U shape. 
attach the valve to the longest of the three pieces of tubing
cut and attach a 6-12 inch piece of tubing from the bottom of the valve.
place the first piece you cut through the hole in the top of the tank so that the end of the tubing is pushed through the substrate and nearly 1/2 inch from the bottom of the tank. 
zip tie according to your own situation.

now that you have the drain installed you must create a siphon. open the valve and suck (with your mouth or a clean suction gun if you have it) until water begins to come out. now you have a permanent siphon on the tank. as long as you don't let the water level reach below the end of the tubing you will never have to create the siphon again. simply close the valve tight and next time you need to drain simply open it again. 

this is by far the most simple of the ideas i have tried. no moving parts and extremely cheap. it runs about $7-10 per tank as the tubing comes in 50ft rolls which should last a very long time the only repeated expense (if using o multiple tanks is the valve and 90 degree adapters.

james


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## dj98ram (Dec 17, 2008)

I keep fish aquariums as well, so I have one of the Python siphoning hoses for doing water changes in the fish tanks. I also install siphoning tubes in all of my vivs, so when I need to change the water or just get some out, all I have to do is attach the Python hose to my siphon hose and it sucks it out in my sink.


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Do you have pictures of this or diagrams because I was lost 1/2 of the way lol.
Sounds like something I would want to do though so I'm very interested in learning more.



james67 said:


> i have posted this before but here goes....
> supplies:
> 1/4 in black rose garden sprinkler hose
> 1/4 in brass valve
> ...


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## Dean (Mar 1, 2008)

I'm low tech I use a turkey baster. But then again I'm not moving alot of water.


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## Adven2er (Aug 17, 2008)

I attached 2 inch pvc in the back corner of my tank. I run my pump wire and thermostat wire through there. I left a 3 inch gap at the bottom and covered with screen. Great stuff background hides it very well. I use a pump syphon to remove the water. It cost me around $7.00. Takes only a few minutes to lower the water level in a 45 Gal. tank.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

pictures...

here is where the line comes out of the tank and makes 2 90 degree turns


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Hi

We use a zoo med 501 filter for turtles. It runs 79 gallons/hr so it empties a tank in about 2 minutes


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## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

Ziggi said:


> ... I am currently using the siphon method with a plastic tube but I have to say it's not much fun and I'm not very good at it lol.
> I get some brown water in my mouth or on my clothes and needless to say I would prefer another method of doing it...
> Any other methods of doing it that you guys have been using???
> 
> Thanks


Geez! Don't use your mouth. I use a big syringe to start the water flowing through the siphon. PM me and all send you one if you promise not to use your mouth again.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

and here is the valve.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

and here is a rough sketch of the whole thing..


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## RachelRiot (Jan 20, 2009)

Dean said:


> I'm low tech I use a turkey baster. But then again I'm not moving alot of water.


lol I also use a turkey baster.


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## SmackoftheGods (Jan 28, 2009)

Ziggi said:


> That's so cool I never though of it.
> Does the shoelace need to be lower then the water area or will the water move up the string?
> 
> Does it drip off the string along the process and make a mess or does it work pretty well?


It's a science project I did in nineth-grade and was reintroduced to me by another frogger here on dendroboard. I keep mine on level planes. I put the other end of the shoe lace right into the empty bucket to prevent any need to drip, but along its slow trip it should stay right in the shoelace, no mess really.

It's just basic capillary action... and a lot less expensive. I figure I can use whatever money I would be spending on a siphoning mechanism on more frogs


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## markbudde (Jan 4, 2008)

get on of these.
Tom Aquatics Aqua Lifter?Dosing Pump


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

markbudde said:


> get on of these.
> Tom Aquatics Aqua Lifter?Dosing Pump


I found those pumps awhile back, all kinds of things you can do with em....soon as i get money im doing a bunch of drip lines in most of my vivs 


Back on Topic:

If you can jam a hose/aquarium line/tube through the false bottom (smallest hole possible) you can usually cup your hand in a way that is good enough for a shop vac to get enough suction to start the siphoning. or mcguyver something if your hand isnt working


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

All good idea's. I'll have to try to figure out that set up James explained though since it seems to be a permanent solution and I like it.
i'll go shopping for the supply list you put up 
Thanks!


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## holidayhanson (Apr 25, 2007)

i use a wet-dry shop vac....it sucks everything up and out. pour the water out into my melting snow garden through the colander to catch my special precious rocks.


Another less intrusive way would be to use a water pump, a little quieter than the shop vac.


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

I usually just fill the tube from water from the sink, put one end in the tank water, drop the other end to a bucket and presto! This way you dont have to suck the water through the tube since there will be water in it already.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

anyone using a pump, vacuum, turkey baster, etc. please look at the directions i supplied yesterday. it is an incredibly easy system that drains relatively quickly, has no moving parts, and can usually be assembled for under $10 a tank, and in under 20 minutes. the added benefit is the inability to transfer potentially harmful bacteria, fungus, etc. from tank to tank by using the same tube, turkey baster, etc.

james


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Really??
Fill it up and seal it with your thumbs lets say, then drop the one end in the water of the tank and the other part will make the suction itself???

What if air bubbles and such get in the hose? Doesn't that screw up the suction?

That might be pretty easy to use.


And also just using a water pump, I have plenty of small ones here so I could just hook up the same size tube and pump it in a bucket, that sounds like it would work too.



kamazza said:


> I usually just fill the tube from water from the sink, put one end in the tank water, drop the other end to a bucket and presto! This way you dont have to suck the water through the tube since there will be water in it already.


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

gravity pulls the water in the tube down, pulling the water in the tank with it, just like if you were to suck on it...there shouldnt be any air bubbles, i guess it would be better to avoid them but i havent had any trouble at all with this method


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## Toby_H (Apr 6, 2009)

When working with 1/4" rubber hose to create a siphon...

It's possible to pinch the line and pull your pinched fingers down... thus creating a 'vacuum' behind your fingers which in turn pulls water up (assuming the other end is submerged)...

having kept fish tanks for half my life I've learned to always find ways to avoid mouthfuls of water *yack*

*note, the softer the rubber hose the better this will work... it will not work with more rigid or plastic hoses...


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

I think mine may be too large and stiff to do that.
I think it's like 6ft of 3/4" clear plastic hose.

Oh and Kamazza, I just tried your method, didn't work for me hehe .


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## Toby_H (Apr 6, 2009)

Ziggi said:


> I think mine may be too large and stiff to do that.
> I think it's like 6ft of 3/4" clear plastic hose.


definitely too big for my approach... although is spending a dollar on standard "air line tubing" from a pet store prevents you from having a mouthful of tank water it may end up being the best dollar you've ever spent 

If practical... I would consider siliconing the 1/4" line darn near at the bottom of the tank... then running it up and out...you could use 90*s at the top or just bend the hose... bending the hose will slow down the siphon but if it's just running into a bucket where there is no chance of overflowing who cares...

Even if it takes you a while to get the hang of starting a siphon with the pinch method I described above, it will be MUCH easier to start a siphon with 1/4" hose and be careful enough not to get water in your mouth.

As I think more about it... the pinch method works great for me to start a slow siphon out of a fish tank... but in this application you will need to raise the water the full height of the vivarium as well as back down below the water level to ensure a successful siphon... which may not be so easy...

But as I mentioned, orally starting a siphon with a 1/4" OD hose is MUCH easier to do without getting any water in your mouth (compared to starting with a 3/4" hose).


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## 0823angeles (Feb 13, 2009)

People mentioned using a pump and that's the route where it would be the easiest and safest for the frogs. You can use a micro rio pump and that should work fine or use a rio 50. Just have a bucket ready to catch the water flowing out. You don't have to worry about the impeller running dry for a few seconds it wont mess with it's mechanism. Good Luck

-Angeles


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

as i said before one thing that may be overlooked here is cross-contamination. using the same instrument, pump, hose, etc. can lead to problems. Chitryd for instance is transmitted through water and anything that goes from one tank to another is capable of spreading this and many other harmful contaminants, especially items that are used for things like carrying water.

if you are capable of purchasing dosing pumps for each tank, or only have one tank this is a mute issue, however, pumps can fail and are relatively expensive. they can however be attached to micro float switches, but thats a whole other story. 

as for siphoning yes it is a horrible process(when using your mouth) and a new siphon must be created every time you decide to empty the tank. UNLESS you use a tight closing valve. the valve will hold the vacuum on the tube in the same way you can put a straw in water put your finger over it and pull the straw out without the water inside falling out.

with the use of a valve ($6 at HD) there i no need to "practice" creating a siphon. it is simply always ready to drain. 

anyway... i hope that this helps

james


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## markbudde (Jan 4, 2008)

> if you are capable of purchasing dosing pumps for each tank, or only have one tank this is a mute issue, however, pumps can fail and are relatively expensive. they can however be attached to micro float switches, but thats a whole other story.


You can get a dosing pump for $10. I just use it to prime to siphon, and use different tubing for each tank, so there isn't a greater chance of cross contamination than mouth siphoning. In my situation, I didn't want to drill my tank, and it's vertical, so keeping a constant column of water would require the tube coming out the front. As this thread brings to light, there are a bunch of ways of solving this problem and it will depend on your setup.
-Mark


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

didnt work? hm idk... was the tube filled completely? was one end in the tank water while the other in a bucket below the tank?


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Kamazza, yep but I might have long enough tubing for that to work at the moment.

Having a valve to keep the siphon always there came to my mind...but only after the tank was built, so I have no way of keeping a huge hose somewhere in the tank with a valve at the end. Future tanks though...and even with future tanks I'll be building the pvc with 90` angles as a few members here suggested. But right now the tank is built so I have to figure out other options.

Thank's for the reminder of chytrid, I do have more then 1 frog tank and I would hate to cross contaminate them over something stupid as the instrument to remove water.

I've read a few members using a dosing pump....I'm not sure what those are exactly?
Sounds like it might be my best option for the moment and figure something out for future tanks.

Thanks for all the variety of suggestions everyone, I'm sure to be able to pick and choose a few that will work for me!


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