i use inch and a half drain hose from wallmart 25 feet for $10.99 i hook up on mine and it drains 65 gallons in 5 min . i got a 125 gallon with 13 piranaha . 2 emp 400 and 2 fx5 and a 36 wat uv twist the nitrates go off the chart got to do 50% water changes every 2 days try doing 5 gallon bucket methed .
for water changes the drain on the FX5 is great.. i can do a 30% water drain on the 210 in 5ish minutes.. i put a 100 ft 5/8"id hose on the bottom of the FX5. and doesn't matter where i want to put the water, the hose is 100 ft., goes all the way out to the street if i want it to. i open the drain, then close the output aquastop valve on top so that it'll drain faster.
Do you mean you connect a regular garden hose to the drain plug of the FX5? Or do you have to buy vinyl hosing?
That's awesome, I've never used the drain plug before. I just thought you used it to drain the canister of water but I didn't know it could drain the whole tank too.
lol johnny, if you read the instructions the drain on the bottom also acts as a backflush to help the filter media last longer..
i just bought a 100 ft of black pond tubing.. if i remember right it's 5/8" ID, i think the entire thing cost me about $50.. it's the best investment i've made for tank maintenance yet. the next will be to make that "boom stick" tank vac.
I ended up using Morledzep's method and hooking up a tube to the FX5 drain. I bought a 70 ft. 5/8" ID hose and connected it, turned the drain lever and now I'm changing water SUPER FAST! It would usually take me 4 hrs. + to WC and refill my tanks (a 210, 150 and 100g.) But now it takes me less than 2 hrs. to change all 3 tanks.
I started with my 150g and using a python to gravel vac and the FX5 drain, I drained 50% of the water in under 20 minutes. I thought you had to leave the FX5 on, but I unplug it and turn the lever off for the output nozzle and it drains just as fast.
For everyone having trouble with WC's, use the drain on your FX5 in addition to your python and WC's will be so much quicker.
lol johnny, if you read the instructions the drain on the bottom also acts as a backflush to help the filter media last longer..
i just bought a 100 ft of black pond tubing.. if i remember right it's 5/8" ID, i think the entire thing cost me about $50.. it's the best investment i've made for tank maintenance yet. the next will be to make that "boom stick" tank vac.
Using the output to drain the tank is much faster than using the drain outlet. its a larger opening and you would be using the filter pump to pump the water out. I have tried both and using the ouptut nozzle with a 1" hose is much faster.
Using the output to drain the tank is much faster than using the drain outlet. its a larger opening and you would be using the filter pump to pump the water out. I have tried both and using the ouptut nozzle with a 1" hose is much faster.
the OTHER advantage to using the tank canister drain is to backflush the filter media so you don't have to change the mechanical filtration pads as often. this is a good thing for the lazy (me) amoung us that don't like changing filter pads..
