Pump for an outdoor 55 gal tank

Post by **Dinyar** » 04 Jun 2007, 23:42

I have an old scratched up 55 gal tank which I was originally planning to throw out but decided to experiment with in my backyard over the summer. I am thinking of using it primarily to grow out some aquatic plants, although I may put a few small fish into it.

Can anyone recommend an inexpensive pump (rated for outdoor use) that will provide some water movement in the tank? I'm hoping the plants will provide all the filtration needed by the few small fish. Thanks.

apistomaster · Post by **apistomaster** » 05 Jun 2007, 00:06

Most any powerehead attached to a Hydrosponge type filter will work well for your outdoor tank.

My personal preference is for MaxiJet 600 attached to an
Azoo Oxygen Plus Bio-filter #6. The reason this is a good combination is that the MaxJet Powerhead attaches directly to the Sponge filter without using the airlift tube so the overall heighth is minimal, about 10-1/2 inches tall. It is easily able to keep a 55 gallon tank clear. Total cost ~$18.00. MaxiJet 600 is rated at 160 gph.

Post by **Dinyar** » 05 Jun 2007, 13:58

Thanks for the input, Larry. Does it matter that the MaxiJet is not rated for outdoor use? What exactly does it mean for a pump or filter to be rated for outdoor use?

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 05 Jun 2007, 14:37

I would have thought that "outdoor" use is when you use it outside, but not submerged. A pump that is submerged wouldn't be subject to the same type of environmental issues as one that is "in the open air". This is just speculation tho'. Googling on the subject of "outdoor water pump" doesn't give any good hits - got any links to pages that have outdoor rated and not outdoor rated pumps?

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Mats

Post by **Shane** » 05 Jun 2007, 15:29

Dinyar,
Two recent experiences in this regard for me.
1) My pond recently had a very bad failure. I reached in to grab a leaf and got shocked. The pump I bought is an outdoor use pond pump. Outdoor use usually makes reference to the cord/plug being heavy duty/thick and the plug itself a rubber protector. I took the pump apart (basically it works like a big powerhead) and cleaned it all out. It worked great for a week and then zapped me again! I'll buy another one in the UK next week. Lesson here is do not buy a cheap pump. Buy a brand name one with quality parts (the kind you can not find in Africa).

2) I set up a 20 long in the fishroom in fairly direct sunlight and moved my Amazon swords to it. They are in pots. They are now 2-3 feet above the open topped tank and sending out new baby plants weekly. The tank has four killies and looks great. Maybe go "wireless" with the 55 this summer and just use plants, frequent water changes, and low stocking levels. I will be doing more "no electricity" open top tanks in the future. They work great.
-Shane

hfjacinto · Post by **hfjacinto** » 05 Jun 2007, 16:35

Hi Dinyar,

I have an outdoor tub pond (24 gal, app 70 liters) that I overwinter outside in NJ (January highs are from -5 to 10 Celsius, 10 to 45 Fahrenheit). I have had the pond for over 3 years with no goldfish loss from the elements; a cat eating them is another story. I even have a small pleco (maybe Pardalis) that I used for algae control which I think is still alive for 2 years. I haven?t seen him/her since April when I put the lilypads back out again, but I did seem him/her in April and while lethargic he was still alive. During the winter I keep a 200 watt heater at the lowest setting and it never freezes. For a filter I use lots of plants and a small fountain jet with a sponge filter attached. Since the bioload is 3 goldfish and 1 small pleco the Nitrates are low, but since the tub gets sun I tend to get a lot of algae during April to early June. By late June the water warms up and the plants start taking the nutrients from the water, hence no more algae until next April

Now on to your question, I went to big al?s online and just purchased the cheapest outdoor pump with a fountain attachment that was good for a 30 gallon tank (since I didn?t expect that I would be able to overwinter fish) well the pump is going strong after 3 years I would recommend it. The brand was Tetra. If I would do different would be to get a stronger pump.

The only concerns about the 55 gallon tank would be algae and water over heating, for example my pond ranges from 34 degrees Fahrenheit (2 Celsius) in the middle of January to around 85 degrees (30 Celsius) in the middle of June/July, by August the lilypads cover the surface and the temperature drops to around 80 degrees (27 Fahrenheit). Since you have so much glass the water could get into the 90?s on hot sunny days.

Lornek8 · Post by **Lornek8** » 05 Jun 2007, 20:14

I've used Little Giant pumps submerged in ponds before & eventually they all leaked. I really liked the Quiet One pumps run outdoors, external to the pond. They lasted for years. Recently switched to a Tetra Pond pump but it was too recently to give a good evaluation. I think the MaxiJet would work, as would almost anything, but the cord, especially the plugs, should be protected. I think MatsP is correct in that the indoor type aquarium pumps have a lighter duty cord as compared to outdoor cords, you can see the same in indoor vs. outdoor extension cords.

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 06 Jun 2007, 13:35

If you want to use an electric pump then I would be inclined to go for a 24V pump for safety reasons.

However I found another solution that I use for my small pond and a couple of outside tanks. I did not want to run electrical devices and power cords around the garden, so instead I have an air pump in a small room next to the garden with several meters of air line going out to the pond and tank, with a splitter & valves behind one. They drive small sponge filters in the unplanted tanks and those with plants have just air stones with just enough airflow to create a small current.

Of course you still have to run the airline as you would a power cable, but it is a lot safer and cheaper, and if as you say you a just planning to have a few fish and plants, then air lifts is all you need.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 06 Jun 2007, 14:02

If you really need to run longer distances of outside cabling, you should install proper "Steel Wire Armoured" cable like this, which is somewhat (a lot) more "resistant" to animals and humans damaging/accidentally touching the actual electrical conductors.

Just a thicker layer of rubber isn't really helping much when you're digging in the ground or a rodent decides to use it for gnawing-practice.

The air-line idea is of course excellent. Again, I'd recomend some sort of more resistant pipe/hose for permanent installations. If it's only "for a while", then using regular air-line hose would be fine of course.

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Mats

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Mats

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