Top off pump

F

Frogspawn

I just built a great little top off system with a little help from Marc's webpage. However, what I didn't count on was that most small powerheads are not designed to push water uphill more than about a foot!
I need to move water from the floor up to the aquarium with about 30 inches of it uphill. My stand will not support a sump system.
Can anyone give me some ideas for a good and relatively inexpensive pump for this job?

Thanks,
 
A Maxijet 600 or mini-jet should be able to push up hill nicely.

as an alternative, I am using a 500gph pump with an airline tubing T attached to the output (the other side of the T is a normal sized output opening) to move water through my Kalk reactor. Would work just as well for an auto-top-off pump. I had to put a reducer at the end to add some pressure though. hopefully that makes sense.
 
Aqua-Lifter...

I haven't tested one with that much head, but they'll supposedly do 30" of head...

I'm using a pair of them, one running into the other, for more pressure running from my reservoir, through my kalk reactor, and into my tank, around 18" straight up, and 6' horizontally...

They're available online for $10 or so, and in stores for $15-$20 (Only two I know of that I've ever seen 'em in personally are Plano Pets and Fish Gallery)
 
You can also use Ashlar's idea of using an air pump to force the water up and out of the container. That is what I use for my top-off. I use a 2 gallon protein powder container.

@Ashlar wrote:
 
My top off system is a 32 gal water reserve Brute trash can in the garage with a Mag 1200 pump at the bottom attached to a 12 foot hose that goes to the tank inside the house. The pump is located at the bottom of the Brute with a rise of 4 feet then down to the floor where it goes through the wall into the family room where the tank is. The last five feet is straight up to the tank overflow to prevent backflow. Have been using this system without any problems for almost a year now, by the way I am using a JBJ ATO to control the pump with the level switches located in the sump.
 
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