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The Art of The Water Change

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  • The Art of The Water Change

    This can be a comedy of errors if you let it.... at first you start with the buck routine. Five gallon buckets syphoning water out and using the bathtub to mix your conditioning and make the temp correct. Spilling water is a given, using up 4-5 towels at minimum, disrupting the tank inhabitants and stirring up gunk as you re fill the tank.... doing this once sometimes twice a week on 4 tanks is a chore to say the least....

    I have since created a routine that has proven efficiant for me.....
    first we lay down a towel in front of the tank, next we set up the phython in the bathroom sink, prime the hose, stretch the hose thru the house and to the tank. turn off the pump remove the light and top panel. have a large plastic container next to the tank to remove dirty plants or rocks that you may change you aqua scape of this week. Next place a cut panty hose (that's right) over the return bar for your canister pump.. If you have HOB filters then no need for the panty hose.  Remove any large obsticals and place them in the large container. Start your phython and vacuum the gravel. Note the amount of water you remove. Place a mark on the wall or tank to indicate how much water you want to remove.. normally I remove about 20 gallons from my 60 gallon tank. Once you have removed the water, now take the end of the phython back to the bathroom so you can adjust the temperature, as you are adjusting allow the water to flow over the pieces you placed in the plastic container to clean them. (less waste) now bring the phython back tothe tank and place it inside the tank (get a large squeeze clamp to hold the end inside the tank) you do not want the end to fall out and water your floor. As the tank is filling, apply the proper amount of conditioner to the tank to remove the chlorine.. Now you can clean your filter...(as you refill the tank) ... once the filter is cleaned, fix your aqua scape and wipe the inside of the tank to remove the slime or algee... leave some so your pleco can eat..... Remember the panty hose? leave it in place and start your canister filter.... the panty hose will catch all the gunk that forms on the insdie of the inlet and return hoses and not allow them to make your tank look like a snow globe..... wipe down your tops and outsideof tank, replace the light, remove the phython and after about 5 minutes remove the panty hose..... your tank should be nice and clean... and no water thru the house or on the carpet.... I normally give my fish a treat after the water change....

    I hope this helps others learn about how to do water changes easy.... If you have better or easier ways, please post them.. I know being new to this, these are the little things that I wanted to know but could not find any info about....

    I can do 3 tanks in about 1 hour   or so...   A note on cleaning the filter..... figure out how often you want to clean it... As for me.. I will only clean the sponges and not the Bio Stars (bio material) if I do clean the bio material I will rinse in aquarium water.. I will clean the canister filter once a month... not every water change...  and I always turn off the pumps when doing the water change so I do not loose any bateria from chorine that has not been completely removed in the refill process....
    Had about 900 gallons now I am tired and selling them off...

  • #2
    Re: The Art of The Water Change

    Well, I have a fishroom (ex-garage) with a bare concrete floor so I don't worry about spilling water.
    First I syphon old water from the aquarium into the deep sink (located in one corner of the fish room).
    Then I pump aged, treated water from my storage tank to the aquarium. (tank is in a corner of the fish room so the temp is the same)
    Then I refill the storage tank and add amquil & salt.

    I use HOB filters and once a week I pull one of the two filter pads and and replace it with a clean one.
    'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
    He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: The Art of The Water Change

      I use a python and add cold water straight from the tap. I add decholorinator to the tank at the same time as the water.

      Havent lost any fish due to waterchanges.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: The Art of The Water Change

        I use a trash can with a drum liner in it.  I run a pond pump in it to pump it to the tanks.  I keep it full at all times, and leave the pump running, with the end of the fill hose splashing into the water in order to help aerate it.
        One of the reasons for aerating is that dechlorinators reduce the oxygen content of the water, and I like my fishies to get as much as they need.

        Some of the more delicate fish 'need' aged water, they rely heavily on lots of oxygen and consistant temperatures.
        The ultimate oxymoron - Narcolepsy and ADHD.
        Who says you can`t have it all??!!

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        • #5
          Re: The Art of The Water Change

          Originally posted by Brownsnoutuk";p="
          I use a python and add cold water straight from the tap. I add decholorinator to the tank at the same time as the water.

          Havent lost any fish due to waterchanges.
          Us too.
          Our Fishhouse
          Sleep: A completely inadequate substitute for caffeine.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: The Art of The Water Change

            for my small tanks (less than 50 gal) I have a handy-dandy 5 gal bucket.....vacuum water out of tank into bucket, dump bucket on rose bed or the bananas in back yard, then use the same bucket to fill the tank back up. treat water with API water conditioner (extra strength) before adding to tank.

            I suck on the end of the hose to get the water flowing....swallowed frog tank water once (worried for days about salmonella)....nothing will get the gag reflex going faster.....(can we get a gross faced emoticon to put here??)

            for the large tank I run the python out the window and into the front flower bed....I have a 29 gal trash can on wheels that I use for the replacement water....to get the python going I DONOT suck on it.....I get some water in the barrel and hold it up til the water starts to drain down, then I hurry and shove it back into the tank (before barrel completely empties) and the syphon action starts (usually)....can't do this with the smaller tanks, not enough room to move or pressure I guess.

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            • #7
              Re: The Art of The Water Change

              Originally posted by Lucy";p="
              swallowed frog tank water once (worried for days about salmonella)....nothing will get the gag reflex going faster.....(can we get a gross faced emoticon to put here??)
                uke:

              No kidding.
              Raul
              PokerFace

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              • #8
                Re: The Art of The Water Change

                A trick: Take off the gravel vac part of the tube. Fill the tube with water cap both ends with your thumbs. Put the vac back on [if you want to vaccum] and cap that end with your palm. Put one end in the tank and the other out of it. Simultaneously let go of both ends. You have started a siphon!

                Better than mouth siphoning.

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                • #9
                  Re: The Art of The Water Change

                  It's not that hard to do it right.  

                  Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!


                  Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!


                  Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!


                  Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!


                  The last one is not a bad choice for a wet/dry DIY.
                  'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
                  He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: The Art of The Water Change

                    If you are referring to my post. Mine is very easy. Takes about 10 seconds and you don't have to buy anything.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: The Art of The Water Change

                      Actually, I was refering to the frog flavored primer.

                      but, Whatever suits you, tickles me all to death!    
                      'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
                      He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: The Art of The Water Change

                        I got a good length of 1 1/2" hosing from home depot, put screw on slip nipples on a ball valve and installed that on one end of the hose. Using a clamp I keep one end of the hose in the tank, other end of hose goes out a window, door or into a tub and I start a siphon on the hose. Drain the tank to desired water level and cut off siphon with ball valve. Remove hose from tank and open ball valve to clear it of water. Coil the hose or move it to the next tank and drain away. The ball valve allows me to slow the drain flow for different volume tanks.
                        For example, on my African Cichlid tanks I like to drain 80% to 90% of water and refill, therefore I drain the water very fast with the valve full open, on my smaller tanks I keep the valve half cocked.
                        My water PH in downtown Houston is 7.4-7.8 and I like to keep my cichlids in 8.2-8.4 PH water, so I throw a few tablespoons of baking soda in the tank, then epsom salt and rock salt to make them happy. The epsom salt flushes them out and keeps their digestive systems in top condition and the rock salt helps them maintain their osmotic balance.
                        Hook up a python, squirt dechlorinator in tank and fill with matching temp. water from sink. When it is warm in the summer I use the garden hose because I pay less for the water from the garden. I have a brass valve on the end of the hose with some PVC in an L shape with holes drilled in the PVC, so the water trickles into the tank and does not disturb my substrate and so I can hang the end on the tank and open and close the valve as I move the hose from tank to tank.
                        So I drain down the row, then fill down the row. Makes things go fast.
                        One probably does not need all this extra stuff, but once you have multiple tanks and you water change your tanks once a week, it makes things go very quickly.
                        Just my methods, modify em as you like.

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                        • #13
                          Re: The Art of The Water Change

                          If my SO is doing the WC, she doesn't like starting the siphon the old fashioned way, then she uses a cheap plastic oil change pump that HAS NEVER BEEN USED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN FISH STUFF and pumps the large diameter hose full of water with the valve closed and then removes the plastic siphon pump, upon opening the valve the water starts draining.

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