Water Changes

[JDQuinn]

Hi All,

I’m interested in how you all carry out your water changes.

My method is to use a 10m hose with a diy plastic ‘u’bend for hanging on the tank with a tap built onto it at the tank side. I fill the hose with water via a direct connection to my water tap. Close the tap on the siphon. Take the end of the hose outside to my gravel yard and open the tap at the aquarium. When I’ve drained out what I want I take the end of the hose and put it onto my water tap after balancing the water temperature. As the tank is filling I usually add some tap safe direct to the tank. Water temp is usually +-0.5C from the tank temp. I usually keep the filter running. Time to do a 30L water change (20%) takes approx 10-15mins. If I vac the gravel usually a bit longer although I’ve started to do this with the siphon running now. Add 5mins for cleaning the glass and 15mins for pruning plants once per month or so.

The main reason for asking is that I’m considering preparing the water in advance of water changes. My method currently is as hassle free as it gets and I want to keep it simple. Just looking ideas.

[PaulVerrall]

Hose out of utility tap in Fx4, straight out to garden 400litres out in 30 mins or so.
Hose pipe from mixer tap in kitchen through lounge window straight into tank. Third prime added straight away then 10 mins and 10mins adding the rest of the prime. Pretty much got the temperature of the water going in spot on from having cold mixer fully open and hot where I put a mark.

[Stephen]

I posted this on my tank log back in August 2019

I use a long piece of hose (16/22mm) similar to the hose on the filters.
I attach this hose to a spare shepherds hook, the same as the inlet pipe and place a strainer on the end to prevent fish entering the pipework.
The one end of the hose is hung over the tank whilst the other end is outside. I start the syphon and water goes outside, I use some to actually waters the plants.
When the water level is low enough I lift the shepherds hook out of the water which stops the syphon.

To refill the tank I attach the end that was outside to my mixer taps, I attach a 23mm brass adapter to the mixer tap which makes it easier, I attach the hose to this and hold it in place using a hose clip. The other end with the shepherds hook & strainer is still hooked over the tank.
I measure out enough Seachem Prime to dose for the whole tank, that's about 15ml for a 600L tank.
I turn on the mixer taps, the hot is on about 20% and the cold is on about 70% which gives roughly the temperature I require.
As the tank starts to fill I dose the Seachem Prime that I previously prepared and add it to where the water is now coming in.
The water coming in displaces some of the sand and the otos (Otocinclus fish) love the turbulence caused by this stream of water and get right in there. Other fish go close to grab bit of food being kicked up.
When the water is at the correct level (full tank) I turn the taps off and level the displaced sand.

I have placed an in-line tap about 3 foot from the shepherds hook which allows me to stop, re-start the syphon process.
I also remove the shepherds hook and use the bare end of the pipe to syphon any debris from the surface of the sand, being careful not to attract the fish.

Here's some pics of what I use:

shepherds hook & strainer (example only)


23mm tap adapter (also can be used to fit hoselock hose and other attachments)


Hose clip


my mixer tap


The end of my mixer tap can be unscrewed to allow the tap adapter to be fitted.

Eheim in-line tap 16mm

Hope it helps
Stephen

[MasonJ19]

I use python water changer. Very quick & easy drain and refill without having to mess around. I turn the filters off though until I'm finished.

[Chadders]

I have a 210Lt plastic barrel used only for water changes. I fill it to the required amount the day before put in a heater this gets it up to temperature and add Prime. The barrel goes on a heavy duty dolly trolly and get wheeled to the tank. I use a submersible electric pump connected to a hose which goes to the kitchen sink. I use the tank water coming out to clean the filter if required.
The pump then goes into the barrel and fills the tanks back up. It all then packs neatly away in the shed.

[JDQuinn]

Looks like most are using a similar method to myself. I was considering a barrel method similar to chadders but I’d struggle to find a place in the house that wife would be happy with to store a water container. Plus I’d have to be more organised than I am presently. I like being able to do a quick water change when I take the notion.

What about traditionally sensitive fish like Discus. Can the direct from tap method work with these without any issues? I don’t have any but may consider them in a year or two when I change to South American themed tank.

[black ghost]

This is how I do my 6x2x2.

I have a full blown 250L water butt in the kitchen with its middle wrapped in that thin polystyrene sheeting stuff. All my old heaters that lost the will to switch off, are in there. And a smallish internal filter (Fluval 4) full of PolyFilter. And a cheap pond pump (eBay, £15) for tank-filling.

I have a 16mm(?) pipe that I hook over the front of the tank with a washing machine u-bend, placed so the end of the pipe will be at the depth I want it when it stops siphoning. I siphon into the drain outside the kitchen. If required I can grab a hold of the pipe and do a bit of hoovering, if not I just put the u-bend on and leave it. I put an external intake strainer in the end so it can’t damage the fish.

When it stops I raise the tank end of the pipe and put Dr Axelrod’s Atlas on it to keep it in place (it’s a very strong pipe), and I take the end that was over the drain and put it on the pump in the water butt, and switch it on. This pumps about 50 gallons into the tank.

I have a double failsafe. As the tank gets full the water pouring into it goes quiet when the water level reaches the pipe. I try to notice that. If I don’t, the pump in the water butt will run out of water, get noisy, and stop.

Then I take the tank end and put it onto the cold tap, take the water butt end off the pump, transfer the u-bend onto it so it’s hooked just over the top of the butt, and fill it up. The idea here is that when it’s nearly full it goes silent. I try to notice. I usually do.

The new water is then filtered for a week through the PolyFilter in the internal, and the morning of/night before the water change I switch the heaters on. When the temperature is close enough I switch them off...

When I have more tanks set up I do this twice a week.

I never add water straight from the tap. Eventually you’ll get a ‘bad batch’ that will wipe out your tank. And even when it’s ‘good’ it’s often not great for fish. It only needs to be of a reasonable standard for us to drink. Fish are more demanding, and more sensitive.

[fr499y]

Remove 20-40% of water into a bucket, wash sponges in bucket and then tip it away ( usually goes in water butt for the plants, but it’s full at the moment )
Fill up containers from mixer tap and treat with ‘safe’. I’ve Got a 5L and 10L Jerry can which makes life easy. Pour back it into tank, job done.

Helps that the tank is only 100L ish!

[SPACKlick]

Non-Filter clean weeks. Pumps and heaters off, wait 10 minutes. Wipe down front glass and spray bar with tank sponge to remove persistent algae. Hose in tank with sponge over end to protect fish, out living room window to water the shrubbery, start siphon by mouth.

While siphoning, use gravel vac to bucket to clean worst of debris caught in prefilter sponges while removing them. Rinse prefilter sponges in bucket of tank water. Pour down toilet. Vac around decor for another bucket or two.

Clean individual plant leaves of algae, trim any excessive growth/browning leaves. Try to rearrange moss, give up.

If it's a filter clean week (was every 8 weeks but now there are two filters it's every 4) I don't start the siphon until I've cleaned the filter and hoses to make sure I can get enough buckets of water.

[JDQuinn]

This is how I do my 6x2x2.

I have a full blown 250L water butt in the kitchen with its middle wrapped in that thin polystyrene sheeting stuff. All my old heaters that lost the will to switch off, are in there. And a smallish internal filter (Fluval 4) full of PolyFilter. And a cheap pond pump (eBay, £15) for tank-filling.

I have a 16mm(?) pipe that I hook over the front of the tank with a washing machine u-bend, placed so the end of the pipe will be at the depth I want it when it stops siphoning. I siphon into the drain outside the kitchen. If required I can grab a hold of the pipe and do a bit of hoovering, if not I just put the u-bend on and leave it. I put an external intake strainer in the end so it can’t damage the fish.

When it stops I raise the tank end of the pipe and put Dr Axelrod’s Atlas on it to keep it in place (it’s a very strong pipe), and I take the end that was over the drain and put it on the pump in the water butt, and switch it on. This pumps about 50 gallons into the tank.

I have a double failsafe. As the tank gets full the water pouring into it goes quiet when the water level reaches the pipe. I try to notice that. If I don’t, the pump in the water butt will run out of water, get noisy, and stop.

Then I take the tank end and put it onto the cold tap, take the water butt end off the pump, transfer the u-bend onto it so it’s hooked just over the top of the butt, and fill it up. The idea here is that when it’s nearly full it goes silent. I try to notice. I usually do.

The new water is then filtered for a week through the PolyFilter in the internal, and the morning of/night before the water change I switch the heaters on. When the temperature is close enough I switch them off...

When I have more tanks set up I do this twice a week.

I never add water straight from the tap. Eventually you’ll get a ‘bad batch’ that will wipe out your tank. And even when it’s ‘good’ it’s often not great for fish. It only needs to be of a reasonable standard for us to drink. Fish are more demanding, and more sensitive.

I like this method. Thanks for posting.
I would have to put mine in the garage and bucket the water to the house. Wouldn’t be the end of the world however I would very likely forget to turn on the heaters before hand.

I could trolley the bucket to the back door of house and pump in that way I suppose. Or even extend the hose. Garage has its own water supply which I haven’t finished plumbing up a sink in it yet so I could potentially plumb a fitting with a float valve valve in the bucket and overflow to drain if I thought it was necessary. Heater could be on a timer.

There now. With your help I’ve engineered a low work, low cost solution which is easy for me to implement and potentially better for the fish. Thanks for direction.