JoeSmo

Well, today I was doing a water change on my tank and was just wondering how everyone else does there water changes? I just use a standard tube to take out the water and use a one gasllon milk jug to add water back in to the tank, along with adding 5ml of TetraAquaSafe to each gallon before adding it to my tank. What is your method of preforming a water change?

Shawnie

mines the same way although I vaccuum while taking out the water..but I use 5 gal buckets to refill or id be here forever (which I am compared to python users LOL )

gmen4life

i use my sipon into 2 5 galon buckets gravel vac at the same time it gets done weekly then i add my prime in the buckets fill um up and dump the water in

10gallonmadness

I have a 5 gallon bucket and a sypthon. Since I have a 10 gallon I never fill it to the top. Once I'm done my water change all the dirty water goes down the toliet. I rinse it out and fill it up again and add TetraAquaSafe and pour it in my tank.

gmen4life

man thats a fat pwc you are lucky lol

ABCDemily

5 Gallons out of each tank, 2 gallons out of Gal's home. I use a simple squeezy siphon and a five gallon bucket. To get it back it I get the boyf to pour the bucket over the filtreation media at the back

aquarist48

Hello Joe,
I pre-filter water for my changes in a 29 gallon tank that I keep on the screened porch (soon to be new aquarium room). I treat the water with Nova Aqua, Amquel Plus and Immune Plus and filter it for 10 days prior to my water change. (the filter on my 29g is a Whisper 5 with floss and carbon) Then I bottle the water using 1 gallon jugs that I set in a sink of water 120 degrees to increase the temperature in the jugs to my tank temperature. I shake the jugs a few times (because heat rises) to make sure I have an accurate reading. Then I pour in 2 gallons at a time. I actually change out 25g every 10 days. My tank is 155g. This gives me a water change of 75g every month. By doing a change every 10 days its helps to keep the water chemistry in tact and my pH levels where they need to be. (Most of us know that there is no such thing as a STABLE pH.) My pH ranges from 7.0 to 8.0 during these 10 days. I've done this religiously for the past 8 years. My fish are happy and when they're happy I'm happy

Once the new water is in the 155 I use my Diatom XL for several hours...I treat the entire tank with the same 3 chems I listed above. I rinse over flow sponges and change the filter floss every 5 days. I change the carbon and white diamond every 3 weeks.

I keep a dated log of everything I do and when I do it.

Ken

Nate McFin

Quite system there aquarist!
I do 2 25% changes on my 20 gallon per week. One on Thursday and one on monday. I do two because of a low KH problem and plants eating up my buffer. The Ph drops as a result from 7.6 to under 6.5 in a week. By doing two changes it stabilizes the Ph shifts.
I use a 5 gln bucket that only is used for new water and an old one for outgoing water. I use the old water to fertilize and water plants outside. I get the temp to within .5 degrees and dechlor with prime. Stirred not shaken of course.
I keep a log as well and usually test all params every 2 weeks incuding phosphates,iron, and copper.

matt6765

Wow aquarist I just use a python

aquarist48

The good part is I enjoy it Nate My fish are healthy, my water is clear and I still have LOTS of time to sit back and enjoy them. I'll be able to minimize the procedure once the aquarium room is complete. No more jugs, and no buckets. I'll be transferring, preheated, treated and filtered water directly from the 29g to the new aquarium, for water changes. Too I can drain the tank via drain holes in the floor. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!
Ken

matt6765

That sounds great

aquarist48

Matt, I have well water with a hint of sulfur smell to it. By prefiltering the water for about 10 days with carbon eliminates the odor and the water is crystal clear before it goes into the main tank. (there are reasons for my madness
Ken

bolivianbaby

Don't forget to have the drain empty into your garden so you can have "Little Shop of Horrors" as well

aquarist48

I will definitely use some of the siphoned tank water on plants in the area. Thanks for the reminder BB! Hope you're doing well today!
Ken

redlessi

I usually vac the gravel and take out about 10-15 gal and replace after treating weekly. I dont enjoy this part but the fish benefit from it, so I suffer through it............

xero2099

I have a 5 gallon bucket and once emptied 3 buckets full and marked the amount of water that was was left in the tank , now i just stick the hose out of the window and empty to that mark then i use the bucket to fill back up i usually gravel vac one side a week

Craig-D

I do weekly changes using a battery powered siphon to remove 25% (3 gallons) into a 5 gallon bucket and then dump it. I then put 3 gallons of fresh tank temperature-matched tap water into the bucket, treat it with NovAqua+, and then use the powered siphon to put it back in the tank. The whole process takes mere minutes. My pH is always 7.3 out of the tap, and it's always 7.3 in the tank. I've never had a pH fluctuation. The sihpon is also a powered gravel vacuum with a quick attachment change. I clean 100% of the gravel bi-weekly.

Neji

I usually do a gravel wash aka siphoning the gravel and that sucks out the waste in the gravel and water too. I only change 4 gallons of water. I use fresh Amazon River water, and an overfilling cap full of Flourish Trace for my plants that way I don't have to use C02 and my water from the Amazon River is perfect for my fishes I always run my water from the river through a coffee filter and then the more purified water goes into my tank

heather84

hmmmmmm......so no one lets the water they are gonna put back in the tank sit over night(the night before) to get to room temp?

Thats what we were always told to do

Time

I havnt had my tank long enough to clean it.

bolivianbaby

No, with 11 tanks and only 3 buckets, I just can't make it work unless I put in a pool and if I were to do that, I'd rather have a Koi pond

Time

I use this tube for my 10 gallon tank it works fine just that I have to drink some tank water to get the clear tube started. I put the water in a bucket and when a plant gets sucked in I just add it back. I have almost sucked up a fish today(today was cleaning day), Neon tetras are so small but that makes guppies and neon tetras great. I throw out the water to the plants. I think all the fish poo and uneaten food can work for the plants somehow.

Neji

If you have a heater, the heater will be very good at keeping the new freshly added water heat up to the desired temperature. And then the heater will turn off until the water temp gets like 1-2º colder. Then it will always continue to keep on heating.

aquarist48

Heather, there is nothing wrong with letting your water sit out over night. If it makes you feel more comfortable then by all means do it. Too, you may even see a change in the pH levels by doing so. It's actually a pretty good practice! (if you have the room and buckets to do so)
Ken

Craig-D

I just adjust the temperature of the water out of the tap to match my tank water, condition it, and then put it right in. I don't see the need to let water sit overnight unless you are one of those people who's pH changes a bit after coming out of the tap. My pH is 7.3 out of the tap and always 7.3 in the tank. So I have no need whatsoever to let water sit overnight.

Time

The water over here comes out so that I have to put ice cubes in it sometimes. I condition the tank after a water change not the water. Is that bad?

Craig-D

If even your cold water comes out of the tap hot, your idea of using ice cubes to cool it is wise. But there is no need to have it sit out overnight if your pH remains stable out of the tap. It can go in the tank as soon as it is the correct temperature to match your tank.

I would advise treating the water before it goes in the tank. You don't want water full of chlorine or chloramines being doused on your fish even if just for a few seconds. Sooner or later your luck may run out. I say play it safe by conditioning before the water is added to the tank.

Time

I will take your advice and condition it before adding it to the tank. I am not sure if we have chlorine but I don't think so but it is better safe than sorry.