Wolfgang8810

I lower teh whole gallon jusg into the water to displace it the same amout as the water in the jug then i tilt it so the water just merges without any splashing or waterfalls.

pistorta

I installed a small faucet on the wall behind the tank. All I have to do is turn it on to add fresh water (which I do slowly). I have a drain line attached to the filter with a shut-off valve (continuous siphon to the main house drain). My water changes are approximately 15 gallons and I didn't want to be bothered with buckets of water and siphoning as I am on my smaller tanks.

MudHog

I siphon my water out the tank straight into my sink. From there I use my highly engineered faucet adapter (see my post in the DIY section) to connect the siphon hose at the faucet and start willing the tank back up. Put my water treatment into the tank as it's filling. Doesn't take all that long, but I'm sure it would take a little while if I was doing this to a 150G tank or something similar. Siphoning out takes a little while, but that's because I don't have much elevation drop from tank to sink. The farther the drop, the more suction it will pull.


If anyone is wanting a python, just go to lowes or home depot or DFS and buy the clear hose. That's all it is, other than their fancy connectors.

JMatt1983

you have to make really sure that the water you're pouring into the filter is treated properly, if not, it could kill all the beneficial bacteria in your filter and then you'd have a new cycle. not the best way of doing things. fish love moving water, it occurs naturally in their environment. i use my python gravel vac, and put the stream right into the tank, that way, you don't end up with a stale water level, it gets mixed up, and puts lots of oxygen into the water, also beneficial for the fish.

btw, Big Al's online has the 25ft python on sale for 39.99

jsalemi

I still use a manual siphon for my 10g, but I couldn't imagine maintaining my 56g without my Python.

jgoodstein

I'm late to the game but here's what I've surmised from 7 pages of reading:

1. The python is the easiest and lightest although there is some questioning on how to condition the water with the lowest risk for the fish

2. There is the pour it in and fix the decorations/plants crowd

3. There is the diffuse it with your hand or rock crowd

4. There is the aged water plus one of the prior crowd.

I do 5 gallon changes and I use a 5 gallon sports drink jug. I siphon into it and can then put the new water in it hold it up on the edge and press the button for the water to come out. It helps aerate it and doesn't come out so hard that the decorations get moved. Also if you bought a 5 gallon paint bucket at a home depot like store, you can buy a lid and a spigot for it as well to assist with pouring.

And for all my Aussie friends (I'm from Canberra, but live in Florida). I'd be happy to send you stuff from the states I do it for all my footy friends down there. Go Sydney Swans!!!!

mrwizzstl

For those who have a magnum canstier with the gravel Vac attchment, couldn't you also use this to put water back in the tank, by putting the gravel vac in the bucket of new water. I'm intrested to hear a reply to this as I will be setting one up soon and would like to know if it would work. In my head this sounds good but would like to know if anyone has done it.

dpotash

Wow I tried all of the ideas once. Even went out and got a python. Then I thought about it and it seemed like far too much work. They cant be doing this in pet stores. So I snaked a 3/4 hose from my 120 gallon tank to my sump pump in the basement. I got an RO/DI filter and a 50 gallon garbage can. Now i make clean water into my garbage can let that circulate and when I am ready I start a syphon in the tank and empty right into the sump pit and then refill witht the same hose out of the garbage can.
Fish are meant to be enjoyed. If there is a lazy's mans way to make it easier I am all over it.

luna

I only have a 5g tank, so my siphoning and refilling doesn't take the time and effort it would for a larger tank...and I'm sure my methods would change slightly if I had more water to change. Right now, since I'm still cycling, I use the tube from my gravel vacuum (but not the vacuum itself) to siphon off the water I'm going to change.

1st - I fill a second bucket with my new water and condition it.
2nd - I turn off my filter, so it doesn't stop and choke on itself when the water level drops. This is a pretty fast process for my small tank, so there's no worry of anything drying out...plus, with how I add the water back in, there's really no harm being done.
3rd - I siphon out the old water into another bucket. Both buckets have lines on them to mark certain volumes of water so that I'm sure I have an equal amount in both.
4th - I use a cup to scoop and pour the new water from its bucket into the filter/bio-wheel so that they stay wet, catch any small debris that might end up in the water (like hair), and the flow created in the tank is a similar rate and in the same place as it is with the filter on, so there's no abnormal disturbance to my decor or fish.
5th - I turn the filter back on.

This method is working very well for me so far, and has made my daily water changes a relatively quick and easy process.