First ever water change and no siphon system

Today we are in the middle of our first ever water change, plus adding substrate to the tank.
We don't have a siphon system yet; we just have an 8-foot tube, a storage tote, and a furniture dolly (this is the best part).

Since we are also adding substrate to the tank today, everything (including the fish) had to come out of the tank and rather than just fill the tote with their old water, I wanted it to be half new water. So I put the storage tote on the furniture dolly in the kitchen and partially filled it with water; thankfully we have a pull-out style kitchen faucet. Then I pushed the tote of water into the other room. It worked even better than I expected, there was very little water sloshing. We used the tube to move water from the fish tank to the tote, added water conditioner and tank decor, and then moved the fish and set up air lines and their filter.




The new substrate has been added to the fish tank, but two hours later is still settling and it looks like it will be another couple hours at least.
The comets will be in their tote for a bit, but appear to be doing well.



They have names, but here I'll just call them "B" and "U".

I'm sure many of you have some recommendations? for a siphon system that will move water from a tote of water at floor level, up into a tank. I was considering the python system, but it looks like that needs to hook up to the sink to work, so I'd have to get the 50 foot version and I want to condition my water before adding it to the tank anyway. I think this storage tote and dolly system is going to work well for us going forward with water changes, but I definitely want a (fairly short) siphon that we don't have to suck on the end of to get started.. edit: it looks like we need a submersible pump or power head to move the water "uphill"?

 

You can buy siphon systems that have a rigid tube at one end (which is helpful for cleaning the substrate), attached to a squeeze bulb, which is in turn attached to a longer piece of hose that goes into your bucket for the water to drain into. You stick the rigid tube into the aquarium until it's full of water, then squeeze the bulb a time or two to get the water flowing.

By the way, I replaced the longer section of tube with an even longer one I got from the hardware store. That allows me to stick the end out the window instead of into a bucket.

Use a bucket to carry water from the sink to the tank, and pour it in slowly. I put an old cereal bowl in the bottom of the tank and direct the pour into it so I don't stir up the substrate.

 

The only way ( that I know of!) to get water from a floor level tote into a tank above it, is a pump.
I pump water from a 32 gal brute trashcan into my tanks using an inexpensive pond pump purchased on amazon. It pumps a little over 200 gph so it adds the water at a gentle rate.

 

The only way ( that I know of!) to get water from a floor level tote into a tank above it, is a pump.
I pump water from a 32 gal brute trashcan into my tanks using an inexpensive pond pump purchased on amazon. It pumps a little over 200 gph so it adds the water at a gentle rate.

I've started exploring and I found a (inexpensive) power head online someone else was using in this way. Tomorrow I'm going to get some tubing from work to use with it.

You can buy siphon systems that have a rigid tube at one end (which is helpful for cleaning the substrate), attached to a squeeze bulb, which is in turn attached to a longer piece of hose that goes into your bucket for the water to drain into. You stick the rigid tube into the aquarium until it's full of water, then squeeze the bulb a time or two to get the water flowing.

I think I might also get one of these or figure out a way to make one. I think the rigid piece would be really helpful.

Update: The fish are back in their tank!

 

The only way ( that I know of!) to get water from a floor level tote into a tank above it, is a pump.
I pump water from a 32 gal brute trashcan into my tanks using an inexpensive pond pump purchased on amazon. It pumps a little over 200 gph so it adds the water at a gentle rate.

Do you have any recommendations for a pump? That sounds like a great idea, I've been having a similar problem to OP myself lol

 

Do you have any recommendations for a pump? That sounds like a great idea, I've been having a similar problem to OP myself lol

I purchased this one and have been using it all year.

 

Water cleared up great

 

I purchased this one and have been using it all year.

Thank you!

 

Never thought about using a pump to siphon water up to the tank! Purchased a smaller one at $15 (Aud) from amazon!

 

Never thought about using a pump to siphon water up to the tank! Purchased a smaller one at $15 (Aud) from amazon!

It’s such a time saver. My 75 is in the kitchen so I put the hose in the tank, plug in the pump and usually do some food prep or kitchen chores while it’s filling.