Preparing water for Changes

D

deex

Registered Member
Apr 11, 2006
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I have a new 46 gallon aquarium that has been running about 6 weeks now. I would consider myself on the front end of beginner. I have had a 10 gallon tank for about 7 years but I never really maintained it well. (I would like to note that I have two black tetras that started in the 10 gallon tank. I believe they are happier in the new & imporved environment.)

I am new to water changes. I am interested to know the general practices of changing out water. Not so much the percentages but the process.

Do you just age tap water?
Do you add conditioners? If so, which is the most effective/economical?
If you have a 50 or 100 gallon tank how do you do a 50% change weekly?

I would appreciate the advice.

I am also new to this site and am not sure if I have read through all the threads so please forgive my redundancy if this is a repeat question.
 
I use a siphon product called a Python that attaches to the sink faucet and can both drain and fill the tank....I add my water treatment chemicals as the tap water goes back in...I do 50% weekly changes and have never had any problems with this method...
 
Water conditioners

Deex:
There is a multitude of them on the market. The question you need to answer is does you water utility use chloramine as well as chlorine in treating your tap water. The reason for the question is that most of the dechlor products do not neutralize chloramine. If you can't determine the chloramine issue then use a dechlor product that neutralizes both. I use Prime as it was highly recomended to me by some very experienced aquarists. The physical job of water changes is much simplified with the use of a Python as has been noted. As an example, a 25% water change on a 125g tank is about 7 five gallon pails out and 7 five gallon pails in. At rougly 8#'s a gallon that is over a quarter of a ton of H2O being moved, lifted and poured in the armstrong fashion. Not my idea of a whole bunch of fun.When I filled my 125g it took about an hour. Doing it manually would have taken a whole day! There are a number of DIY python look alikes/options out there that you can chace down through the hardware or DIY threads.
Cheers;
 
Thanks for the info. I looked into the Python. I will be purchasing one soon. Thanks also for the suggestion to check with the water utility on chlormine.

I was looking through another thread that talked about the use of soft water. I am guessing the water that I add needs to be roughly the same temperature. In doing so, I would have to use partially soft water. Is this okay.

Do I only use as much conditioner for the water I am adding?

thanks for your help!
 
deex said:
Do I only use as much conditioner for the water I am adding?
Click to expand...

That's what i do - I add a little more than what is called for the volume of water going in just for the heck of it...I also use Prime
 
I use my Python hose as a regular hose and siphon the water out to the flower beds, not wasting the water that motivates the suction on the tank just to let it all go down the drain. A little longer and more (?) time consuming. But if you are paying for the water...?

I hook up to the tap for the fill up which is so much better than carrying the buckets. I do not have to worry about chlorine/chloramine with the well system I am on.

The more and larger water changes you do, getting your tank to as consistent levels as your replacement water values, the better in my opinion.

Read the stickys on water changes and do what you feel you should. IME the fish will adapt to the pH of water that you have, even if it is not "ideal" (which may be irrelevant since so many fish are farm raised). The TDS, total dissolved solids are more of an issue.

Be open to ideas, read/learn, and what works for some doesn't necessarily work for all, with so many variables and fish.

Welcome to the forum and post away! We like to help, even when we confuse you or disagree! :dance2:
 
When I do a water change I just use a gravel vaccum.... it sucks up all the fish poop from the gravel as well as changed out the water at the same time... I put it in one of those big plastic garbage bins that I bought and ONLY use for the fish... has wheels on it, so it's not that hard to move around when full of water.. hehe...

Then fill it up with water, and feel to make sure it's about the same temp.. add in conditioner...and then with a small bucket scoop up water from the bucket and pour it into the tank..... hehe, this takes awhile to do, but atleast it gives me a little work out... :joke:

I have a 70gallon tank, and to do a 50% water change, I just estimate about half the water and take it out...
 
I would look into alternatives over the python. Aren't those things pretty expensive?

I bought a cheap gravel filter, and then some additional hose. I can snake it out a window and either fill up a 55 gallon barrel, or water the lawn and some plants. No need to hook up to the faucet and waste double the water... water from the tap to start the python and keep it moving, and all that fish tank water. A cheap hose should be all you need.

You also shouldn't need to change your tank water based on a calendar. Check the water parameters weekly, and use that to determine when it's time to change the water.

I have a 125 gallon tank, and will do 50% water changes only when my Nitrate level calls for it. Anything more, and you're wasting water once again.

Joe
 
I agree with everyones thoughts on water conservation. I will make it a point to use the wastewater on outside plants. The plants may even enjoy the fish waste.

Concerning the Python, does the tap water have to run the entire time to actuate the siphon or do you leave the tap water on long enough to get the siphon started and then turn the tap water off?

What are the key identifiers for when and how much to change out water. I have a master test kit so I can measure pH, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Ammonia. Are there other indicators I should watch for?

Also thanks for the definitions. (i.e. TDS total disolved solids) It will take me some time to get up to speed on the acronyms. I am assuming LFS is "local fish store."
 
The Python is a venturi. It uses the flow through to pull the water up the hose when its in drain mode. If the output is lower than the input you can use it to start a siphon. If the output is higher, not so much.

You can look for a waterbed fill kit if you want to DIY. Hose fittings etc. Same thing. I just built a DIY switch so that I can pump water out of a smaller tank on the return line for my canister. I fill the smaller tank with a dedicated 5 gallon bucket. Seemed easier than having the Python snaking through the apartment every weekend. Top offs are effortless.

The wastewater is ideal fertilizer, yes your plants will thank you. Any fertilizer you'll see on a shelf will have an NPK ratio on the label: Nitrate, Phosphate, Potassium. Guess what's in the waste water…

I change out 50% weekly. Ammonia and nitrite should always test 0. Nitrate is sometimes used as a proxy measure of pollutants: its not the only thing your getting rid of, its just the easiest to test for. Folks will differ on the ideal level just as they'll differ on the need for regular water changes: I'd try to stay under 20 ppm and think that large regular water changes are a good thing. Aside from keeping nitrates low, they'll help keep your parameters stable and close to source (do a search for OTS, or "old tank syndome").

And yes, LFS is local fish store.
 
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