What kind of water do you use for a water change?

[YoFishboy]

I would strongly encourage people to not use warm water from the tap or any other water that could potentially come out of the water heater. The inside of a water heater is disgusting with many disolved minerals. So run cold water only to fill up your tank. If you are concerned about the temp age it and heat it.

That is true, deposits do build up in water heaters, but they generally accumulate in the outgoing pipe from the water heater. If you blast the hot water on for a few seconds before you hook up the python, it blows out most of the concentrated deposits. I would imagine that older water heaters may also affect the quality of the outgoing water. The different water sources that we are all working with will also greatly affect the dissolved minerals that enter our tanks from the tap. However, my water quality is pretty good and, again, I haven't had any losses or signs of stress after water changes using the python. Good luck all and keep up on those water changes, no matter how you do them!

 

[OrionGirl]

I have a 110 gallon agriculture sprayer tank that is filled with filtered water, with a powerhead for circulation and a heater to bring it close to temp if needed. I use it cold most of the time, but heat it up if there's a concern. This is used for evaporation topoff in the SW tanks, and changes in the FW tanks. Gravity works for the SW, but I use buckets for the upstairs tanks. Never a big deal, doesn't take very long. The sprayer tank allows me to attach a valve and hose, making it easy to use.

I also have a 65 gallon tank for mixing the saltwater for changes on those tanks.

 

[Debra Mark]

We have hot and cold lines plumbed right into our tank, so it's just a matter of turning on the taps. If it's a major water change, we will add declorinator right to the tank as the water is going in.

 

[Haymarket]

I run it straight from the tap. Add enough chemical (AmQuel) to handle the chlorine, and then let it flow in. I can't see how a water heater is going to cause any trouble at all. So much water flows through the thing, that the water cannot be affected enough to affect your fish one bit. Changing 50% of the water in a 180 gallon tank weekly would become quite a bit more of a project if I didn't let it go straight in with the temerature matched, and I have never lost a fish or noticed adverse affects (but lots of positive ones from the frequent changes).

 

[Lauren]

RO tap water mix. I have REALLY hard water here in CA, and I like fish that dont' appreciate a ph of 8+.

 

[Ali1]

for me, i have a 20 gallon so use 5-6 one gallon jugs to fill my aquarium... i let the water age in my pantry. When you let thew ater age most chemicals gets released anyway, so it's no big deal, but at the same timethe water is room temperature. so if i take out 25% of the water and add room temp water, the temperature will balance out, it will probably decrease a little but not alot... but i have problems with ich disease all the time for doing water changes, i dont know why

 

[cyberbeer65]

My tank is in the basement,and I siphon directly into a floor drain.
I use a garden hose that is connected to the laundry tub to replace siphoned water,and I add dechlor to the tank as it is filling back up.

I have a tankless on demand type water heater that hangs on the wall.

 

[d0nuT]

I use rainwater that's left to stand for a day. No problems with the quality at all.

D

 

[happychem]

My tank is in the basement,and I siphon directly into a floor drain.

Oooh! That would be sweet.

I drain into buckets and fill through a python. I used to just use the python to drain and fill, but the amount of water wasted is so much. More importantly though, I found I was always draining out some water to rinse intake sponges and carrying the water to the toilet to drain didn't seem like much of a chore. Bringing them back and trying not to make a mess of things while trying to be reasonably gentle about returning was a major PITA.

Of course hot water tanks are full of deposits! CaCO3 is less soluble in hot water than in cold (making it a strange chemical indeed).

 

[jcmo]

10-20% weekly, Python directly back into tank, water temp comparable to tank by touch, and Stresscoat directly into tank during re-fill.

Never had a problem in 10 years related to a water change, when I bred angels they'd try to play in the refill stream and I'd have to shoo them away.