How do you do your water changes?

[thabone]

Many people, like me, are new into fish hobby and don't know the Do's and Don'ts of the hobby.

One of the things I've been thinking a lot is the best way to perform water changes. Some people do it one way, some do it the other way. I'll like to read how you guys perform this so important part of the care of our "sons".

For example I fill a 20 gallons plastic trash can with water, just one or two days before changing the water. This trash can is right beside the fish tank so it "grabs" the room temperature and in the mean time releases the chlorine it has. Then, the day I'm going to do the water change I took about 1/3 or 2/3 of water from the fish tank and fill back the tank with the water I was holding on the trash can. Then I add the chemicals.

I know this is not a very good way to do it but no one told me how to do it from the beginning.

[FishLover]

Simple, I just borrow Harry Potter's magic wand and say:

egnahc retaw


What you are doing is fine. Try to automate part of it by using some hose and a pump you will be fine.

[thabone]

I think this is a misunderstood. I'm not talking about reducing time changing water. I'm talking about water parameters, temperature, treatments etc. All the things that need to be done in order to not affect the fish each time you change water.

[Robdog]

In your situation I would add the chemicals to the water in the trash can before putting it into the tank.

Personally I run about 7-8 meters of hose to the drain in the bathroom and syphon out a 3rd of the water and then refill with 20L buckets. They're pretty heavy but then again, I'm pretty strong! ;) It seems to cause a lot of disturbance when I pour the water back in but the fish seem to line up to get a shower under the stream of new water.

Ultimately I'd like to get a system running like Fishlover said with the pump but I'm not sure if the bath is suitable for aging water. And I'm not sure my gf would like me using the bath to age water. :roll:

[samir]

Rob you need a 220 liter food barrel from ebay.

[Robdog]

Yeah I know but I don't think my girl would like it in our apartments louge room. It's on the to-do list tho

[TomNS]

Rob you need a 220 liter food barrel from ebay.

I was looking for someone who sold those in Brisbane .. how much do the ebay ones go for ?

Cheers
Tom

[scott bowler]

hi thabone i have a 220lt barrel (one of the food ones of ebay but you can buy them in a lot of places ) and i check ill my water in it leave it for afew days i put water conditioner in the barrel and do the ph put buffer in (my water here is usely round 7.2 so i lower it to about 6.8) all this the day before i change the water unless it is a emergency. on the day i had a heating element made that fits in the barrel i heat it to around the same as my tank and then change i use a pump with a hose .hope that helps you a little scott

[Bill T]

I do 80 litre changes at a time.
For this I have an 80 litre plastic bucket and a water pump that I got from Bunnings. Works a treat & pumps the water in at a not too savage rate so the fish are not spooked.

[elvip]

Hi Thabone,
I too have learnt the hard way about water changes!!
As a newbie, no-one first told me how important it was to age water,until I had some fish misteriously die, and the water parameters were the only logical explanation.
I have the 220l water barrels (from ebay) that I age my water in for about a week. I first add Prime and let that sit for a day or so(allowing enough time for it to do its job), then I run the water through a carbon filter for another day or so - so as to take out any nasties that the waterboard might be adding to our water (copper etc). After this filtration step, I lower the pH/buffer the water with Peat moss or Seachems Discus buffer - pH approx 6.0. The water is also heated (just using an aquarium heater) to the right temp (29-30 degrees celcius) before I add it to my tanks. I use two pumps, one to pump the dirty water out of the tanks when cleaning the gravel etc, and one to pump the clean water in - it's a lot gentler and easier on you and the fish!! :D
Cheers
Elvip

[Mattzilla]

this may help

http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1711

cheers
matt

[chris]

Im on the Bucket brigade myself, but when I finish my shed I will buy one of those hydro water barrels age the water for how ever long I feel like minim two days with water ager added to it.
But I will still have to syphon out of tank into buckets and throw them on the front lawn. Putting the water back in I was thinking of using those big spring water cooler bottles.

[chris]

Im on the Bucket brigade myself, but when I finish my shed I will buy one of those hydro water barrels age the water for how ever long I feel like minim two days with water ager added to it.
But I will still have to syphon out of tank into buckets and throw them on the front lawn. Putting the water back in I was thinking of using those big spring water cooler bottles.

[Robdog]

For all that effort chris you may as well keep using the bucket routine. Just get some long plastic tubing or hose and a water pump and cut out the buckets altogether.