Getting Water Into Fish Tanks Gently

[marnold00]

Hey,

Just wondering how you guys get your water into your fish tanks gently?

When i kept fish with my brother we could get the bucket of water higher than the tank and just siphon it in.

I dont have this option now. I also use mineralised RO water so cant use a hose. My smaller water changes i just pour the water over my hand to slow it down a little, but im about to do a big change on a tank with no fish, but lots of plants etc and this method would destroy everything...

 

[BettaBettas]

get 1 cup or a Tupperware container and put it into your aquarium, pour the water onto the container or cup, it will overflow gently causing your water to rise

 

[AbbeysDad]

I have to pre-filter my water. I use a submersible pump in an 18g sterlite/rubbermade bin and use my hand over the end of the hose or just aim it back at the glass.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Hey,

Just wondering how you guys get your water into your fish tanks gently?

When i kept fish with my brother we could get the bucket of water higher than the tank and just siphon it in.

I dont have this option now. I also use mineralised RO water so cant use a hose. My smaller water changes i just pour the water over my hand to slow it down a little, but im about to do a big change on a tank with no fish, but lots of plants etc and this method would destroy everything...

I pour mine into a one gallon pitcher and then pour over the sponge I use to clean glass

 

[Byron]

In my 10g I change the water with a bucket.  It is not close enough to the shelf to allow me to put the pail on the shelf and siphon, so I use a pitcher.  One of those plastic juice type (without a lid), holds about 2 litres I guess.  I dip this in the pail to fill it, then pour it into the tank directly into my cupped hand.  [A lot like Jen's method I think.]  There is very little disturbance.

 

[Essjay]

I use the bucket and jug method but pour the water into a "colander" - that is, a large yoghurt pot with holes stabbed all over the bottom with a knitting needle. A real colander would be just as good.

 

[DWC]

I found these great plastic basket/cylinders in a $1 bin at store. They are maybe 4" in diameter, maybe 6" tall, with the sides of a hard plastic mesh and the bottom solid. Probably meant to hold pens or what not on a desk but I bought a couple as they looked useful. As luck would have it, they are just the correct size for the front opening on the glass canopy on my 10 gallon tanks (I have 7 10's) so they fit snugly but do not drop in. I perform a 3-4 gallon water change on each tank weekly and just refill from two 1 gallon jugs into the tanks at full volume. All the force is diverted laterally, no plant or substrate issues. I guess it is just a perfect fit colander for my needs. I make 25 or so trips with one 1 gallon jug but the bathroom sink is the next room over from my den, and the trip with pouring is just shorter than the time for the other jug to fill. Removed water gets siphoned into 5 gallon buckets which is used to water the flowers and house plants. All tanks are emptied of 3-4 gallons and then all are refilled.

 

[marnold00]

Thanks guys i'll have a play later this week i used to use this 1litre jug but i find it drips water everywhere when i scoop and move it to the tank and i dont really want to ruin my laminate flooring (good thing a chose a water based hobby huh?). I have to be stupidly careful and i also put 4 towels down around the tank xD

 

[Ch4rlie]

As you can see, there are several different methods
 
I'll add another one into the mix
 
I have used a universal water pump, goes in the bucket of dechlored water, and a spraybar at end of hose from pump to tank, this way the water sprays into the tank and does not disturb the gravel/substrate at all.
 
But the colandar idea I have used, I got a large colander that fits the edges of the tank and just directly poured the bucket of water into that. Much easier and quicker than using bucket and pour water into your hand, bit of a juggling act and can be tricky at first when you have a bcket full of water.

 

[marnold00]

As you can see, there are several different methods
 
I'll add another one into the mix
 
I have used a universal water pump, goes in the bucket of dechlored water, and a spraybar at end of hose from pump to tank, this way the water sprays into the tank and does not disturb the gravel/substrate at all.
 
But the colandar idea I have used, I got a large colander that fits the edges of the tank and just directly poured the bucket of water into that. Much easier and quicker than using bucket and pour water into your hand, bit of a juggling act and can be tricky at first when you have a bcket full of water.

Especially when that bucket is a 20l bucket and my manlihood refuses to let me do it with anything less than full.

 

[Alasse]

In my planted tanks i lay a plastic fish bag over the substrate, put a few rocks on it and aim the hose at the bag

 

[marnold00]

Found some old guttering, sawed it up so it can rest on the tank, drilled holes along it.

Realised i had enough to make a second, so i did that. Works a treat water wasnt even slightly cloudy afterwards!!!! Dead proud of myself.


I also future proofed them. I bent the second one and made the cap removable. So it slides inside the first, so if i get another bigger tank... Then well ive got this wont do a tank more than 1m wide.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Found some old guttering, sawed it up so it can rest on the tank, drilled holes along it.

Realised i had enough to make a second, so i did that. Works a treat

water wasnt even slightly cloudy afterwards!!!! Dead proud of myself.


I also future proofed them. I bent the second one and made the cap removable. So it slides inside the first, so if i get another bigger tank... Then well ive got this

wont do a tank more than 1m wide.

Awesome!  And tomorrow is the big day right?!?  Fishies?!?

 

[marnold00]

Found some old guttering, sawed it up so it can rest on the tank, drilled holes along it.

Realised i had enough to make a second, so i did that. Works a treat

water wasnt even slightly cloudy afterwards!!!! Dead proud of myself.


I also future proofed them. I bent the second one and made the cap removable. So it slides inside the first, so if i get another bigger tank... Then well ive got this

wont do a tank more than 1m wide.

Awesome!  And tomorrow is the big day right?!?  Fishies?!?

Fishies indeed!

 

[Aquarian58]

One advantage of some all-in-one filtration systems, with their filter assembly in the lid, is that the fresh water can be poured directly (and carefully) into the filter and do a pass through the filter media on its way into the tank.
 
Of course, this should only be done if there's no build up of waste material in the filter cartridges and it takes a certain amount of concentration to pour at the right speed and volume to avoid overflowing the filter compartments but you can be sure there will be no disturbance of the substrate, or anything else in the tank, including the fish because the inflow is at the same rate as the pump would deliver it under normal conditions
 
I've used this method several times without a problem and unless someone suggests there is a reason not to, will continue doing so.