How To Do Water Change Without Stressing Fish

[EliteFishy]

How to do water change without stressing fish?

 

[Rodders]

Take water out, put water in. Thats how I do mine.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Time is the key when it comes to doing water changes, the less time you spend swishing your hands about in the tank the less stressful its gonna be for the fish. Just get a bucket, scoop the water out to your desired amount and dispose of it and then fill up a bucket with fresh water and dechlorinator, making sure its as close to the temp in the tank, and slowly pour into the tank.
Anyhoo, thats how i do it .

 

[Durbkat]

I used to take all the fish out of the tank then vacum clean the tank but since I came on here I now just vacum clean and leave them in there but that seems to stress them out more and since I've been doing vacum cleanings while leaving the fish in there they have become more shy and am thinking about going back to what I used to do and remove all the fish except the pleco because he doesn't seem to mind while I do a vacum cleaning.

 

[rdd1952]

Not really an easy way to do it. Some fish are more easily scared than others. My angels for instance actually try to eat the particles of trash as they go up the vacuum tube (from the outside naturally, not actually up in the tube) while the corys and tetras in the other tank hide in the corner as soon as I start. Just do it as quickly as possible and turn the lights off as soon as you finish to let them recover.

 

[qwikimpss]

All my fish dont seem stressed when I do a vac + change except maybe my platies and pearl gourami. All my others will either nibble my hand, prance around the vacuum or just act normal...I have some weird fish.

 

[Teelie]

I got a bigger diameter siphon tube to do faster changes. What took me 2-3 minutes to fill a single bucket now literally takes 20-30 seconds. I keep my room warm year round and my replacement water is in my room's closet so it's equal temperature or close to the tank's so I just pour it in. The best way to pour water in is to find something to break it over like a large ornament or some kind of flat surface (like a small shovel) so it displaces more evenly. Otherwise you have almost like a hose spraying a straight stream of water into the tank which can disrupt the substrate and causes currents to swish your fish around distressing them more.

 

[rdd1952]

The best way to pour water in is to find something to break it over like a large ornament or some kind of flat surface (like a small shovel) so it displaces more evenly. Otherwise you have almost like a hose spraying a straight stream of water into the tank which can disrupt the substrate and causes currents to swish your fish around distressing them more.

I pour (or squirt if I'm using the Python) mine into a plastic drinking cup which dispurses it evenly and prevents the stream from going directly into the tank. That way, almost all the water movement is near the surface.

 

[Bloo]

my fish are used to the drill by now and all scoot into their little corners when doing a gravel vac. But they all seem to love the refilling process and love swimming right into the poring stream of water ! from the bucket (that goes back into the tank).

Ps: when poring my water back in, it goes over a piece of bogwood, so not to disturb the gravel.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I'd be more interested in the answer to the opposite question: how do you frighten them away from the gravel vac? Mine all think this has got to be some extra clever feeding device, they never seem to learn.

I am very lazy, so I actually have 4 fish buckets. I prepare 2 buckets of clean water (right temperature, dechlorinated) and bring them up. Then I line up the 2 dirty buckets next to each other by the tank. Only then do I switch off tank lights and start syphoning, go straight from one bucket to the next without a break. Then use a jug to add the clean water. Doesn't take many minutes (except when snails clog up the gravel vac- grrrr).

 

[rdd1952]

Only then do I switch off tank lights and start syphoning, go straight from one bucket to the next without a break.

You turn your lights off to vacuum? How do you see what to clean? I don't ever clean mine unless the lights are on. I know that's a safety hazard but it's too hard to see the trash with them off.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Only then do I switch off tank lights and start syphoning, go straight from one bucket to the next without a break.

You turn your lights off to vacuum? How do you see what to clean? I don't ever clean mine unless the lights are on. I know that's a safety hazard but it's too hard to see the trash with them off.

I don't know, perhaps the room is light enough? (I always do it during the hours of daylight). Or perhaps I've just got specially good eyes? Or perhaps I don;t really get it clean, I just think so? I switch the whole caboodle off at the socket, lights, filter and all.

 

[Durbkat]

I turn my tank light off while I'm doing a vac cleaning and I can see inside the tank since my ceiling fan is some what close by and the bulbs are 75 watts a pieces.

 

[Mikaila31]

when i change the water in my 55gal i pull out the inside hose and attach it to this werid thing that goes on the faucet of r landry room sink. i let water run through the hose and into the sink for about a minuet to clean the hose out. then i stuff the end of the gravel vac in the other end of the hose, put the gravel vac in the tank. Run back to the landryroom turn the water on, run back out to the tank, wait til the gravel vac. stops spitting out bubbles. Then go back to the sink twist the bottom of the weird thing and it reverses the flow and all the water goes down the drain. once i'm done vacuming i twist the thing back up and the flow is switched again and new water goes into the tank. this only works if u have well water as mine only goes throught the softener. I don't turn off the lights at all and it dosn't seem to bother my fish at all.

 

[Durbkat]

Just thought I'd let you know that your not supposed to use a garden hose to fill the tank up with water because it has some kind of chemicals in it that will harm the fish.