Large Water Changes On A 55uk Gallon Tank

[Xenosis]

How do you guys go about doing large water changes, do you guys all use buckets?
I tried to do something i read but it ended up killing my whole cycle, now im back to square one

Whats the best way to do a 50% waterchange without lugging in 10 buckets or 15 buckets

 

[Tolak]

Use a long hose, put a sponge on the end so you don't suck up fish. Place one end in the tank, another at a lower drain. Use this to siphon.

Use the same hose to fill, adding dechlorinator on the fly.

If you don't have a lower drain, attach a small powerhead or pond pump to the tank side.

 

[Xenosis]

I added dechlorinator on the fly, and it killed all my nitrate

How do i go about adding it on the run?

 

[rabbut]

Don't you usualy do waterchanges to remove nitrate? Possible a typing error there?

I use a hose to do 50% twice a week waterchanges on my 83.2g. Just hook it up to the tap after draining and fill it over an hour. It's advisable to use Dechlor in a new (less than 6 months old) tank, I'd add enough to treat the whole tank at the start, but I tend not to bother.... You'll only get away without in a mature tank though...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Tolak]

I just add the proper amount while filling, never had a problem. By killing your nitrates, do you mean you had a spike of some sort?

 

[Xenosis]

Yeah i had a spike in ammonia and nitrite when i originally had it all at 0

 

[Tolak]

What product are you using to dechlorinate, and how much are you using per how much replacement water?

 

[Inchworm]

How do you guys go about doing large water changes, do you guys all use buckets?

Whats the best way to do a 50% waterchange without lugging in 10 buckets or 15 buckets

Hi Xenosis

I use a Python. It's a long hose that attaches to the faucet and then sucks the water out of the tank. You can then adjust the water temperature and set it to refill the tank.

http/www.pythonproducts.com/aqprod.html

 

[weejen]

How do you guys go about doing large water changes, do you guys all use buckets?

Whats the best way to do a 50% waterchange without lugging in 10 buckets or 15 buckets

Hi Xenosis

I use a Python. It's a long hose that attaches to the faucet and then sucks the water out of the tank. You can then adjust the water temperature and set it to refill the tank.

[URL="http/www.pythonproducts.com/aqprod.html"]http/www.pythonproducts.com/aqprod.html[/URL]

hmm how does it work i am very intrested

 

[OldMan47]

I have a python type fill and drain system but it wastes too much water for my tastes. When draining, it uses water from the tap to create a low pressure area in an eductor. The hose to the tank connects to that low pressure tap and that starts the siphon action. If there is not much drop between the tank and the sink, you leave the water faucet running the whole time you are draining the water from the tank. When you are done with the drain part of the change, you shut off the outlet on the eductor and the water that has been going down the drain starts going back to the aquarium.
I use buckets for water changes on my 120 gallon tank but they are not small buckets. I move 5 gallons at a time.

 

[Inchworm]

Thanks for the explanation, OldMan47. You can save on water by turning off the tap once the syphon process is started but it goes more slowly.

I switched from buckets about 3 1/2 years ago when I moved into a carpeted apartment. It's made my life a whole lot easier.

 

[minxfishy]

Python all the way, makes w/c a doddle, wouldnt be without it, I double dose on dechlor as its re-filling, never had a problem yet doing it this way.

 

[Ribcracker]

Where can I buy a Python Drain & Fill in the UK?

 

[Ficious]

Don't you usualy do waterchanges to remove nitrate? Possible a typing error there?

I use a hose to do 50% twice a week waterchanges on my 83.2g. Just hook it up to the tap after draining and fill it over an hour. It's advisable to use Dechlor in a new (less than 6 months old) tank, I'd add enough to treat the whole tank at the start, but I tend not to bother.... You'll only get away without in a mature tank though...

All the best
Rabbut

50% twice a week?? thats 100% water changes per week....i only keep mine to 15-20%.


i dont see a need to do that much water changes...this will greatly reduce the amount of effort involved.



i use a long hose to a drain to syphon the water and two 4 gal buckets so i constantly have one filling.

 

[rabbut]

Don't you usualy do waterchanges to remove nitrate? Possible a typing error there?

I use a hose to do 50% twice a week waterchanges on my 83.2g. Just hook it up to the tap after draining and fill it over an hour. It's advisable to use Dechlor in a new (less than 6 months old) tank, I'd add enough to treat the whole tank at the start, but I tend not to bother.... You'll only get away without in a mature tank though...

All the best
Rabbut

50% twice a week?? thats 100% water changes per week....i only keep mine to 15-20%.


i dont see a need to do that much water changes...this will greatly reduce the amount of effort involved.



i use a long hose to a drain to syphon the water and two 4 gal buckets so i constantly have one filling.

Two small issues here though...

1) I'm a Disucs keeper with a heavily stocked tank. Large regular waterchanges for me are manditory unless I want a few hundered quid's worth of fish that I am personally attached to floating arround the surface of the tank dead within a few weeks

2) Two 50% waterchanges are equivelant to a 75% waterchange, not a 100% one This is because the origional waste is diluted by half when the next 50% waterchange is done

On the whole, general maintanance on *most* tanks should consist of smaller 25% ish changes once weekly and thats far less effort for those that use buckets TBH, the effort load is no different for those of use that use hoses for a 10% or a 100%, as gravity and mains water pressure do all the lifting and transporting for us This is for mature tanks, now ones that are being fish-in cycled will need daily waterchanges

All the best
Rabbut