Water Change

[Fly258]

I have been concidering using my Rena Filstar XP3 to do my water changes with. The Plan is to fit a T piece with a 2 way valve to the outlet of the filter pipe and one to the inlet pipe. I can then use the filter to pump old water out of the tank and fresh water in. The only thing that concerns me is if pumping fresh conditioned tap water through the filter would kill the bacteria in the filter.
I know that cleaning filter medium in tap water kills the bacteria, so I would assume pumping it through the filter would do the same.
Can anyone give me a definitive answer please?
Many thanks
Jim

 

[CFC]

There is nothing wrong with using the outlet hose to empty water from the tank but unconditioned tapwater will kill off bacteria colonies in the filter if you use the filter to add it back to the tank, adding water back with a bucket is quicker anyway.

 

[Fly258]

Yes, but would CONDITIONED water (with stress coat added) kill the bacteria?
I thought it was the chlorine / chloramine in tapwater that killed the bacteria.
Jim

 

[Lateral Line]

It is Chlorine/Chloramine/etc. Stresscoat will not protect your bacteria from untreated tap water.

 

[Fly258]

CFC
I have always used stress coat to condition my water, according to the label it neutralizes chlorine and chloramine. Are you saying it doesnt? If so, what do you recomend?
Jim

 

[CFC]

Hey dont blame me for that one, it was lateral that said that
If you condition the water first it would work but would be slow process and if you let the bucket run dry the filter will need re priming each time, much easier to put it in with a bucket IMO.

 

[Fly258]

Sorry CFC, )
Cant cope with more than one at a time
As I now have a 70 gal tank, I recon I need to change about 20gals each water change. What I have in mind is to fill a 20 gal plastic dustbin, condition it and heat it using a tank heater then use the filter to pump the water in. Using a bucket would be an awfull lot of carying and toting
Jim

 

[StiX]

Another thing to consider is if u are using the filter to empty the tank, then u wont ever be cleaning the gravel. What I've done is juts made a gravel cleaner and then got a long peice of tubing which is long enough to goto my back door, so the water just runs off down the garden.

I would suggest buying the biggest powerhead u can and a length of pvc tubing which fits over the outlet of the owerhead, which needs to be long enough to go from the bottom of the plastic bin into the tank, then after u've prepared the water in the plastic bin to go into the tank, just drop the powerhead into the bin, hold the other end of the tube in the tank and plug the powerhead in

 

[Fly258]

StiX
I already have a separate gravel cleaner wich filters the crud from the gravel and pumps the water back into the tank . They are very good.
http/www.aquatics-warehouse.co.uk/acatal...atems__124.html
Jim

 

[StiX]

Ah rite! nice one