Water Changes

[proton]

hi guys, well i do the usual water changes by actually removing the water using a pipe into a 10L container. i add in the water treatment when i fill the bottles up and pour it into the tank.

my question is if i use a python to remove and then fill the water, do i add the conditioner after filling up with new tap water or before? how does everyone else do it? and those with a python when do you add your water treatments? i'm puzzled?

 

[cardinal sinner]

proton do you mean syphon? it doesnt really mater when you add the declorinator i would put it in before

 

[proton]

er... well yes, what i mean is, is it OK to get a hose and fill the tank instead of always filling up 5 times a with 10L container? and put in the water conditioner afterwards or before. So you say before right? I know it may sound like a stupid question but i was just thinking of the fish and the chlorine that comes in tap water... i normally fill up a 10L container with conditioner and that takes time and doing it 5/6 times can be a pain...

 

[cardinal sinner]

i always use a bucket to refill as i like to get the water to approx same temp as when it came out of the tank this way u could put the conditioner in the bucket then into the tank i know this can be a pain but its the safest well for me anyway

 

[dthoffsett]

I just adjust the water flowing into the python, so that takes care of temperature. As for water conditioner, I start it pumping into the tank, and then walk over and add condtioner to the water flow. Have been doing that for 8 months with no ill effects.

Definately love the python, I have a bad back, and it has made tank cleaning so much easier, it's literally cut my maintenance time in half or more, and has saved my back. Without it I don't think I could keep up more than one small tank.

 

[gsta13]

can i get a link to this python of wich u speak?

 

[dthoffsett]

If you are in the US, you can go to almost any pet retailer that outfits fish as well. Such as, petsmart.com, thatpetplace.com, Big Al's, petsolutions.com, ebay, aquabid, just look under cleaning, or gravel vacuums, there are even knock off brands. If you are in the UK, or another country, just check w/any pet retailer or website that supplies normal pet products.

The company website is: http/www.pythonproducts.com/

 

[Aprilia997]

When I have used one I use it it as a regular siphon during the removal of water. Just siphon straight to a toilet or out the door, it saves a huge amount of water compared to letting the water run while the python is attached to a faucet. Then attach to the faucet to refill, with a fifty foot python there is plenty of time to adjust the temperature of the water as the tank refills. I add the declorinator as the tank refills.

 

[STRiDER]

A word of Caution!

1. Chlorine in tap water is bad for your fish, but this is NOT the main reason to dechlorinate water before adding it to your tank!!!
A small amount of chlorine going through your filter can quickly wipe out all the bacteria in your filter! (This is the reason there is chlorine in tap water in the first place).
And as all know, a filter without bacteria is not good

2. The amount of chlorine in tap water is NOT constant. You might get away with putting it straight into your tank for months and then suddenly the levels can go up greatly. This can be due to seasonal changes and or water source quality changing from time to time.

So, unless you know exactly where your tap water comes from and that it contains no chlorine
I would recommend you condition tap water first before putting it in your tank.

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Here is a few suggestions on how to do this with least amount of effort.

1. Decide on what percentage of the water you want to change. Lets say its 20%.
2. Work out how much water this is according to your tank's net volume.
(my tank is 86 Gallons NET : Therefore 20% is 17 Gallons)
3. Get a large plastic container that will hold this amount. These are available from most hardware stores.

Here is a pic of one I'm using - It doubles for storage space of syphon's and other equipment. I also use the lid upside down to place my canister filter on when doing filter maintenance.

4. Fill this container with the right amount of water. Mix cold and hot water to get the right temperature.
5. Add conditioner and mix well.
6. Now the tricky part!! There is a few options to get the water back into your tank.
a. Use a bucket to get the water from the container into the tank
b. Get a submersible pump that you drop into this container and pump the water into your tank.
c. With a bit of creative plumbing you can use your canister/external filter to pump this water into your
tank. It's then a matter of opening one shut-off valve and opening another to get the water up into the
tank. If you wany more info on how to do this feel free to ask...

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After all this, remember the golden rule : Everyone must find a system that works for him/her. So always feel free to experiment yourself and figure things out that way!

Regards
Andre du Toit

P.S.
Here's a close-up of my plumbing. All water changes are done by only opening and closing valves. The filter pump provides the suction and pressure to move the water.

 

[paulthegreat]

Nice set up Strider!! I just use buckets, but I have a bum knee and this gives me some thinking to do. It is a big time pain to do a 30% change on a 500 liter with 10 liter buckets and the nearest fawcet is 40 feet away.

 

[OohFeeshy]

I certainly don't think you need to go to the amount of bother STRiDER does. If you do some reading around, many things have been written about chlorine and filter bacteria. Some have found most evaporates pretty quickly, others have found that, if I recall, the filter bacteria are resistant to small amounts of it. Certainly adding dechlor during filling will cause no problems. As for temeprature, again, no worries. A change in a few degrees will have no effect on the fish.

 

[Tolak]

I fill straight from the tap, adding dechlor on the fly. There is no way my back will handle 300 gallons weekly with buckets. Everyone I know that has more than a few tanks does it this way, but knowing about your local water supply, as Strider mentioned, does help. Changes due to seasonal water quality, as well as local weather, usage, and a variety of circumstances will affect the way treatment plants treat water.

Everyone I have heard of that uses a python doesn't have a problem. It doesn't hurt anything to add a little extra dechlorinator, I double up on a regular basis.

 

[dthoffsett]

Besides which, I don't run the filters as I do a water change, so since I add dechlorinator directly to the tank, and it takes it several minutes to fill, and its mixing with the water in the tank, the filters don't have just new water running through them once their turned on.