Water Changes

[yabadaba]

I'm waiting on my new 5ft ND Aquatics tank to arrive and whilst doing a partial 25% water change last night on my current 60 litre tank I started thinking how on earth I'm going to manage with one that's about 8x the volume. Surely you guys with the big tanks can't do water changes the way I do them now?!?

All I do now is prepare either 1 or 2 buckets (depending whether I want to do 25% or 50%) - fill with tap water, top off with some hot kettle water to raise the temp add a dose of Aqua Plus to kill the chlorine. Then I use a gravel vac/syphon to remove the required 1 or 2 buckets worth of old water and pour the fresh stuff in. Along with a bit of algae removal that's it and it doesn't take too long. But if I retain the same process with my new tank I'll be looking at 8 or 16 buckets to do partial water changes. That's going to to take me hours to do!

So what's the recommended procedure for larger tanks? Please tell me there is a better way....

 

[Duck and Dive]

I still use the bucket method on my 300L marine tank, and my 180L tropical. You can buy a decholorinator which attaches to your hose like an RO unit.

 

[shelaghfishface]

i put the hose pipe in the tank,turn it on fast, then rip the end off the tap( creates a backflow) and place it near the drain in the garden,then i walk off do something else, come back and fill it from the hose, i only add hot water if i do over 30%

i would rather poke my own eye out with a blunt pencil than go back to using buckets

 

[VespertineStar]

Hey I'm in almost the same boat lol. I'm thinking about perhaps DIYing a solution using hoses and something to fit it onto our taps with.

 

[shelaghfishface]

go to the hardware/ Diy section and have a look for the DIY python thread (poster was backtotropical)

 

[minxfishy]

Yep python method here, sooooo easy to do. I use it on a mixer tap, so I can get the right temp before refilling, Oh and chuck the dechlorinator in before filling (I double dose using pond dechlor as its cheaper than aquarium stuff).

 

[Infidel_Uk]

i use an old external pump , its the obvious answer ?

 

[VespertineStar]

Hmm, that is obvious lol why didn't I think of that.

EDIT: So you add the dechlor to the tank first and then put straight tap water into the tank?

 

[m00se]

 

[Infidel_Uk]

Hmm, that is obvious lol why didn't I think of that.

EDIT: So you add the dechlor to the tank first and then put straight tap water into the tank?

you thought a little too much , lol

 

[yabadaba]

Thanks for the replies ladies & gents. Having thought about this some more now, I kinda like the idea of using an external pump with maybe a couple of plastic bins - 80 litre ones, the kind they have in Homebase. Gravel vac some water out, whilst cleaning the gravel/sand at the same time and then pump the rest out. Empty them then fill with fresh water, add some hot and Aqua Safe then pump back in.

BTW, I'm thinking sand, not gravel, for the new tank, but do you still clean sand with a gravel vac or is it too light and just gets sucked up?

 

[star4]

I am going to be in the same boat with my 2 400L tanks, emptying is not the problem as I can put the hose from the tank to the drain. However, I have really stupid taps that I cannot get a hose fitting for, so I still use a big tub. Got arms like popeye now lol.

 

[VespertineStar]

Nope sand is just fine with a gravel vac, just got to make sure you hold it about an inch off the gravel or so.