# Water Change Ritual



## StillaZilla (Aug 22, 2008)

Just wondering how everyone manages the weekly water changes. I have 5 tanks on the go, and it seems a lot of work the way I do it. I figure if you have your own fish room, like I used to have with 18 tanks in it, you have water supply and drains and pumps etc on hand. But what about the tanks that are in the middle of your living room, on top of you wife's expensive rug that has to stay dry. 
I syphon bucket at a time out, carry it to the bathroom, and dump it in the toilet. If you have a 80 gallon tank, this is a lot of buckets, and gets heavy for us old guys after a while. And then I have to lug back the same amount from the bathtub, down the hall, across the rug, and lift it up and pour it in without disturbing the gravel or spilling it on the floor. And thats just the first tank.

Help!!! Tell me all your secrets and methods to save muscles and rugs.


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

No secrets really. Here are your options:
1.) Python gravel vacuum.
2.) Homemade python gravel vacuum.
3.) Hose and/or shove a gravel vacuum into the hose.


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## PaulineMi (Apr 3, 2008)

Do you have a window nearby? I siphon & gravel vac everything out the window. To refill I run a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG drinking water quality hose to the tank.


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## travis2k (Apr 23, 2008)

I'd have to agree, I run a hose out my sliding glass door, and siphon all the water into my garden or lawn, then refill with a garden hose from the sink (if I'm in a hurry, I will prepare a couple buckets of water to go back in the tank, as soon as it is drained, and do the rest with the hose) and my 10 gallon I drain with the hose if its already out, or use a bucket if not, and always refill with a bucket (easy cause its small)

as for keeping the rug dry, I have never had much luck, I seem to spill a little bit all the time

That rug sounds expensive, I bet you could sell it and get another tank :dancing:

but in all seriousness I would not put that rug anywhere near my tank, or on the waters path to the tank


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## tawbrey863 (Nov 21, 2008)

I have a vacum sypon and taped a long piece of pvc pipe and it goes right out the window. :thumb:


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## iceblue (Apr 27, 2004)

That's what I do. Run a garden hose out to trees in the yard. Since switching over to sand I found it was easier to vacuum with just the hose end. When I had gravel I shoved the gravel vac tube into the end of the hose. The seal was tight enough that I didn't lose any suction.

When going from tank to tank while siphoning I hold the hose with a couple of towels and keep my thumb over the hose end so as to not lose suction and to keep water from dripping on the floor.

We have a water bed so the filler kit from it is perfect for hooking up to a sink to refill the tanks. I use a couple of wash towels and a small bucket to transfer the hose from tank to tank when filling. My floor is tile so you may want to turn off the fill water when transfering the hose from tank to tank.


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## ademb (Nov 19, 2008)

im lucky that my tank is next to a window in my bedroom, but is on the right side of my bedroom so as not to cop straight on sun.

filling up is also not to bad, bout 3metres from the bathroom! So i just fill up a big plastic container, dechlorinate it and bucket it in!

You guys that are running hoses straight from the tap, how do u dechlorinate?


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## conor (May 19, 2007)

Put the required amount of dechlorinator in the tank before topping up from hose.


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## ademb (Nov 19, 2008)

ah. true! didnt even think of that one!


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## maddyfish (Jul 23, 2004)

I use a hose syphoned to the drain, then refill from the sink with them same hose, adding dechlor first.


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## Donfish (Dec 24, 2007)

I just dump it on the floor and blame it on the cat.


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## bma57 (Sep 16, 2007)

travis2k said:


> I'd have to agree, I run a hose out my sliding glass door, and siphon all the water into my garden or lawn, then refill with a garden hose from the sink.


My routine exactly.


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

I am thinking about using the hose connected to the sink into the tank method..but that's a lot of dechlorinator used...since you always have to use the full dosage?

Example you have a 60gallon..and you are refilling the tank with tap from the sink by using a hose...and amquel is 1teaspoon for 10gallon...you would have to use 6teaspoon correct?


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## Rockydog (Oct 21, 2007)

Seachem Prime gives you more for your money - goes a long ways -- 1 cap full approx 6 ml approx 1 1/4 tsp for *50 gallons*.


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

another vote for Python kit and Prime.


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## Ssssssspit_Fire (May 30, 2005)

*just get a long hose and syphon it directly to the bathroom, with the bucket it's insane. also, get a hose from your bathroom directly into the tank so filling it up will be easy aswell.
good luck*


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## StillaZilla (Aug 22, 2008)

Thanks for all the ideas. I'm going to go to the hose from the sink to fill up with. I don't need to dechlorinate because I am on well water. My water is ph 6.8, but extremly hard as we are on a limestone base. NH3 and NO2 are zero from the tap, but nitrates are about 5ppm. I can't syphon out the window very often because of the weather. For example, today it is -16C (3F) outside. I'll try to syphon to the toilet, but I feel that the flow rate will be awfully slow, will find out.


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## travis2k (Apr 23, 2008)

If you can siphon to a sink or toilet on a lower floor, would work easier


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Man... your plants/bushes/grass would LOVE that water... putting it down the toilet is like... well flushing it down the toilet


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## xWingman48 (Apr 8, 2008)

I'm also a big advocate of the python and prime. I used to do the whole bucket thing, but doing that on a 50 was getting to be a pain. Now, I siphon out the window, and then use my python to the sink. I got a long one so it would go all the way across the house.


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

So I've been driving all over town in an attempt to find a faucet adapter, so i can too use the method described in this thread. I've bought 3 different adapters from Lowes/Home Depot, and none seem to fit my sink. I even went and bought the replacement brace adapter (the one used in the Python kit) and it doesn't fit on either end. As far as i know, i have a standard sink. Nothing custom made, or anything like that. Can someone please help? Possibly provide a picture, of how exactly their adapter is installed on their sink?? I would soooo appreciate it!


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## gmaschke (Aug 23, 2008)

get a wrench and take the filter off the end of your faucet then the python adapter and prob 1 or 2 of the others you tried will thread on. The small screen filter is held on by a thread4ed coupler on most kitchen sinks a bathroom faucet may be different though.


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## iplaywithemotions (Dec 18, 2008)

gmaschke said:


> get a wrench and take the filter off the end of your faucet then the python adapter and prob 1 or 2 of the others you tried will thread on. The small screen filter is held on by a thread4ed coupler on most kitchen sinks a bathroom faucet may be different though.


It's a Christmas miracle!! IT worked! lol. Thanks dude! I am SO relieved and forever great-full. Have a happy holiday!

No more buckets woohoooooo!


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## giblit (May 20, 2008)

i just got a 20 foot hose and attached it to my gravel vacume and let it suck all the water outside then i grab the garden hose and refill it


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

giblit said:


> i just got a 20 foot hose and attached it to my gravel vacume and let it suck all the water outside then i grab the garden hose and refill it


+1 :thumb:


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

I use the siphon out the door or floor drain and use 3 30 gallon garbage cans (new of course)for the return water and fill them up from the sink with a long hose and pump that after treating into the tanks. This way I only treat the water that I am putting back saving there and have more control over the temp swings in the supply. Don't know bout anyone else but from start to fill on the garbage cans the water in my system can drop a couple of degrees while filing so I have to monitor it as the cans fill. So if I was filling straight to the tank the temp has the potential to fluctuate too much. Still alot nicer to only turn a few valves and not have to pack buckets around. On my three tanks I do about 125 to 150 gallon changes a week.


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