[baishui]

This might sound stupid, but I do wonder how you guys are doing your water change.

Now I have one 5G and one 10G. I use a 5L plastic container to hold tap water, put conditioner in, and just let it sit for a day or two; then I just carefully pour it into the tank. However, it looks like first of all, it's too cold (compare with my tank water); and it's always too much flow (no matter how careful I was). And I can only replace the 5G tank with it, cause the 10G tank will definitely need more than 5L per change.

How are you guys doing the water change?

 

[TorontoBoy]

Suction out as much water as you want to change. For my 15G I replace 2 buckets, or 6G, for my 10G I replace 1 bucket, or 3G.

If you add a water conditioner such as Prime it acts immediately so there is no need to wait. Use a thermometer to match the new tap water to the temperature of your tank. Add Prime, add water to your tank immediately.

Some fish do not like the "toilet bowl" amount of turbulence when you dump your water back in. This is especially true for my small guppies. I found you can use a water fountain pump to pump from the bucket back into the tank. It is much slower and much less turbulent.

 

[pyrrolin]

I have a fishroom with a few hundred gallons and I have a hose system for that.

But for your situation, you can do what I do on my other tanks in the house.

First thing is, if you leave water out for 24 hours, you don't have to use water conditioner. the water conditioner makes it so you can use tap water right away. On the small water changes, the temp difference is ok but on larger changes, you will want to get water from the tap the right temp, put in the conditioner and then right into the tank.

You can get 2 gallon buckets at dollar stores, I have a couple 2.5 gallon from walmart that are better quality along with a few dollar store ones for different uses.

I also recently got some extra hose of a diameter that works better for my small tanks, airline hose was too slow and the standard 1/2 inch hose was too fast.

For my larger tanks with my hose system, I put in conditioner of the amount I will need into the tank and then I add water with the hose. If you want to be extra safe with this method, turn off the filter while filling.

 

[aniroc]

You need a bigger storage container (like the Home Depot orange bucket; it is food grade and cost only $3 something).
Another option is to do smaller, more often water changes. However, a 30% once a week is better than 3 10% water changes within a week.
The conditioner removes chlorine and chloramine, aging water that way you risk contamination. Add conditioner just prior to filling your tank.
As per the temp, I have a spare heater that I dip in the container for an hour or so if the water is very cold. I never had a problem with room temperature water poured slowly.

 

[Fishfur]

If you are going to age water to remove chlorine, make sure first that the water company is not adding ammonia to the water too. If they are, chlorine and ammonia combine into chloramines, which can take a week or more to gas out. Pure Chlorine does gas out fast, 24 hours is the accepted time frame, if you leave it in a bucket. Using an air stone speeds it up, by speeding gas exchange. Same would be true for chloramines but they simply are not as volatile as pure chlorine, so they take a week to dissipate.

A friend of mine typed a student's thesis awhile ago. Needless to say, she read it, you can't help but read what you type. The thesis was on the use of ammonia to bind such dangerous toxins in Lake Ontario's water as dioxins, among one or two others. So if your water comes from Lake Ontario, the chances are very high the water plant for your city or town IS using ammonia, not so much for the increased disinfection it provides, but to bind these toxins that the lake contains throughout.

Thus I prefer to use Prime always, and in any event, don't have space to leave buckets out to age anyway.

I have used a pump to add new water, before I got the Aqueon version of a Python water changer. Very smooth, slow water return this way. Small pumps don't cost a lot, just attach a tube the right length, put the pump in the bucket, tube into the tank, plug it in and let it run 'til it runs out of water or the tank's full.

 

[Jung]

drill some holes in a plastic cup and pour the fresh water through it, like a little shower. If you have space get a spare 10gal to age your water.

 

[videosilva]

Bucket of Water

Easiest way hands down is a spare bucket filled with water over night and at room temperature.

The LESS chemicals you put in your tanks the better.

If your water is at room temperature you should be fine and just pour the bucket in slowly.

If the water IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME it is good enough for the fish !!!!

 

[Fishfur]

Far as I'm concerned, what comes out of our taps is not good enough for me !

 

[mistersprinkles]

If the water IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME it is good enough for the fish !!!!

Do you have gills? Are you in mortal danger in the presence of trace amounts of ammonia? ?

Then the water that's good enough for you isn't good enough for your fish.

 

[videosilva]

Special Water

Far as I'm concerned, what comes out of our taps is not good enough for me !

Hopefully SPECIAL water will be created for you possibly coming from outer space.

 

[videosilva]

Kill ME !

You people kill me. There have been OVER 2000 confirmed nuclear bomb detonations. That is what is in the air you breath, the water you drink etc .etc. etc. DEAL WITH IT !

So, where is everyone getting that special water from. I would also like some.

 

[mistersprinkles]

You people kill me. There have been OVER 2000 confirmed nuclear bomb detonations. That is what is in the air you breath, the water you drink etc .etc. etc. DEAL WITH IT !

So, where is everyone getting that special water from. I would also like some.

Nobody's talking about special water. The fact that traces of tritium and it's friends are in all the water in the world doesn't change the fact that you need to remove and or bind up the ammonia and chlorine in GTA tap water.

The ammonia and chlorine are more clear and present dangers to your fish than the trace elements left behind by all those nuclear bomb detonations, Chernobyl, Fukushima, etc. Those will give us all cancer in a few decades. Your fish probably won't live that long.

Point is, tap water coming from anything but very clean groundwater will have chlorine or chloramines in it. If it's just chlorine, you can leave the water out for a day or two and it'll likely all gas out. If it's chloramine, it'll take a heck of a lot longer. So, use water conditioner, a good water conditioner like Seachem Prime will take care of chloramine, and bind up the ammonia in the chloramine to a relatively non toxic form that can still be consumed by your biofilter.

Nobody has special water here.

 

[SKurj]

I have a 15g currently with fry that are tiny. I siphon water out as I do the rest of my smaller tanks, with a 1/2" hose.
But when it comes to replacing the water.. I fill a 5gal pail as close to temperature of the tank as I can and I add prime. The tank is actually under a 55gal, so I put the 5gal pail on a stool so its above the tank height. I then get a 4ft piece of airline and use it to siphon water into the tank.

So long as I am only adding as much as I removed I can start the siphon and walk away (it does take awhile to add 5gal thru an airline). It won't over fill or anything, it won't disturb the sand or the fry as well. If you can place the replacement water above the tank this might be solution for you for refilling.

 

[Lee_D]

This time of year I would be more concerned about the temperature of the water coming out of the tap. I haven't measured it but it's gotta be below seven degrees. That's going to produce one doozy of a temperature drop in your tank.

Lee

 

[videosilva]

Pails of water

My days of putting water in pails and letting it sit to do a water change are OVER.

Once water evaporates, I top off with water straight from the tap weekly. I Fill a bucket that is roughly the same as the tank and in it GOEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ~!

I don't recommend that others do this but it works. Where did this Drip acclimatization come from ? I was out of the hobby for 15 years and someone comes out with this new idea. Bag with fish, coral etc. sits in tank for ten minutes or so to get the water temperature as close to the tank as possible. Open the bag let some water out and fill with water from the tank. Another 10-15 and in goes the ............

 

[Lee_D]

I don't do top offs. When the tank needs a top off, I like to take out a bucket, then put in two. At some point you need to remove some water to reduce the mineral build up.

Lee

 

[nightowl1350]

If you age the water it is fine the way it is, no prime needed. I just add a bit of boiling water to the pail to bring up the temp to tank temp. I have a large garbage bin (35g) to age my water in.

If you are using prime then as above just get the water as close to tank temp and add it. A small diameter hose works, just place it above tank level and let it run...just be sure to not overflow your tank when doing this. I have done it with a 5g, but lucky I didn't have much more in the pail than I took out.

 

[Fishfur]

Aside from any health concerns that may be associated with consuming it, I dislike the smell and taste of chlorine, especially in my green tea. This is why I say what comes out of the tap isn't good enough for me.

And chlorine's just one reason bottled water sales are so high. When I was a kid, the only bottled water was, maybe, Perrier, or something of that nature, and you could not buy bottled water at the grocery store as you can now. Most restaurants would give you a glass of water for nothing. And the tap water didn't taste or smell like chlorine.

My, my, how things have changed since then.

 

[colio]

Not much comment on your issue of flow and current when you poor in water. This is a non-trivial issue.

I do my 10 gallon tank water changes with a 5 gallon home depot bucket (which has excess capacity to what I need for a single water change). When I poor in the water, I place my hand, or a plastic plate, just above or slight in the tank, and poor my clean water into my hand/plate. This disperses the flow nicely, and is less disruptive to my fish, shrimp, and plants.

For my 10 gallon I have a small gravel vac to drain the water, which works very well.

I am a fan of Prime to remove chlorine/etc, because then I KNOW my water is safe. Prime is amazing stuff. If you use conditioner, I highly recommend Prime, and would advise against the cheap stuff. The costs difference is not a lot (a cents a week), and the cheaper stuff can actually be hazardous if you use to much, or not remove all impurities.

 

[baishui]

I am using API Conditioner

Should I throw it away and buy a Prime? lol