# Water change processes



## Adam Dunkley (20 Dec 2020)

Hello everyone,

curious what and how people use and do when carrying out a water change?

what tools you use?
RO or tap water?
Etc


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## Plant Heathen (20 Dec 2020)

I personally like a sink python to suck out the water in my tank. I also like RO water.  In my opinion, a must if you have more than one tank with different needs. You can adjust each to its specific needs.


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## Sammy Islam (20 Dec 2020)

I use a python water changer connected to my kitchen tap (tap water GH22 KH13). Can do a 80% water change in about 15min while "hoovering", makes my life very easy.


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## brhau (21 Dec 2020)

I use simple siphon to drain and gravel vac, then a powerhead connected to tubing and a directional return to pump water back into the tank.


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## Mr.Shenanagins (21 Dec 2020)

My tank is right next to a window so I drain directly outside and I have an RV drinking safe hose connected to my faucet with a valve at the end to control the flow. It’s also connected to a soaker attachment to not disturb the substrate and works quite well.


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## ian_m (21 Dec 2020)

I use this to speed up water changes...
Water change heater project.


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## Wolf6 (21 Dec 2020)

Hose in a fishnet, using a clamp on the edge of the tank, set so it empties about half the tank. The other end of the hose goes into the kitchen sink. Once its going I clean windows etc and then leave it going till the hose starts sucking air. Then, I use a longer second hose which I can attach to the tap in the scullery after guestimating the temperature setting for the water. Attach the spare spraybar to the hose, aimed at the front glass, use a set of plastic clamps to keep it in place and keep an eye on the tank while filling. I also spot dose any spots of bba with easycarbo around this time and add ferts. 

During dry spells in summer I use buckets and watering cans instead of the kitchen sink, but I prefer the minimum-effort solution of the sink


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## shangman (21 Dec 2020)

I have 2 lowtech rainwater tanks, and 1 tapwater. The biggest is 65l, and I mostly do a 30% change weekly. I just use a siphon + bucket to take out a buckets worth, about 20L from my bigger tank. Before that, I will have filled a 30L carton of water at my allotment or back garden (water from allotment is more crystal clear, but also more annoying), then lug it up the stairs (the tanks are on the 2nd floor hooray), pour it into a watering can and fill it up again. During winter I've started collecting the water much earlier so it can warm up in my bathroom for a few days. 

It is a little annoying, but it's made me a bit fitter and since my tanks aren't too big it's not too much bother. I prefer using the rainwater and knowing my fish will live better in it that my very hard tap. I dream of having a big tank with a proper waterchanging system one day built into the house one day though!


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## dw1305 (21 Dec 2020)

Hi all,


shangman said:


> During winter I've started collecting the water much earlier so it can warm up in my bathroom for a few days.


Same for me, <"10% water change a day using rain-water">.  I use re-purposed <"six pint milk cartons"> and draw the water the day before I use it. 

cheers Darrel


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## Big G (21 Dec 2020)

Currently;

Tap water brought as close to tank temp as possible, treated with API Tap Safe or similar and set aside.
Aiming for about 20% a week.
Combining changing with syphoning off aquatic soil granules the shrimp kick about with any mulm, p 0 0 and aquasoil dust on the sand only area.
6mm airline strapped to turkey baster with an elastic band with tip of airline projecting about 1cm beyond tip of baster. 6mm allows me to target only what I need without the whole process being over in seconds. Nano tanks. Baster gives me a fixed pointer, toots curious shrimp safely away and lightly lifts most detritus from sand surface.

Waste water into glass jar to settle for shrimplet/baby check and any sand can settle out then top into sink (in winter via a net to prevent plant fragments in the water supply ) with rest to flowerbed.

New water goes in slowly in dribbled chunks.

Bg


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## aec34 (21 Dec 2020)

Slight hijack of thread: does anyone else NOT treat their tap water before using it? I am on mostly rain water cut with some tap for two nano tanks, one of which has cherry shrimp - I tend to just let the tap stand for a few days, and it’s been fine so far...
(Changes are weekly, 30-50% ish)


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## Nick potts (21 Dec 2020)

I use a simple syphon that hooks over the tank and drains into a bucket.

All my tanks are currently unheated, so are refilled with RO that has been sat for a day. Fish tanks are pumped/poured back in and shrimp tanks get it dripped back in. All pretty simple and easy at the moment as the largest tank is only 30 odd litres.



aec34 said:


> Slight hijack of thread: does anyone else NOT treat their tap water before using it? I am on mostly rain water cut with some tap for two nano tanks, one of which has cherry shrimp - I tend to just let the tap stand for a few days, and it’s been fine so far...
> (Changes are weekly, 30-50% ish)


I have never used rainwater but I would always treat any tap water going into the tank. I still add a bit of prime to my RO water.


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## dw1305 (21 Dec 2020)

Hi all,


aec34 said:


> I tend to just let the tap stand for a few days, and it’s been fine so far...


Yes, the  0.5 ppm chlorine will just out-gas. The issue for most people isn't the day to day levels of chlorination but <"emergency chlorine/ chloramine dosing">, which occurs when the <"integrity of the water main is threatened">.


aec34 said:


> (Changes are weekly, 30-50% ish)


If you don't want to treat your water, I'd go for a smaller volume, but more frequent water change. In that way the plants will mop up any ammonia from the break down of chloramine.

cheers Darrel


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## Wolf6 (21 Dec 2020)

aec34 said:


> Slight hijack of thread: does anyone else NOT treat their tap water before using it? I am on mostly rain water cut with some tap for two nano tanks, one of which has cherry shrimp - I tend to just let the tap stand for a few days, and it’s been fine so far...
> (Changes are weekly, 30-50% ish)


I dont treat it, only when I recently added new fish I might use some aquasafe, but ease of maintenance is very important to me. I change 50% weekly.


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## Nick potts (21 Dec 2020)

Wolf6 said:


> I dont treat it, only when I recently added new fish I might use some aquasafe, but ease of maintenance is very important to me. I change 50% weekly.


I think ease is very important when doing a WC, otherwise you tend to put them off. But a drop of prime in the water adds nothing time or effort-wise.


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## hypnogogia (21 Dec 2020)

I fill a water tank with 50/50 rainwater and tap water.  Rainwater is pumped through hose form water but into tank, then topped up with water from garden tap, together with some prime.  I filter, aerate and het the water overnight.  The next day I pump water with hosepipe out of tank, and then pump prepaid fresh water into tank.  No heavy lifting involved.


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## Wookii (21 Dec 2020)

I have automated water change systems on both my tanks, so I'm not sure whether I qualify for what the OP is looking for with their question.

On my high tech I use several TP Link Tapo smart plugs to operate actuated ball valves on the inlet and flush pipe of an RO unit. That fills a 30 litre tank with RO via a float valve. The water is then pumped up to the tank which has an overflow, the increase in the water level pushes the waste water over the overflow and down the drain, and skims the surface at the same time.

I have a similar system on my sons low tech upstairs, but there the Tapo plugs operate a solenoid on a mains water inlet which runs in from the adjacent bathroom into an 18 litre header tank. The auto-doser doses the header tank with dechlorinator, and an air pump mixes it for an hour. A second low pressure solenoid then opens up on a separate Tapo plug and gravity releases the water from the header tank slowly through 6mm tubing over about an hour. The tank also has an overflow, and waste water flows out of that into the waste pipe of the adjacent bathroom sink.


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## Andy Pierce (21 Dec 2020)

Cambridgeshire tap water, adjusted by hand to a vaguely cool to the touch temperature, with a capful of Tetra AquaSafe.  Mix up and add straight away with 50% water changes once a week and neither the fish nor shrimp (nor snalis) seem particularly perturbed about it, in fact they sometimes seem to get a bit of a burst of energy following.  To be fair they might be pretty robust species (rummy-nosed tetras, 5-banded barbs and oto catfish) so with something more sensitive you might take a more measured approach.


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## SRP3006 (21 Dec 2020)

Two siphons, one attached to a eheim strainer and out to the garden (into a water butt in the warmer months) the other pipe connected to a spray bar pointing up the front glass leading to a pump in a bucket, in the sink. Empty out the tank roughly 70-80% whilst cleaning glass, lily pipes, crud from plants etc and then refill. If I've had a trimming session (like last weekend) I refill, give the whole tank a good second blast with the turkey baster and empty again. Return water is always made ever so slightly cooler than the tank. Dose prime after each refill. Never seen any problems doing large water changes or even 2 on the bounce, in fact the cories usually spawn soon after.


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## not called Bob (21 Dec 2020)

Syphon out the window with a filter sock to save the pygmys from going out.
25ltr barrels from kitchen tap, with the addition of a small pinch of ST crystals
stack one barrel on another on a chair and the head height is enough to have a good flow down to the sump, 
drain a barrel into sump and then pump up, while the next one with filling at the sink.


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## dcurzon (21 Dec 2020)

syphon out into a bucket and dispose. Repeat a few times.
Tap from bath into bucket, treat with prime or whatever brand I have about, pour bucket in


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