# Help with water changes! how do you change tank water?



## krazypara3165 (2 Dec 2012)

Howdy, i have a 285l aquarium, and i am planning on keeping discus after christmas. the problem i have is that i want to do regular large water changes to keep the nitrates in check as my tap water is high enough in them as it is. The problem i have is that i am doing (on top of a few little water changes) 80-100l change a week by syphoning out the water, treating the tank with a dechlorinator and then refilling it using a hose (with the correct temp water from tap) however this is proving to be costly as its costing me £2.50 worth of dechlorinator every time i do it. how does everyone else do it? is there an easier way?


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## BigTom (2 Dec 2012)

Well one solution would be to buy a more concentrated dechlorinator (one for ponds, perhaps), which should only cost you pennies instead of pounds at each water change.


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## krazypara3165 (2 Dec 2012)

Ahhhh thankyou. I wasnt sure if a pond dechlorinator would harm the smaller fish/plants we use in an aquarium


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## Spikey-Mike (2 Dec 2012)

Indeed, I use Kusuri Dechlorinator which I got off ebay. 500ml for £11 which treats 5000 gallons. 

Regards, Mike.


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## geoffbark (2 Dec 2012)

I use an RO system, This will help keep your nitrates in check and also you will not need dechlorinator. 

You can make these units less wasteful as well.

I pass my waste water through again, and then collect the rest of the waste water for the garden and washing car


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## krazypara3165 (2 Dec 2012)

Spikey-Mike said:
			
		

> Indeed, I use Kusuri Dechlorinator which I got off ebay. 500ml for £11 which treats 5000 gallons.
> 
> Regards, Mike.


Jeez, thats good! Ive been using tetra, 250ml treats 500l.........


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## krazypara3165 (2 Dec 2012)

geoffbark said:
			
		

> I use an RO system, This will help keep your nitrates in check and also you will not need dechlorinator.
> 
> You can make these units less wasteful as well.
> 
> I pass my waste water through again, and then collect the rest of the waste water for the garden and washing car


I have been looking into these, seen a unit on ebay for 130. Problem I have is that im on a meter so dont really want to be too wasteful, and my tap water is super soft so id assume I have to spend more putting minerals back in. also, how do I plumb it in? If I plumb it into the mains I cannot regulate the temp of the water. Can I attatch it to a tap with a hose?


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## geoffbark (2 Dec 2012)

krazypara3165 said:
			
		

> I have been looking into these, seen a unit on ebay for 130. Problem I have is that im on a meter so dont really want to be too wasteful,



They can be costly as they produce a lot of waste water, but you can use the waste water wisely!



			
				krazypara3165 said:
			
		

> and my tap water is super soft so id assume I have to spend more putting minerals back in.



The good thing about RO is that it does not matter how soft/hard etc tap water is, the unit removes everything and can produce TDS of 1-0   

You will need to add minerals depending on your tank!



			
				krazypara3165 said:
			
		

> also, how do I plumb it in? If I plumb it into the mains I cannot regulate the temp of the water. Can I attatch it to a tap with a hose?



Connect it to the mains is really the best way, produce the required amount of water and store in a water butt etc, heat and use when ready


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## krazypara3165 (2 Dec 2012)

Id be able to connect it to the mains easy enough as I have a spare dishwasher outlet I suppose I could rig it upto. However id then need to rig it to a hose to a water butt outside and then purchase a heater, and remineralise it. Starting to sound costly.... Seeing as my kh and gh are less than 5 the only function of it would be to remove chlorine, which would dissipate anyway after 48 hours in a water butt?


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## geoffbark (2 Dec 2012)

I was thinking more for your high nitrates, as im sure discus keppers use RO systems for that reason.

If your fixed on cost then i'm not sure which is cheapest for you sorry. Lets go over the options again:

1) Tap water (hot and cold mixed to temp) and dechlorinator
2) Tap water stored overnight and heated
3) Rain water harvest stored overnight and heated
4) Tap water (hot and cold mixed to temp) fed through carbon filter housing  
5) RO system stored over night and heated

now there are other options and elabrate ways but these are the common ones.

I would say find the one that is easist for yourself. I like the RO way as i have a clean sheet to start from and add minerals to a known amount.

Hope this helps


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## LancsRick (2 Dec 2012)

Surely just normal Seachem Safe is a good budget option? I've done a couple of thousand litres with mine and barely dented the jar!


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## krazypara3165 (2 Dec 2012)

LancsRick said:
			
		

> Surely just normal Seachem Safe is a good budget option? I've done a couple of thousand litres with mine and barely dented the jar!




Cheers, ive not heard about this product before but sounds like its worth investing in!


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## Zayvin (7 Dec 2012)

Try a HMA filter, it's what I use on my 300L discus tank for weekly 50% water changes. Cheap to run (£40 a year) and filters just the important things such as particles, chlorine and other metallic nasties. It has none of the waste water/slow flow issues of RO, granted it does not alter hardness or remove nitrates though.

I think you will find a HMA system is what most discus keepers use, de-chlorinator additives etc are not recommended, and going RO is pure overkill.


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## krazypara3165 (7 Dec 2012)

Is a hma filter easy enough to rig up to a garden hose? And do you have any reccomendations?


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## DTL (27 Dec 2012)

A cheaper alternative for dechlorination is sodium thiosulphate.
 1kg Sodium thiosulphate -aquarium dechlorinator!top quality | eBay

CNYKOI - Sodium Thiosulfate stock solution calculator

1 jar @ £8.19 shipped will last ages


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