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Winter Water Change Acceptable temp

Hi Roly,
you could also buy a liquid transfer pump to pump the water from your jerry cans....about £12 from outdoor/camping shops or online if your step ladders arnt that tall!
 
I bought a couple of 40l buckets for £3 each from Asda to speed up water changes.

First I syphon water out of my 180l tank using gravel cleaner into a yellow 40l bucket. Use a yellow bucket so you can easily see anything you shouldn't have syphoned out, eg fish !!!

I then pump this water onto front lawn, via window, using a JBL 750 pump and short length of hose. I empty half the tank this way. Also fill a standard bucket whilst at it to rinse sponges, filters etc.

In the kitchen I fill two other 40l buckets with cold water, hot kettle water and dechlorinator and use the pump to pump it into the tank via a length of hose pipe. I have to do this as my hot water supply is ion exchange water softened and not suitable for fish tanks. The pump in the kitchen is on a radio controlled socket so I can turn the pumping off when tank is full. Also pumps quicker if buckets are on a work top rather then the floor as less differential height to pump.

Recently I have taken to using cold water straight from the kitchen cold tap as it makes water changes even quicker. Tank temp drops from 26 odd to 20 odd, but fish don't seem bothered, so will probably carry on this way.
 
Thanks Ian_m for sharing that.
It is fast becoming clear that I need a pump, and some additional hosing. Now you make the point about the large buckets, I know exactly what you mean. I have some used for kids garden toy storage!! Hmmmm
Appreciate you sharing that.
Cheers
R
 
A yellow bucket is the important thing, as the with the blue and black ones you can't see syphoned out fish swimming around.

I think I have the JBL u750 pump and standard B&Q cheapy hosepipe easily pushes over the pump outlet so no clips needed to hold pipe, and also easy to swap around. The pump also has suckers and sticks easily to inside of the 40l buckets.

I use some clamps like these to hold the hose pipe to the tank, bucket, sink etc whilst pumping.
33525_P.jpg

http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-spring-clamp-6-pack-of-2/33525
 
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