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Water change regime ideas


ziggyboy

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I'm looking for more efficient/clever ways to do water changes on a 6x2x2 tank. I would also like to reuse old tank water for my plants.

At the moment I siphon water to a 60L tub and water my plants until I've siphoned about 1/3 of tank water. Then I switch off the filters, fill the tank to full straight from the tap, add water conditioner for for 1/3 of tap water directly into the tank, then switch on the filters.

Does anyone think re-filling the tank from tap and dechloronising directly is an issue? What do people do when they siphon about 200L of water? Do you do it using small buckets? Some DIY plumbing to a container outside the house? Any ideas?

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I'm looking for more efficient/clever ways to do water changes on a 6x2x2 tank. I would also like to reuse old tank water for my plants.

At the moment I siphon water to a 60L tub and water my plants until I've siphoned about 1/3 of tank water. Then I switch off the filters, fill the tank to full straight from the tap, add water conditioner for for 1/3 of tap water directly into the tank, then switch on the filters.

Does anyone think re-filling the tank from tap and dechloronising directly is an issue? What do people do when they siphon about 200L of water? Do you do it using small buckets? Some DIY plumbing to a container outside the house? Any ideas?

I was told ages ago that if you add water direct from the tap you should put in enough conditioner to treat the entire volume of the tank, I've always done that and never lost a fish after a water change.

I have a long hose attached to my gravel vac and run the water onto the lawn or garden, no messing about with buckets for me.

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I have a similar routine except I use an Aqueon water changer to avoid messing around with buckets. I just hook it up to the tap, drain 2/3rds, then flip the switch to fill it back up while I add Prime. I add 1 tank's worth of Prime but I'm sure it would be fine with less.

The hardest bit for me when refilling from the tap is matching the temperature. I have to keep an eye on it as can fluctuate.

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Like Skippy, I use a long hose to do WC on my tanks.

Basically, I use:

- a PVC pipe (I think 20mm) instead of a gravel vac (all my tanks either bare bottom/sand)

- a section of a hose ( about 2.5-3ft)

- a valve to switch the water flow (I need this to move between tanks)

- a long section of a hose all the way to dumping ground/garden

you could add another valve at the end if you want to water your garden to regulate the flow instead going back inside the tank and regulate it from the first valve.

Get a good quality (no kink/harden)18mm or bigger hose. I found standard garden hose is too small.

To start the siphon, switch off the valve, fill the short part of the hose with water all the way to the PVC pipe, dunk the PVC pipe into tank, open the valve, the water should flow freely with gravity.

I fill up straight from tap as I don't have the luxury to have a water aging tank. Dose the tank with conditioner for the full volume of water not just the displaced water.

HTH.

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Ziggyboy can you advise is there just the 6x2x2 and is it the house or garage/shed

is it against an outer wall or backing a garage and is there a window close

is it possible to put drain holes for plumbing through the wall or floor

this will dictate a direction to check wether to put in hard plumbing or hose with a

self levelling pipe

for refilling a 200 lt drum and a pump works for me

drum is filled and Safe added then left to aerate a couple of days mine is inside the

fishroom so temp isn't a problem

if you have a spare room or garage space then consider the 200 lt drum or a in a garage

a 1000lt pallicon

it comes down to where the tank is and what you can do in the area

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi,

I have a DIY automatic water change system.

  • A holding tank is filled with water via a tap timer and float valve.
  • Prime is added with a dosing pump.
  • Water is then pumped out of my sump and the sump is refield from the holding tank.

This sysytem does 5% water changes twice daily. The water that is pumped out of the sump goes outside to another holding tank where it is pumped onto the garden via a dripper system.

It was a bit complicated to set up but now I never have to worry about water changes or watering the garden. All I do now is clean my tanks with an Eheim quick vac pro and clean the sump.

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Hi

I use a old fluval canister filter

put it in the middle of my fish room with long hoses

move it from tank to tank to drain

I use a garden hose to fill back up straight from tap.

And a good amount of seachem safe :) to be safe

i have a on/off tap on the hose that i use to turn off take to next tank without having to start syphon cycle again works very well and saves me time ....

my 2 cents worth :)

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