Priscacara Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 G'day, I'm looking for ideas that others use to help cut down the labour involved in tank maintenace and especially water changes. My physical situation is that I have a permanant lower back injury restricting me to a maximum of 10 kilos lifting weight. My tank situation is a 65L community, 50L shell dweller and 215L rift lake cichlid tank (dwarf species). The community isnt a problem as I can manage 20L changes weekly. The water for the other 2 is stored and heated (on the day I do the change) in a 75L bin with a lid with any additives already in the water. Both the shellies and cichlids are same parameters so I do both tanks the same day, the shellies get 15L and the rest goes into the other tank. On a side note, would mixing warm tap water for the community tank cause any trouble with copper? When I used to have a fish room I still had to do changes by the bucket and sometimes ended up in bed for a couple of days, not really how you can enjoy your fish. I tried using various smaller pond pumps to add the water to the tanks but because of the height I was trying to pump it I never managed to do more than make a mess. I had a wheelie rubbish bin as my storage along with 25L drums, using RO water and so many additives to get the parameters right for each tank it was not really viable. I now live in a rented unit so I'm limited to my options. I mix the water in the garage and cart it by the bucket in to the tanks, time consuming and beat by the end of the process. I plan on setting up a 6 or 8 foot tank (most likely Africans but I would love a fully planted Central or South American too) in the near future so my workload will be a lot more. Any suggestions are welcome, my tools are limited to screwdrivers, spanners and a hammer so easy assemble would be a bonus but not a necessity (thats what friends and their toolkits are for! ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 How far is it from the garage to the tank? This would be a major factor in doing the changes by pump. Maybe, if cost isnt a problem have cabinets made for all you tanks and put a water change tank under each. Then smaller pumps could be used to do water changes. I had a 6 foot tank set up this way and it worked perfect. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spedwards Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 +1 for pump solution. I've got a hefty pump which carts water from the garage to the tank via a 25m laundry recycling hose from Bunnings and up a head of ~5-6m. The flow isn't massive, but enough to refill the tank in a suitable time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genetik_defekt Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 i run my hose dissconected to syphon out water, then turn the hose on and fill it straight back up to fill. Always have always will. I dont do buckets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Priscacara Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 Tx for the quick replies. Money is an issue but I can check around for item pricing. Are you talking about the backyard hose to fill Yipp-e then dechlorinate in the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJJ-Master Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 If I couldn't do water changes with a bucket I'd look at buying one of those "python" things the yanks all seem to have . There are articles around to make a DIY version but - given your state might be difficult to make . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.