gills Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 Hi people. Any examples of an efficient system for water changing? I know it would vary with each individual and tank but i'd like to hear of other systems to compare and adapt if possible. At the moment it's a 10L bucket,clear hose and gravel vac and sometimes the garden hose for refilling. cheers Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayci Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 I use a 25ltr water container. Sipon into in. Put new water in it. Can sit it on tank with no problems and open the tap a little bit to slowly add water over a half to hour period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 Get a 200L barrel (one of them big blue ones) and sit ot beside or near your tank. Fill it up with water the night before, and chuck in a heater and large powerhead/pump. In the morning you will have nice, heated, de-chlorinated water. All you need to do is syphon the water out of the tank (whichever way you choose) and then chuck a hose on the outlet of the pump in the barrel and let it pump the water into your tank.... Easy as that, no stress to the fish either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 I use the garden hose for refilling. For syphoning, I got a pool vacuum cleaner hose, I have one end in the garden and I tie the other to the back of a chair - then I use the ordinary syphon/vacuum thingie and syphon directly into the big hose. So far I haven't had any fish end up in the garden! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great White Hand Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Hi Gills I run the syphon out the window (remember to vacuum carefully every 2nd or 3rd time) and and then fill a 20ltr bucket with lukewarm (approx 28C) water from the tap (we are soooo lucky in CHCH) and carefully pour it in, takes 5-10 mins for 4-5 buckets 30-40%WC in a 215ltr (gross) tank. It runs out about as fast as I fill it up. Even better, "Mikefish" on TM has an adaptor that goes on a tap faucet and you just fill the tank from there. See my technical thread on this one good avice from other. Regards, TGWH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 I bought one of mikefish's gadgets but found the fine plastic thread didn't last so I made one from bits in metal from a few different sources. Pm me if you want the details. I siphon out with the garden hose then connect to the kitchen fawcett and (running the hose through the windows) fill it back up with water blended to the same temperature. We are lucky having untreated water in Christchurch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 My system? Hose out the door to drain it, hose from sink to refill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gills Posted July 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Thanks to everyone! I really appreciate the prompt and valuable advice from the members of this forum. As I'm another one from the Great CHCH I'll check ouy Mike's Fishing store and I'm waiting on a PM from alanmin4304 with details of his gadget. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuglyDragon Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 Hi all, I am the 'MikeFish' mentioned above. Have the sink pumps back in stock and I do have metal adaptors available if needed. As for a water change system... My tanks run on a sump system with a low pressure ballcock on each sump. A header tank supplies water to each sump via the ballcock to maintain water level. I simply have an outflow from each rack that runs to a holding tank, to do a water change I just open the outflow a little and the water running out is replaced via the ballcock, as long as I keep the flow rate low there is no great temperature drop. I then pump the nitrate rich water from the holding tank out to the garden... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarium Dude Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 I syphon out the window. And then use a long hose attached to the laundry tub to put water back into the tank. Ps. I match the temperature of the water from the long hose to that of the tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 Syphon out window. Pump from Aging barrel back to tank through window. Simple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted July 15, 2007 Report Share Posted July 15, 2007 I've built a covered and insulated box outside against the wall of the house for 660L of water barrels. The barrels are heated with 5 x 300W heater and water is slowly circulated by a small pump. There's another pump to bring the water inside. I cut a hole through the wall and permanently fixed a drain pipe (with a net at the end) going down the waste and incoming water pipe for the heated water. The pump and heaters are switched on and off from inside the house. Now I don't have to open any windows or doors to do a water change. I used a fairly big pump so it only takes 6 minutes to move the 600L of water inside... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richms Posted July 16, 2007 Report Share Posted July 16, 2007 I drilled a hole out the floor and ran a garden hose under the house to the wastewater drain, put a snap fitting on the end of it, and a male version on the gravel vac, I start it syphoning into a bucket and then snap it onto the hose so it all goes straight outside. I just fill it from the hose, I got an adaptor that takes a garden hose size thread down to a shower hose sized one, and I fill it from the mixer so its about right temperature. Just put the anti chlor stuff in to the tank first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Smith Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 I have a small tank (100L) in the lounge of an apartment, so garden hoses and 600L tanks are out of the question. I vac out into a 20L bucket and use the vac to siphon back in treated fresh. What I've been trying to get for a long time is a discreet plastic 3-way T ball valve (that doesn't cost $200!). With this on the input line to my external filter I figured I can stop the pump, switch the valve from 'through-flow' to begin a siphon into the bucket, let the tank empty out 20L (intake is low in the tank), close the valve then dump the old and bring the new water. I then switch the 3-way T-valve and start the pump so that it is now sucking out of the bucket, through the filter and into the tank. But I just cannot find a 3-way T ball valve that isn't monstrously big and ugly, or very expensive. Big and ugly and not cheap: http://www.dixonvalve.com.au/dpl/dpl_page/2007/427.pdf Pretty, but not cheap. This is what I want. http://www.piping.georgfischer.com/stat ... 120C0932C3 Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayci Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Exactly what I want to do. Need a 3 way valve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 55gallon plastic drum in the garden above fish tank level syphons very well, fishtank to outside ground level also syphons very well. Bildge pump for other tanks. I am presently using black plastic irrigation hose (and valves) for this purpose (cheap) but would prefer something more flexible. Clear plastic hose at the usual outlets is very expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Hmmm, Last time I went to Mitre 10 they had 30mm(Or something like that, fairly large anyway) for only $2-3 meter and smaller diameter stuff that's the diameter most gravel vacs use for $2/m VERY cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 $8 per metre in Taupo :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaNs Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 $8 per metre in Taupo :evil: Try places like RD1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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