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Water changing method - experience and opinion please:D


henward

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my method:

usually i would rid of water.

then i would put water from the tap in a bucket, with water ager, then after that put the new water into the tank or sump to re fill the tank.

i went to HFF they said in all their tanks, they clean the tank and drain water, put tap water straight but before new water goes in, they put in sea chem prime, whcih is a very concentrated water ager, they put the precribed dose into the tank then from a hose pump the water into the tanK.

he said he has had no trouble with this.

i was just afraid that the chlorine in that brief moment will kill bacteria or fish and stuff.

but he said, the water ager acts instantly in contact with water and what its trying to neutralise.

he said that when you put the ager in the tank, and hose in, it will mix the water and instantly act, and no harm done

he says all his tank, including the massive one and the red aro tank is done like this.

i feel if they do it, i can, same water in albany to my house!

any feedback?

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Henward, I do my water changes exactly the same as the guy said from HFF. I have been doing this for the last few months with no problems at all. I have an Elephantnose in one of my tanks, and it has never shown signs of discomfort or turning up his fins.

Also I do 15% water changes daily with one 60% each week in 5 of my tanks. All my fish are thriving and I have not had any deaths.

I'm sure you will be fine.

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Yep agreed I just use the water straight out of the tap and haven't had trouble.. Of course this is implying that you have contacted the council and found there is nothing nasty in your water and taking the gamble they don't suddenly add a heap of chlorine randomly (have heard of it happening).

I lived in Auckland lived out in hobsonville and used the straight tap water too never had any trouble, if you did want to use dechlorinator then get the big bottle for ponds its soo economical even if you do decide to use it it wont break the bank like most of the other popular ones.. Cant remember the brand but can goto fish room and have a look and post it if you like..

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so suffice to say

the way i used to do it was the waste of time

if wanting to use water ager, which i already bought, it also breaks down amonia to safe compounds your bio filtration can break down so its ok its not such a waste cos im going away for a month with no water changes.

i put the water ager into the tank as i fill up with a hose and straight in that way?

if some people are filling up with out water ager at all, then i should definatley be ok with water ager from a hose. ?

those people that are putting straight tap hose water - are your water from the mains not tank from your roof and rain water?

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Ive always been on mains and don't use dechlorinator depends on how paranoid you are and I guess there is always a risk that there could be something in it.

As for contacting your council again its upto you I haven't and just use the tap water but I could get caught out.. Mind you where I live people refuse to even drink the tap water because its apparently so filthy I don't care and just drink it but most of bulls wont lol

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This is the process on my 4' tank with sump;

-Turn off pumps and wait for water to drain.

-Gravel siphon with extended hose goes out the window, drain 40-50% of water.

-Add AquaPlus water conditioner to main tank.

-Garden hose goes in the window and the tank is re-filled straight out of the hose.

I have a 300W heater in the sumo for 'normal' operation, and a 200W set 1C lower which only kicks in when the temp drops a few degrees after a big water change, so the water warms up quickly. I've been doing this for years and never had a problem with all sorts of fish, arowanas [black and silver], uarus, loaches, eels etc.

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Water changes 30% or less I just put it in.

Water changes 30% or more get cheap water ager added.

Water changes 50% or larger I try to make sure the water is warm as well

Works fine. I add the ager while the water is being added, e.g. half way through it I do a 'squirt'.

Also I never fire the cold hose at the filters directly.

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:o

So, let me get this right?? You guys do it straight from tap, with a hose even, and don't even warm the water to the same temp as the tank???

Man have I been wasting my time!

I always use a mix of cold/warm water, just to get the new water roughly around the same temperature as whats in the tank. Tell me I really don't have to to this.

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:o

So, let me get this right?? You guys do it straight from tap, with a hose even, and don't even warm the water to the same temp as the tank???

Man have I been wasting my time!

I always use a mix of cold/warm water, just to get the new water roughly around the same temperature as whats in the tank. Tell me I really don't have to to this.

You do really have to if you are changing more than about 10-15%, otherwise you risk white spot etc.

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yeah, i have been wasting my time too

as for your query, fish enjoy wald water rushes, they experience this in nature, rivers replenish rivers and lakes. rain and mountains replenish lakes and rivers all cold water, unwarmed and very cold, warms up through mixng and they enjoy this.

In fact there is substantial proof that this actually is better for the fish, stimulates the immune system and growth.

but i have been mixing ager and water in a bucket then putting into sump/tank.... man! have i been wating time! good though to know, now i can cut it by half again.

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i was gonna say, i thought that the water temp change would shock the fish! like when when you do the polar bear swim and cant breathe... i suppose that it would depend on how hardy your fish are to water temp changes...

man ive been wasting time and money making sure the water temp was only bout a degree off before adding it to my tank... >.<

o well, you live you learn..

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The amount of drop in temperature will depend on the % of water you change if you use cold water. A rapid substantial drop in temperature is a sure way to end up with white spot. If you are a lazyarse like me , the best way is to make water changes easy by getting a connector that allows you to add water at near the right temperature rather than stressing your fish. I do 50-60% water changes with a hose connected to the fawcette and blend hot and cold. It is no more difficult than filling from the garden tap but stresses the fish a lot less. It is easier than curing diseases.

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if you are doing 50 to 60% changes then i agree, blending temps is better, though some fish like aros, perhaps oscars and pacus, big monsters, i dont think its crucial, but for smaller less resilient fish, i think it would.

but water fluctuation is natural in all habitats, but how great the fluctuation is depends on the habitat, and remember, in the wild, lets say small guppies , the water temp will change dramatically, probably 20% of the fish population of species will die, but the other 80% is stronger and will breed stronger ones, natural selection:D

but blending sounds good, where do you get fixtures to put on normal unthreaded tap heads?

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