How do you do water changes?

If water changes are inconvenient and a PITA, you're likely going to want to not not do it.

I used to do wc with a couple of 5 gallon buckets so water changes was not something I looked forward to even though it was just 30% once a week. Now that I have rigged and devised a quick and low effort system, I do 50% every 4 days........this is 5 tanks on 3 different levels of the house with each level having its own unique wc set-up. Sounds demented but I kinda look forward to doing these wc since I can really see the positive side effect of the health of all my stock.


Point is, make the wc easy and you'll want to do it.

I'll post pictures of my ghetto/Frankenstein set ups when I get a chance

TimnKasey said:

Thats what im hoping to do! I dont do near enough changes!
Whats your wc setup like??


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I'll post pictures of my ghetto/Frankenstein set ups when I get a chance

TimnKasey said:

What sort of equipment are people using to do water changes? Hoses, buckets, siphon and hose? something I dont know about??
I dont do nearly enough water changes, and I want to be able to do them more easily. Is there any trick or product that makes it significantly easier??
Right now I run a siphon with hose out the door to drain tank, and a hose from kitchen to tank. Its a mess, its getting cold, and I have a 2 year old that "helps".

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What I do is I have a 1 inch vinyl hose I use to drain my tank whichever it may be my 180 gal my 145 gal etc. I lead the hose out the window and into the garden so the water isn't wasted. With the 1 inch hose the tanks drain fast! After I have them at 50% drained, I add in some seachem safe and begin filling. I fill with a 100ft garden hose with an adaptor attached to my sink so I can use the correct temperature of water. The filling is simple easy and hassle free. This system is clean and efficient for me. I used to do everything with buckets and it was back breaking. After I began doing this a waterchange of any size is a breeze.

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I use python with 100 foot hose to drain and an RO/DI filter to fill. 50% weekly on all tanks: 29, 36, 40, 55, 110 and 125. I'd like to see the Frankenstein setup too ☺ With 6 tanks, it is time consuming.

TimnKasey said:

has anyone used those hoses that expand? Im worried it would take FOREVER to fill or not sit in the tank by itself (i cant always stay next to the tank).
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Well i used a hose that was drinking water safe meaning the hose contained no lead, harsh chemicals etc. So I'm not sure if the hose you speak of meets those standards any other hose may contaminate your tank in the long run leading to the fish becoming ill. Another thing you can do if you can't stay beside your tank while it's filling is make an alarm. You can use an old fire alarm for this. The King Of Diy on YouTube made a great tutorial on this very thing and It will sound the alarm at any desired water level so that you will be informed as to when the water reaches a certain point. It's simple yet efficient

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TimnKasey said:

And I guess have to look into a bigger hose!
I have zero room to store a hose, has anyone used those hoses that expand? Im worried it would take FOREVER to fill or not sit in the tank by itself (i cant always stay next to the tank).
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There's really no easy way around it, if you want to drain fast, you'll need larger diameter hoses or utilize an electric pump.

I use those expanding hoses and they work well. I use it to refill my 75 and 180 and it doesn't take long to refill a 180 at 50%...never timed it, but I want to say about 10mins or so. Best part is, I just use the glass cover to hold the end piece in place, while its refilling, and I can walk away to do other things

Im currently running a 1/2" hose for my water changer. It works great for filling. Draining could be faster.

I made a jalopy version of a python with hardware store parts, now I use a 400gph pond pump with 25 or 35ft of 1/2 hose on it to drain my tanks. I normally run it to a window, door, or the bathtub depending where I am in the house. But i still refill with the water changer

If your looking for a larger diameter hose that's inexpensive check out RV water hose. Its like a garden hose but its NSF potable water safe. They have them in varying lengths. I think I have one that's 5/8" or 3/4" @ 25ft long, cost me about $8

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