Maybe it is just me...but when I conduct water changes it is only 25% changes rarely and I drain it, match the temp of the tap water to the tank, add generous amounts of Amquel periodically, and that is it. Sounds like you have a complicated system for the water changes. Run a hose from the sink to fill it takes less time.
Water change from hell...Shucks!!!!!
- Thread starter flamenco-t
- Start date
it's not so much being complicated, but with the sump, i have to break cut the return pump in order to drain and refill. With everything in the sump, the suffaction may occur and the fact that I fell asleep propably didn't help either..
stan
stan
falling asleep was probably a big issue here, but as stated before, there are some complications with your water change technique.
i have sumps on all my big tanks, but have not ever had any issues where there was potential "deoxygenation" of the water or any suffocation issues. i also change water every week or every other week and do at least 50% each time. here is what i would suggest, and you could modify this as necessary depending on the equipment you have:
-use a python to change the water, it's fast, simple, and avoids unnecessary complications. OR for draining...
-if you have your tank elevated and a window is nearby, drain the water using a larger diameter hose (for faster draining) and empty the water outside onto a lawn or other plants.
-for refilling, don't bother with carbon cartridges, especially if you aren't going to replace them when necessary. use Amquel or Prime or whatever else will work with dechlorination. i use Amquel personally.
-after you have drained the water down to the appropriate level, shut off/remove the drain hose. add the amount of amquel needed to detox the volume of new water going into the tank...this amquel should be added into the water remaining in the fish tank.
-start running the faucet and match the temp to the temp of your tank, if you can't do it exactly, better to be a little bit warmer than the original water than a little bit colder.
-once the temp is matched, turn on the refill hose and refill the tank. by now the amquel has mixed a decent amount in the original tank water, and the water chem differences shouldn't bother the fishes nearly as much.
with SUMPS, like you said, just keep an eye on the water level as you refill, and once it hits the overflow, turn the sump back on and let it run (but i'm sure you already knew the sump part).
just some advice on large water changes on pred tanks...i've had great success with this method and continue to use it.
good luck with your fishes, and as stated earlier, leave the tank alone for now, monitor the water quality levels, and don't feed the fishes anything until nitrites are back down to zero.--
--solomon
i have sumps on all my big tanks, but have not ever had any issues where there was potential "deoxygenation" of the water or any suffocation issues. i also change water every week or every other week and do at least 50% each time. here is what i would suggest, and you could modify this as necessary depending on the equipment you have:
-use a python to change the water, it's fast, simple, and avoids unnecessary complications. OR for draining...
-if you have your tank elevated and a window is nearby, drain the water using a larger diameter hose (for faster draining) and empty the water outside onto a lawn or other plants.
-for refilling, don't bother with carbon cartridges, especially if you aren't going to replace them when necessary. use Amquel or Prime or whatever else will work with dechlorination. i use Amquel personally.
-after you have drained the water down to the appropriate level, shut off/remove the drain hose. add the amount of amquel needed to detox the volume of new water going into the tank...this amquel should be added into the water remaining in the fish tank.
-start running the faucet and match the temp to the temp of your tank, if you can't do it exactly, better to be a little bit warmer than the original water than a little bit colder.
-once the temp is matched, turn on the refill hose and refill the tank. by now the amquel has mixed a decent amount in the original tank water, and the water chem differences shouldn't bother the fishes nearly as much.
with SUMPS, like you said, just keep an eye on the water level as you refill, and once it hits the overflow, turn the sump back on and let it run (but i'm sure you already knew the sump part).
just some advice on large water changes on pred tanks...i've had great success with this method and continue to use it.
good luck with your fishes, and as stated earlier, leave the tank alone for now, monitor the water quality levels, and don't feed the fishes anything until nitrites are back down to zero.--
--solomon
Thanks for the advise guys...I really do appreciate it. This is my first big tank, so it's a little bit diferent than a 100 gallon tank..
I used my RO system for new water, I am not using the RO part but simply tee off the water line after the micron filtrations and carbon to eliminate the chlorine and chloramine. Using only 1/4" hard tube, it does takes sometime to make 80 gallon of water versus a regular faucet connection. This is where the time that the tank lack oxygenation takes.
I don't even usually dose anything with Prime or Amquel. Again the falling asleep didn't help much either...
What I have done in the past with 75 or 100 gallon tanks and smaller was to use normal tap water, run an airstone and powerhead for 24-48 hours in 30 gallon trash bin and do WC. The air stone will add oxygenation and evaporate all the chlorine and chloramine out of the system. I have been doing this for years without any problem. I guess I am underestimating the size of this tank and the time it takes to fill up water to the tank level.
For now, no feeding..added a little salt and about to add melafix. Hopefully everyone especially the aro will pull through.
stan
I used my RO system for new water, I am not using the RO part but simply tee off the water line after the micron filtrations and carbon to eliminate the chlorine and chloramine. Using only 1/4" hard tube, it does takes sometime to make 80 gallon of water versus a regular faucet connection. This is where the time that the tank lack oxygenation takes.
I don't even usually dose anything with Prime or Amquel. Again the falling asleep didn't help much either...
What I have done in the past with 75 or 100 gallon tanks and smaller was to use normal tap water, run an airstone and powerhead for 24-48 hours in 30 gallon trash bin and do WC. The air stone will add oxygenation and evaporate all the chlorine and chloramine out of the system. I have been doing this for years without any problem. I guess I am underestimating the size of this tank and the time it takes to fill up water to the tank level.
For now, no feeding..added a little salt and about to add melafix. Hopefully everyone especially the aro will pull through.
stan
their chould be a big change in ph hear what was the ph in the tank before you started the water change and what is it now
a drop to 77 will be no problem
when i do my water changes i take the water out and then pump the water straight back in from the tap i have done water changes like this all the time
the problem you seam to have the way you are doing water changes is you are pumping water back into the sump were all the good filter bactiaria is and the chlorine is killing the bactria in the sump
you are best of pumping the water back into the tank already dosed with prime
a drop to 77 will be no problem
when i do my water changes i take the water out and then pump the water straight back in from the tap i have done water changes like this all the time
the problem you seam to have the way you are doing water changes is you are pumping water back into the sump were all the good filter bactiaria is and the chlorine is killing the bactria in the sump
you are best of pumping the water back into the tank already dosed with prime
T1KARMANN;1268281; said:
i agree, i didn't realize you were pumping water into the sump...definitely skip doing that and pump the water directly into the tank.
also, using R/O water, or even part of the RO system definitely changes the water...you're better off using the water straight from the tap, skip the airstone stuff and just use amquel or prime. RO water (even if it's only using part of the system) really has no buffering capacity, therefore even a slight change in pH will throw the whole system off. and this can severely affect fishes.
again, pump water into the tank, and use a dechlorinator as opposed to any part of an RO system or airstone (which may remove the chlorine, but may not always remove the ammonia) --
--solomon
i don't do religious frequent water changes like most people. so u could go my route if u chose to.
u have a 240, so it has a much larger volume of water, so it should be okay to do a wc like once a month.
on my 400gal, i only do a wc like once ever 4 months or so.
on my 150gal, i do one every month or month and a half. no real time schedule, if it looks like it needs one, i do a wc. and ask anyone on the forum, my fish look prestine.
my rbp tank, does not get wc lol. well maybe once every few months, but the rbp are not as messy as most people make them out to be.
and i do not change more then 1/3 at a time. if i do half, my fish act stupid.
u have a 240, so it has a much larger volume of water, so it should be okay to do a wc like once a month.
on my 400gal, i only do a wc like once ever 4 months or so.
on my 150gal, i do one every month or month and a half. no real time schedule, if it looks like it needs one, i do a wc. and ask anyone on the forum, my fish look prestine.
my rbp tank, does not get wc lol. well maybe once every few months, but the rbp are not as messy as most people make them out to be.
and i do not change more then 1/3 at a time. if i do half, my fish act stupid.
T1KARMANN;1268281; said:
I ran the PH monitor and the PH stay constant at 6.7 before, during and after WC.
I pump the water staright into the tank, my downfall was as I fell asleep, the water overflow from the main tank into the sump and almost overflow the sump as well. I have a 55 gallon converted into a W/D.
stan
