Water changes with big tanks. Aging water a thing?
- Thread starter philipraposo1982
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I’ll go ahead and add my process to the mix. I usually do one large water change a week, about 90%, on my 220. I have two 55 gal plastic barrels that I use to age 110 gallons of water. I just keep them full all the time and pump out of them then fill them back up on water change day. The remaining water comes straight from the hose. If it’s been really cold out and the hose water is excessively cold, I will throw some buckets of hot water in from the tub while the tank is filling back up. However, it’s not uncommon in the winter for my tank to drop from about 80 down to 67 during the water change. Fish never seem bothered by it. I use a 4000 gph pump to pump the water out of the tank to my front yard via a 50 ft length of 1” vinyl tubing. Only takes about 6-8 minutes to drain the whole tank. I then use the same pump and tubing to pump from the aging barrels into the tank. Then fill the barrels back up with the hose. I can get the whole process, including refilling the barrels and putting the hoses back away, in about an hour, maybe a little less.
My reason for aging 110 gallons of water is to allow it to off-gas. I have a high amount of co2 in my water and during aging it goes through a pretty large ph swing.
My reason for aging 110 gallons of water is to allow it to off-gas. I have a high amount of co2 in my water and during aging it goes through a pretty large ph swing.
I’ve never gassed off water for any tank. I always would add dechlorinator. seachem prime, amount equal to the tank volume.
A ph swing due to CO2 levels will not harm the fish one bit. This is because CO2 is weak acid and does not affect the KH, the drop of which is the actual fish stressor.
High amount of CO2 above 30ppm depending on species can be harmful but CO2 is extremely unstable in water so it doesn't last. If the source is tap water, it is very easily remedied by splashing the water from above when filling.
I never have the hose in the water but secure it at the surface of the tank.
I have also never aged water and there is a full point ph difference between my tap and tank, also due to high amounts of CO2. My fish are years old now and have never shown stress signs because of the way I do water changes. I do large water changes, straight from the tap with prime dosed just before filling to treat the entire tank.
As a rule, one should make it as easy as possible for themselves to change the tank water. It is much more important to fish long term health that the weekly water change has taken place without a miss than to remove some bubbles, which will come out of solution within an hour or so anyway.
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I just realized that the buildings here don't have a direct supply of water (even though UAE has one of the highest per capita water consumption rates in the world - approx. 550L per day) , but rather water is stored in large tanks either on top of, or under the buildings/villas/house etc. This explains why when I test the water there is no, or very little chlorines (Dubai doesn't add chloromines or fluorides to the water) as it has already been standing for x period of time. I am going to investigate this further and get more info as I am not 100% sure how the system works after it is desalinated from the ocean.
I also do approx. 90 % or fin level water changes. In the winter this is fine as the water temps are the same as room temperature around 26C. I also don't use any heating equipment in my tank.
However in the summer time I can only do about 60 - 65% water changes, sometimes adding ice while I fill up as the water gets really hot. like shower kind of hot. Or I just wait and do my water changes late at night when the water tank temps have cooled to between 30 - 35 C.
my room temp always stays at 26 - 28C. Even when I leave my AC off in the summer, my tank never goes above these temps.
My fish have always been very healthy and happy, never gave any indication this bothers them. It induces spawning behavior sometimes.
I also do approx. 90 % or fin level water changes. In the winter this is fine as the water temps are the same as room temperature around 26C. I also don't use any heating equipment in my tank.
However in the summer time I can only do about 60 - 65% water changes, sometimes adding ice while I fill up as the water gets really hot. like shower kind of hot. Or I just wait and do my water changes late at night when the water tank temps have cooled to between 30 - 35 C.
my room temp always stays at 26 - 28C. Even when I leave my AC off in the summer, my tank never goes above these temps.
My fish have always been very healthy and happy, never gave any indication this bothers them. It induces spawning behavior sometimes.
