Water changes!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Water Changes

  • Drip system

    Votes: 7 13.2%

  • Manually

    Votes: 46 86.8%
  • Total voters
    53
  • Poll closed .
The drip is the way to go!! I have been doing manual wc's for the last 18+ years in the hobby. The drip system is soooo easy. I still monitor my pH and Nitrate regularly. I work a lot now and I don't have the time to do manual wc's every other day. With the drip I can use my time to feed and watch.
I also have a gravel vac tied into the drain line so I can manually pull debris out which I do every few days. I lightly vac in the dirty areas every few days and just let the drip fill the tank back up.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
wildman6809 said:
I use an automated water change with a timer and an auto top off. The timer pumps water out while turning off the auto top off and then turns pump off and ato back on. It then fills the sump back up with aged water. I like it and it works well.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Click to expand...

Where did u buy this automated water changer top off?


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
You can find those auto top off systems online like marine depot or fosters and smith. They are fairly easy to use and set up. You will need another tank or water storage reservoir for your make up water.
As for the heaters... I have multiple heaters in my system. More than what I need, but if one fails I still have 3 good ones going to back it up. They keep up no problem.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
It is from autotopoff.com I think. You do need a container for new water and I got a timer from Grainger. You also need two pumps and that is it. Its not real cheap but it works good.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
Manual WCs for me, 75% to 90% a week.
 
People who manualy change water does not have enough tanks, OR has not bin in the hobby long enough ;)
After 18 years of manual waterchanges the drip has saved the hobby on my part. New big house,demanding girlfriend, 2 kids 3 and 1 years old,big area outside that needs maintainance.. Should i even have any aquariums? Do i have time? The answere is a big fat NO, BUT YEES! Cus i have a drip.. Now after the kids have gone to bed, its dark outside, all i have to do is feed my fishes as watch them.. The backwash on the filter takes about 10 minutes every other week. But even tho i use drip, i do tap crapwater out everyday, and raise the level with the drips again. IMO its not a good idea to just use drip, as you then change mixed water all the time. When you tap out lets say 400 liters on my 4800liter tank, i know that there will be 400 liters of _FRESH_ water every day.
 
Tor-Eriik said:
People who manualy change water does not have enough tanks, OR has not bin in the hobby long enough ;)
After 18 years of manual waterchanges the drip has saved the hobby on my part. New big house,demanding girlfriend, 2 kids 3 and 1 years old,big area outside that needs maintainance.. Should i even have any aquariums? Do i have time? The answere is a big fat NO, BUT YEES! Cus i have a drip.. Now after the kids have gone to bed, its dark outside, all i have to do is feed my fishes as watch them.. The backwash on the filter takes about 10 minutes every other week. But even tho i use drip, i do tap crapwater out everyday, and raise the level with the drips again. IMO its not a good idea to just use drip, as you then change mixed water all the time. When you tap out lets say 400 liters on my 4800liter tank, i know that there will be 400 liters of _FRESH_ water every day.
Click to expand...

Teach me how to be as cool as you bro

Sent from my GT-I9300 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
I do manual changes at least 2x per week when backwashing my mechanical filters.

I use a drip type system to refill the tank slowly so there are no PH swings or drastic changes in the water chemistry. In a perfect situation I would age the water to gas off chlorine and stabilize it but I don't have the space available for the amount of water I would need to store.

Frequent mechanical filtration maintenance and removing the waste from the water column ASAP is critical, but if the tank is very heavily stocked a drip is a good way to dilute the water and keep PH from dropping too quickly. Constantly dripping/diluting without ever removing a percentage of the tank water makes me nervous. It is my understanding that manual water changes can help remove things like dissolved organics that build up in the water column over time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom