What do you use for water changes ?!?!?

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Peacock Rey

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 28, 2010
458
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Trenton NJ
Just wondering how do every one here changes the water in their tank. What do you guys use ? Or what is the best thing or best way to do water changes and how much ?

I use a Marina AquaVac with 25' hose. Gets the job done.

Also....is it good to vac the gravel in your tank?
 
i usually siphon 30 or 40 gallons out with a garden hose and run it out my front dor, scrape the glass with a razor as needed, vaccum the gravel as needed (not every water change), change out all my filter pads on ever water change (I have a wet dry filter so I am not losing any biological bacteria since that is all in the bio balls), and when i refill i do it from straight from the sink with a diy hose. If I notice any stress when filling up the tank which I usually dont I add some prime, I always add some salt. I have a 180 gallon btw. Other things I usually do during a water change are scrub down the inside of my wet dry with a scotch brite pad, clean the bulb on my uv sterelizer with the squeegee, and inspect my heaters. Another thing I like to stress about water changes is if you have multiple tanks you should have a dedicated hose to siphon out water from your tank so any diseases or parasites do not travel from tank to tank. I have used canister filters in the past and highly recommend wet dry filters because of the different options you can set them up with such as add-ons like uv sterelizers, it hides your heaters (not only takes eye sores out of the tank but also prevents large fish from bumping into them and cracking them, and you can change the flow rates by swapping out return pumps. Feel free to bring up suggestions to my routine if I have overlooked anything!
 
i have a 180 g and i siphon 45 gallons out the window and i use 5 gallon buckets to fill the tank
 
I use an XL (24") marineland siphon kleen ($8.50) connected to a 30ft 0.5" vinyl tubing at home depot. Gravel vac is a must for me because my fishes are monsters! Every time I vac I can see a cloud of darkness fly up, which makes me very happy. I don't see why anyone would not vac his gravel. I change about 50-100g (200g 30" tall tank). The 30ft is needed so I can water my potted plants/trees out in front. I also do a quick algae scrub. When the water gets low enough I inspect my canister output and make sure nothing is clogged. I refill tank with garden hose (not exactly the best, but I don't have a lot of free time).
 
On the 55 I take about 6 gallons out and refill from an RO 4 stage via long ass hose into the tank. I do this once or twice a week, super easy although it does take time for the water to refill. Gravel is vacuumed when I see any nasty crap building up on it. I usually use it to suck out any junk that's accumulated in and around the plants.
 
in my 30 gallon, i do 50% water changes every other week...
5 gallon buckets, and a 6 foot hose to a suction vac...
i vacuum the gravel every time i do it, because i have a clown pleco who makes a mess when eating the driftwood..
 
I have a 150gal tank. I keep a 55 gal garbage can that is on rollers (From Home Depot) filled with water. siphon out ~50 gallons, then pump from the can back into the tank. I typically fill the can 2-3 days before water change and leave in closet until time to change water. It's cold water fish so tank is at room temperature. No need to heat the water etc. If I am in a hurry I add DECHLOR and let sit 24 hours. Doesn't equal tank temp by then, so I just fill tank more slowly to reduce temperature shock. Have been doing this way for a year and a half with no trouble.
 
i have a 150g tank. Im not sure how often i should do water changes though. I currently have 3 oscar fish in it which are pretty big haha. and i use a gravel vac thing also ha. any tips on how often i should change my water? and how much?
 
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