First water change with fish 😰

[I Like Rare Fish]

Doing one in a community tank with stupid fish is the worst! I have a few different livebearers, Normans Lampeye Killifish, a school of Neons, Corys, shrimp, and some snails. It’s an absolute nightmare! The platys are always trying to stick their noses into the sucker. Not to mention how dirty they make the tank. I normally don’t have trouble with my tanks (besides that one), as one is a solo guy who doesn’t care, 2 is an outside patio pond wheee the fish just sit in the non-existent corner (it’s a barrel with pond liner in it), and 3 is just me in the forbidden corner (no fish ever goes there).

 

[FishNturt808]

I’ve had fish that would swim straight into the siphon hose. Danios. Just one after the next. It was a mad scramble to scoop up a whole school of 10 flopping on the ground. To make sure that never happened again I stuffed a spare filter inlet head into the siphon. I then moved onto using a mesh bag, held on with rubber bands.

 

[Rocky998]

I’ve had fish that would swim straight into the siphon hose. Danios. Just one after the next. It was a mad scramble to scoop up a whole school of 10 flopping on the ground. To make sure that never happened again I stuffed a spare filter inlet head into the siphon. I then moved onto using a mesh bag, held on with rubber bands.

Their no longer called danios. They are now called suicidios

 

[FishNturt808]

Their no longer called danios. They are now called suicidios

Hahah oh my gf and I definitely started calling them the suicide squad after. A year or so later, and 3 tank swaps/moves and 8 out of the 10 are still swimming their little hearts out

 

[flipperfeet]

It takes a bit longer but I use airline tubing as the siphon hose.

 

[flipperfeet]

So this was a failure... I hope my fish dont die... Or me... I did good with the siphoning part but I used the garden hose (after letting it run for a bit) to fill it and that was horrible... The fish were being thrown everywhere and the temp went down about six degrees. The substrate was also disturbed. My parents said: "Eventually you'll get better at it or you can use buckets to pour the water in"... I wont get better at this... The water pressure is too much... I did figure out after wards that I can turn down the water flow... But the temp still scares me when it comes from the outdoor water. And I dont feel comfortable using a bucket cause I can not control the water flow coming out (in other words I'm really weak). I hated that... I hated it so much

I use a dedicated heavy duty plastic trash can and a cheap pump. When not changing water it serves as a tidy covered container for buckets, and all of the paraphernalia that you accumulate for fish keeping.

 

[Rocky998]

I use a dedicated heavy duty plastic trash can and a cheap pump. When not changing water it serves as a tidy covered container for buckets, and all of the paraphernalia that you accumulate for fish keeping.

Yah, that is a great idea... But my parents wouldnt exactly love the idea of a yeah can sized object in their garage... Or anywhere

 

[flipperfeet]

Yah, that is a great idea... But my parents wouldnt exactly love the idea of a yeah can sized object in their garage... Or anywhere

I hear you. If you get the type with a snug fitting top, storage outdoors is an option. I label mine “fish tank only”

 

[flipperfeet]

Not to belabor the point, but the 20 gal Rubbermaid Brute will fit in most closets and could hold the contents of your current tank in an emergency. 22.34 x 19.38 x 22.88 inches. And you can get a dolly that would let you roll it from the sink to your tank so lifting is not an issue.

 

[NannaLou]

I use a dedicated heavy duty plastic trash can and a cheap pump. When not changing water it serves as a tidy covered container for buckets, and all of the paraphernalia that you accumulate for fish keeping.

Yes, this advice was given to me by @AbbeysDad. I no have a 50 ltr kitchen bin that put by the tank and I fill it with temp matched water from a smaller bucket and I have a small submersible pump. Pouring water through a colander also helps to reduce the turbulence.

 

[itiwhetu]

So how are the fish this morning

 

[Rocky998]

They look just fine. So that makes me feel better. Its evening where I am btw LOL. Thank you for asking.

So how are the fish this morning

 

[itiwhetu]

They look just fine. So that makes me feel better. Its evening where I am btw LOL. Thank you for asking.

My morning. That is good. Fish are a lot hardier than we give them credit for.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Yes, this advice was given to me by @AbbeysDad.

Quick and easy! (yep, I made a video)
Here's the Whole Story.
Alternatively one might pump out using a submersible pump, then use a faucet adaptor (or Python like device) to add water back to the tank...remembering to use the appropriate amount of conditioner as/if required.

 

[Sgooosh]

It depends on how well your petsmart "cares" for its fish (when I say care I mean just taking care of them in general). If their fish are always sick and there are always dead fish, I wouldnt recommend buying from them.

They take good care. In their tank the flow is really strong so some really small ones cant handle it and gouramiw