Hauling buckets.... there has to be a better way.... but what?

[mrsjoannh13]

So I have 2 20 gallon tanks soon to be 3. Luckily I have an amazing and strong husband who lugs buckets back and forth for me every week when it's water change time. I'm sure this will start to be less fun than it already is as the weeks, months and years go by. I've considered the python water change system but have a couple of things working against me for that option. First, my tanks are waaaaaaay across the other side of our house from where I'd be able to hook up to a faucet with the python hose. Even with the 100 foot hose option I'm not sure it would be feasible. Secondly, I have a high pH and really low GH so I soak my water change water for a day or two in 5 gallon containers with peat granules and mineralizer. I also add the water conditioner to the container in advance vs. putting in the tank as I'm doing the water changes. Short story long, I have not thought of any other way to do my water changes without hauling big containers of water back and forth to where the tanks are set up.

Has anyone found something like a rolling water container on a cart that they are using? Is there some other option I'm not thinking of? Any suggestions? My husband's aching back thanks you in advance.

 

[Boundava]

Go to your hardware store and get the brute waste bin, they will also have a round dolly for the waste bin you purchase separately. If you can't find Brute, look for one that states it can hold potable water, or is NSF certified.

 

[Colin_T]

Garden hose and run it out the door or window. Then fill up the containers inside.

Mechanic creeper with some buckets on it. You can also buy trolleys/ carts and put buckets on them and push/ pull them around the house.

 

[Metalhead88]

Python water changer would be great for 2 small tanks.

I use the brute can on a dolly as mentioned above with a submersible pump and a hose ran to the sink to drain. Then I fill with the python sink adapter with a pvc hook that I made at the other end.

 

[TallPaul]

Look at the Python water change system, then look at the price.

You can buy all of the parts on ebay for a fraction of the cost. They even sell them as a complete package. You just connect it to your tap and it draws water out and fills it back up.

 

[TallPaul]

If you watch George Farmer on YouTube he has a large bucket that he puts in his sink and he lets it overflow with the correct temp water. In the bucket he has a submersible pump and he has that pump clean water to his tanks with a garden hose.

He just does the process in reverse to drain the tank. Pump in tank and hose down drain.

 

[Slaphppy7]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NXC/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[mcordelia]

I drain my 125 gallon out the window, I tested the process once so far and it emptied the entire tank in about 45min so that seemed to work nicely. For filling, I have a faucet adaptor that hooks up to a garden hose (I believe its 75ft?) for the 125.

For the 20, I am still doing buckets because its such a small tank, but we are working on transitioning to a cart + pump system. I have a separate "emptying hose" that is only about 5-6ft long so I can easily have one end in the tank and the other end goes nicely in the bucket without excess. For filling, to date I have used the "ladle system" (lol) but will probably buy a pump soon so I can just pump from the bucket to the tank.

For your setup, I would go with a 4-wheeled cart that can hold two 15 gallon totes or buckets, as well as all the hoses, pumps, towels, etc that you need for a water change. I'd probably also store my water conditioner and test kit in the cart as well. If it was me, what I would do is wheel the cart to the sink, fill up one of the 15 gal buckets, then wheel the bad boy to the tank, do the full water change, clean up my area, and then pump out the dirty water in the bathroom or wherever. It doesn't reduce trips to the sink overall, but it puts them at the beginning and end of the entire process instead of in the middle, which means that you don't need to make separate trips to the tank and you can do your water change and clean up all in one fell swoop. That way you only have one area of mess at any one point in time.

 

[mcordelia]

so this is probably more than what you want to spend, but this would be the gucci bad boy of water change carts!! https://handtrucks2go.com/Outdoor-Motorized-Cart-with-Side-Rails-Removable.html


edit: this is something along the lines of what I was thinking of, you'd have to figure out a shelf to attach to it to keep your stuff (towels, pump, hoses, etc) on, but shouldn't be too tough to attach a wire shelf thing with zip ties. This looks to be only 18'' wide, so should fit through doorways nicely, and rated to hold the weight of 30gal of water and a bit more. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BECQBZ0/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[mrsjoannh13]

so this is probably more than what you want to spend, but this would be the gucci bad boy of water change carts!! https://handtrucks2go.com/Outdoor-Motorized-Cart-with-Side-Rails-Removable.html

Just a TAD more, lol.

 

[mcordelia]

dont know if you saw the edit but found a similar one on amazon for less than 10% of the cost haha

 

[mrsjoannh13]

I drain my 125 gallon out the window, I tested the process once so far and it emptied the entire tank in about 45min so that seemed to work nicely. For filling, I have a faucet adaptor that hooks up to a garden hose (I believe its 75ft?) for the 125.

For the 20, I am still doing buckets because its such a small tank, but we are working on transitioning to a cart + pump system. I have a separate "emptying hose" that is only about 5-6ft long so I can easily have one end in the tank and the other end goes nicely in the bucket without excess. For filling, to date I have used the "ladle system" (lol) but will probably buy a pump soon so I can just pump from the bucket to the tank.

For your setup, I would go with a 4-wheeled cart that can hold two 15 gallon totes or buckets, as well as all the hoses, pumps, towels, etc that you need for a water change. I'd probably also store my water conditioner and test kit in the cart as well. If it was me, what I would do is wheel the cart to the sink, fill up one of the 15 gal buckets, then wheel the bad boy to the tank, do the full water change, clean up my area, and then pump out the dirty water in the bathroom or wherever. It doesn't reduce trips to the sink overall, but it puts them at the beginning and end of the entire process instead of in the middle, which means that you don't need to make separate trips to the tank and you can do your water change and clean up all in one fell swoop. That way you only have one area of mess at any one point in time.

Hubs has convinced me to do the water changes on separate days, and not all in one day. I only change out about 5 gallons so I can use the big 5 gallon RO container to treat my new water and then he puts it on a dolly / cart kind of thing and rolls it near the tank for me. I have a 'dirty' 5 gallon bucket that I empty out into when gravel vacc'ing. I put a lid on the bucket and roll that out on the cart and dump it in the garden. So far this system will work. We are planning a big (125?) gallon next and at that point we'll probably go with suggestions above and have a large brut container with the treated water and run a python type hose from that to the tanks. Whew. Our fish don't know how lucky they are!

 

[mcordelia]

hahah, i KNEW you would head in the 125 direction muahahahhahahaha, I will convert them all one by one.....

 

[eatyourpeas]

hahah, i KNEW you would head in the 125 direction muahahahhahahaha, I will convert them all one by one.....

I'm afraid I will be the one who does not. No outlets left, and house floor can't handle more than nano tank weight.

 

[mcordelia]

begins plotting a scheme with @Naterjm to get @eatyourpeas to build an outdoor fish shed with solar/wind electricity.....