Ktulu's First Aquarium

[M'al-finny]

Hey Ktulu, here is something that I am learning the hard way ...

Do you have a stand and a decorative hood for your 65 gallon? I am coming out of the gate with a 55 gallon with an oak stand and collossal oak hood. Taking the hood off is a 2-person job (it's not heavy, just bulky.)

Doing water changes is tricky due to the physical size of the tank. Filling the tank initially was relatively easy. But for large water changes you should have a strategy. I can siphon out to large plastic trash cans, but the weight of them full makes it tricky to carry, so I end up re-starting the siphon multiple times.

My tank top is nose-high for me due to the stand, and I am refilling by hand rather than by siphon due to temperature considerations. Someone suggested to me the Python No-Spill system and I have one on order. But, I suggest you practice how you are going to bring out 25-50% of the water and then get it back in with the correct temperature and dechlorinated before you have to do it for real the first time!

Also, shake the ammonia ... if it creates soapy bubbles at the top it has surfactant in it, if just a few air bubbles which go away quickly then it is appropriate. Try shaking some at the supermarket that you KNOW have surfactant for comparison.

Hope this helps!

 

[Ktulu]

The tank is 36"x18"x24". Oak stand, oak hood.

The hood is big but it goes off and on easy enough. I assume your 55 gallon is longer which would make it harder to deal with I'm sure. I'm already tired of taking mine on and off. It's a pain but the look is certainly worth it. I shouldn't have to remove it to do water changes.

I plan on rotating 5 gallon buckets 4 or 5 times to get about a 30% water change for weekly cleanings. I'll be able to streamline the process as I go. I really don't know where I can improve on the process until I do it a few times. I filled the tank with a garden hose I have for the fish stuff that I connected to a bathroom faucet. I assume that it will work ok for water changes as well.

I do need to get some longer tubing for my gravel vac as the tank is too deep and high off the ground for the one that it came with. I'm thinking of putting a valve in it to turn the siphon off when switching out buckets.

I looked at the Python stuff and it seemed expensive for what it is especially in the local pet mega-marts. I have the same kind of siphon pump thing that was used to drain water beds a long time ago. I'd rather not waste the extra water but I can always use it if need be.

The ammonia is good to go. I'm thinking about re-botteling it, slapping a Magic Fishless Cycle label on it with instructions, and selling it to fish stores.

Thanks for the advice M'al-finny. I'd like to hear how you like the Python thing after you've had it for a while.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

I've heard of people turning off the faucet once they get the siphon started on their python to help prevent wasting water. Not sure if they just sprint back to the kitchen to do this or what.

If going the bucket or large bin route... depending on the type of flooring and various household speed bumps you'd encounter...a dolly could help move containers that get too heavy to lift when full of water.

 

[Jen_S]

Just a note ont he Python product, I used one the last time I kept aquariums and I loved it. They sell at the Petco here for $55 dollars or so but Walmart has them for $35- same product same brand! Ktulu, looking good with the tank

 

[Chuka1212]

Pythons rule. They are indespensible. I grimace when I hear of bucket water changes now. Its would be like going to work on a horse, or not having a microwave.

 

[M'al-finny]

Lovely tank. Mine is, indeed, longer. I think the tank is about 4 feet long and the hood is about a foot tall.

I spent $50 on the Aquon water changer (the same thing as the Python, apparently, but in stock at Petsmart.) I think I got ROBBED on the price, but I wanted it right that minute so what the hey.

I did my first water change with it and LOFF it, but here is what I learned:

1) I needed something HEAVY to set on the hose while I ran back and forth to the sink. I used a pair of really nice Bushnell binoculars which were within arm's reach once the siphon started. (I was PRETTY sure they weren't going for a swim.) Once the siphon was started and the hose "pinned" into place, I ran back to the kitchen and turned off the sink water. That's the beauty of a siphon ... it will continue on its own until it's broken.

2) The directions tell you to work the open/closed valves in such a way that the sink is running until you get over to the tank to open the valve to start the siphon. After a bit of experimentation with hose placement (for fish safety,) I found this to be an unnecessary waste of water. I went ahead and opened the tank end and started the siphon immediately and was able to shut off the water tap instantly.

3) I need to figure out a way to take the temperature from the tap ... mine was a tad warm. If your faucet is like mine (or maybe it's the water heater) it takes a bit of jockeying to get the temp right, first too cool then too warm and so on. I no longer have the luxury of testing the water in a pail to make sure it's right and then add cool or warm to get it perfect.

4) Have a wrench handy for attaching it to the sink and/or putting your sink back together. I had to take off the bottom piece of the spigot (with the aerator, not sure what it's called) and when I went to replace it couldn't get it tight enough that my sink didn't leak around that piece. It's not a big deal, since the leaking water still goes into the sink from the faucet but it's an aesthetic thing.

Hope that helps!

 

[Ktulu]

Sunday I drained about 3/4 of the water, cleaned the gunk that came from the sand, and added some plants and stuff. I went through 2 buckets before hooking the siphon pump and a hose to the sink. You guys are right the buckets are just a PIA.