Water Changes

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Ok my tank is prob small in comparison to alot of peoples, but it contains 60ltr of water and a 25% water change is 15ltrs, i have just measured out 9ltrs which just about filled a bucket!! and now i am stuck for things to use, so....

1. How do you all store ur water?
2. How do you get it to temperature before transfering it?
3. How long do you leave it for after treating it?
4. Can you seal the container or does it need to air out?

Any advice would be appreciated

I hope this hasnt been covered already and i just didnt find it

Paul

 

[Tolak]

I don't store any water, it goes directly from tap to tank, with dechlor being added as it fills. I change out nearly 300 gallons per week with all my tanks. The one tank that isn't in the fishroom, I store a few gallon jugs next to the tank to top it off during the week. Adding a gallon or 2 of room temp water to a larger tank doesn't hurt anything.

I use the water heater to heat the water, bring it to tank temp at the tap, and flip a couple of valves to send it to the fishroom. As I understand it, plumbing in the UK is different from the US, most folks by you heat some water in a pot or kettle, and add it to tap water to bring the bucket to tank temp.

All dechlorinators I know of work nearly instantly, by the time you put the cap back on the bottle after adding it, it has done it's thing.

"Airing out" has to do with chlorine, back when water was only treated with chlorine, you could let a bucket sit for a day or so, and the chlorine would gas out. Now they use chloramine along with chlorine, which will not gas out. Dechlorinator is the only way to neuteralize chloramine.

Tolak

 

[dwarfgourami]

I've got two tanks same size as yours. Because I'm too lazy to stop the suction once it's got going, I keep 4 graded 10-litre buckets (cheap from Woolworths), 2 for dirty water and 2 for clean.

I fill the clean ones up first, but as Tolak says, no need to let them stand when you use dechlorinator (as we all need to do these days). I find one litre of boiling water (kettle) to 9 ltrs of cold tap water gives about the right temperature; I add the dechlorinator to the bucket while the cold water is pouring.

Then I use the gravel vac to clean the gravel and fill the two dirty buckets in one flow. I add the clean water back using a plastic measuring jug. It's getting quicker all the time.

Don't forget to turn the electrics off first- you don't want to electrocute yourself!

 

[Clairel]

For bigger tanks, what you can use is a plastic bin, empty the dirty water into there with your syphon, then refill back up with a bucket, this is what i do, as i would be forever stood there lol....

My smaller tank is 90 litre, and i just do that one with a bucket...

No need to let your water stand, i just pour mine straight in from the tap, with dechlorinator in, i mix the cold water with a little warm, so not to shock the fish too much lol

C x