Water Changing Equipment For A Larger Tank

[ZoddyZod]

A 320L tank will soon be up and running in my lounge and my current water change regime on my 125L is not what I want to employ (10L bucket for removal and addition).

I'm currently planning on attaching a long tube to my syphon so that it will run to an external drain for removing the water.

I'm going to buy a mixer tap hose connector and feed warm water directly from the tap to the tank, adding enough Prime to dose the tank beforehand.

Thoughts? Sounds sensible?

Anyone got alternative ideas?

 

[L_Plates]

On my 240ltr i have attached a long piece of hose pipe to my syphon that goes directly out of the window and into the drain.

To fill i have another hose attached to the kitchen mixer taps that reaches to the tank with plenty of spare hose left.

I can do a complete changed in around 30-40 minutes.

So yes you are planning on what i do. I add the prime a little at a time when the water is being replaced in the tank. I just squirt it out next to the end of the hose so it mixes straight in.

Cheers
LP

 

[ZoddyZod]

good to know, cheers!

 

[micko]

On my 350ltr I siphon it straight out the window and onto the garden (great for watering the flowers)
I carry buckets back in from the kitchen to refill. I know it sounds long but its not like its too far and if I was to fill the tank completely it would take 35 trips of a 10ltr bucket. I have never done a full water change by the way.

I considered that whole homemade python idea but the kids running about the house like made I just think there would be hoses pulled off and water everywhere.

 

[ZoddyZod]

I considered that whole homemade python idea but the kids running about the house like made I just think there would be hoses pulled off and water everywhere.

I've considered this as well, and water change time strictly only occurs during kids bedtime!

 

[micko]

One of our boys has terrible asthma so is always down the stairs after the so called bed time and our oldest is 15 so he gets to stay up later and usually has his friends in.
I'll have to stick to my bucket for another wee while.

 

[coldcazzie]

I bought a hose attachment and put it on the end of my gravel vac, I drain the water and the kids water the veggies and flowers they get great enjoyment from this and it makes great fertilizer. Usually the rest of the water then goes in the water butt, but the kids managed to break the seal around the tap so can't use it at the moment cuz it leaks (who thought kids were a good idea? I mean really?! Lol)
I refill directly from the tap, summertime they get cold water changes, dribbled in while I have a brew! Winter I use the hot tap too. Dechlorinate for the whole tank, and add ferts while it fills. Definitely much easier than buckets, only downside is I can't wash up while its refilling! Haha

 

[daleboy]

I use and old Fluval 203 external filter with a hose that goes straight out the dining room window to empty the tank and then refill using buckets to refill at the minute, a bit labour intensive to refill but it works the arms out well

 

[Mikaila31]

I use cheap vinyl hose to drain the tank into the bathtub. Then I take off the showerhead and attach my hose to the shower to fill the tank. As far as children and water changes, hose clamps should solve any problem of your kids disconnecting hoses. I've done water changes for years in a daycare using the hose method and never had an issue. It was always the canister filter they screwed with.

 

[ZoddyZod]

thanks for all the replies.

Extened syphon and a mixer tap connected hose it is then!

 

[Jinkz]

Maybe it's just me but I found that connecting my garden hose onto my syphon and then syphoning straight out to the garden meant I lost a lot of suction and couldn't really suck up the muck from the sand / gravel. Anyone else found this?

As for refilling, I'm still on buckets but never to a 100% change on my 300ltr. Most I've done is 40% but I don't mind the buckets, it's good exercise for the arms.

 

[Tizer]

I'll be using a hose straight out the window into the garden then a hose from a tap i fitted onto the cold water feed under the sink to put back in. Probably a few kettle fulls of hot water while im at it. :\ It wasnt so bad with the 240 litre using a watering can, but no way am i messing around with one of those for 400 litres

 

[stu40]

To refill: patent pending. Maybe call it the "Bodge-anator" or "fake-snake"

 

[ZoddyZod]

To refill: patent pending. Maybe call it the "Bodge-anator" or "fake-snake"

nice work - looks like you could milk a cow with it

 

[stu40]

To refill: patent pending. Maybe call it the "Bodge-anator" or "fake-snake"

nice work - looks like you could milk a cow with it

one word-cheap