What's the easiest way to do water changes?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

elzool

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Feb 10, 2006
Messages
98
Location
Glendale, AZ.
I'm sitting here trying to figure out the easiest way to do partial water changes. I've done search after search, but really not seen much here in the way of being helpful.

My thought is since I have 75 gallon tank, to get two 25 gallon rubbermaid trash cans on rollers from home depot a pump and a siphon hose.

Then drain water into one, roll it over to the sink and pump the water out.

Get the other can with my premixed and settled sw and pump it back into the tank.

Any better, easier, faster solutions?

Thanks!
 
Get a friend to come over and do it for beer?

I use a Python with extension for the drain line. I use a pump to pump water from a 30 back into the tank.
 
The method you describe will only work if you have hard floors and no changes in floor height between the tank and the sink. If you have carpet you will have a very hard time moving the full trashcans due to the weight.

This is what I do and I feel its fairly easy.

Drain 1 5 gal bucket out of sump, shut off pumps. Drain 2 more 5 gal buckets out of main tank with maxijet1200 and hose. Take the three buckets to toilet and pour into toilet. The water will go down with out the need to flush. This is much easier than trying to pickup the buckets to the sink and you wont have to clean up the tub like you would if you poured it into the shower/tub.

Fill up the three buckets with fresh mixed saltwater and carry to tank. Use the same maxijet1200 and hose to pump the water back to the main tank.

Total process is less than 30minutes.
 
Here is what I do. Mix up 20gal of SW in a large rubber maid tub next to my tank. After it has circulated and aged for 24-48hrs I take out 3-4gals from my nano and do a quck water change. I then take out 17gal from my large tank using 5gal buckets. I hook up a mag drive 7 with some hose and pump the new SW into my tank. Very easy.
 
I must be doing the old fashion way. I just siphon water out into 4 five gallon buckets and then lift 4 five gallon jugs and pour in top of tank. You guys have some good ideas. My way is harder. All Dinosaurs report to the museum. :lol:
 
I siphon out 5 gallons of water into an empy 5 gallon jug, then I set another 5 gallon jug with fresh saltwater and set it on my canopy and siphon the water back in.
 
I pretty much do the same as FF, I toss my old water out the back door on the side of the house. I hate lugging the salt buckets full of water up 2 flights of stairs. I'm thinking about buying 40' of hose and pump it up from my holding can.. I have a Mag 12 waiting to be used..
 
im old fashioned also, i syphon into a garbage can, then syphon new water in ( i buy the boxed nsw from petco). too bad the old water just sits there til my other half will throws it outside, i cant lift it, lol. i think i might use an old 10 gal to make water (under the tank), then use a pump to put it back in, thats if i can get the ro/di to work, lol. i wasnt sure i could do this, but after reading this post, i think i can.
 
Back
Top Bottom