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Thepokerkid227

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
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140
This may be a dumb question but does anyone prepare their PWC water ahead of time? I.e fill 5 gallon buckets with tap water and dechlorinator and cover with lid and let it sit around to come to room temp ahead of time? I know it's probably not worth it for bigger tanks but for tanks 5-30 gallons I've been tossing the idea around. Thanks!
 
Not really, I will usually fill the first two buckets to go back into the tank and they will sit there for an hour or so while I finish filter cleans, etc.
 
I do, i prep 50 litres, its left for 48hr to rise to temp and only 4litres of dechlorinated hot to bring it to perfect temp but i also sling 25litres prepared on the day so 75litre change for my 52gallon every second day and my 65 long gets the same treatment. I fill the barrels up after the change and store them next to one of the boilers actually. 75litres is 20gallons. So around 38% for 52g and 32% for the 65g.

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In the old days before Pythons and Prime we always drew our water for water changes 24 hrs ahead of time into a tub or big bucket(plastic, not metal). We would set an airstone and heater in it and let the water degass, dechlorinate and reach temperature of the tank. Really, it is still the most stress free way to change water as all the degassing bubbles and final pH adjusting is done before it gets to the fish. It's just a PITA compared to the Python. lol. OS.
 
I do. I have well water that has variable pH depending on the amount of dissolved CO2. I let my water sit in 5 gallon open buckets for at least a day to off-gas the CO2 and stabilize the pH. I then mix it 50/50 with RO water to bring down the hardness and warm part of it to bring the water close to tank temp. Then add conditioner and add to tank. It's a 60 gallon.
 
I do. I have well water that has variable pH depending on the amount of dissolved CO2. I let my water sit in 5 gallon open buckets for at least a day to off-gas the CO2 and stabilize the pH. I then mix it 50/50 with RO water to bring down the hardness and warm part of it to bring the water close to tank temp. Then add conditioner and add to tank. It's a 60 gallon.

Wow, that's a labour of love! I think every 12 months we might get some tap water variation which we all complain at the lfs about - now I think we are spoiled. Lol.
 
It is a PITA. But the pH swing can be pretty big, 7.6 - 8.4, depending on time of year, rainfall, etc. and I have to draw the water from an outside tap because all the inside ones are softened. And if I don't reduce the hardness of my well water with RO water, I get hard water deposits like crazy on all my equipment.
 
I age my water for 20 feet, the length of my fill hose. The cold passes through a carbon filter which removes much of the chlorine, the hot doesn't. I dial the temp close to the tank or a little warmer, and fill, adding some dechlor.
 
I age my water for 20 feet, the length of my fill hose. The cold passes through a carbon filter which removes much of the chlorine, the hot doesn't. I dial the temp close to the tank or a little warmer, and fill, adding some dechlor.

Imho that is the perfect amount of aging :)

I'm in the same boat. The only water I use for changes that gets aged is my salt water.
 
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