How do you use a syphon that attaches to the sink faucet?

[mandy2936]

Hi guys,

I've always just cleaned my tanks by just syphoning water into buckets, dumping it out, re-filling with dechlorinated water, and pouring back into the tank. This works fine with my 5g, all I need are two buckets. One to take out the water, and another that I fill with de-chlorinated water. When I'm done, I just pour that water into the tank and it's finished.

However... my 20g is starting to be more of a problem. It requires a LOT more buckets and a LOT more trips back and forth. And, since I'm only a little 13 year old those buckets are really heavy for me and put a strain on my back. I've been doing this for over a year now, and feel like it is time for a change.
I've heard of ones that attach to the faucet of a sink and water is then pumped into and out of the tank for you, eliminating the use of buckets. That sounds great, but I just don't understand how this works without harming the fish. When the water from the sink is pumped into the tank, how are the fish safe from that? It hasn't been de-chlorinated yet!

So, can someone please help me out here? I'm such a newbie with this kinda of water changer, as you can see.

 

[mfdrookie516]

put your dechlor in as you fill it up. unless you're doing a 90% change (and even then I dont think it would be an issue), you'll be fine. I've done 50% pwc's by filling straight from the sink for 2 years now with no issues. The key is temp matching the water pretty close. I've even forgotten to put dechlor in when doing a pwc on my 150 until a couple hours later... while I wouldn't suggest doing that, my fish were fine.

 

[jetajockey]

I dose all of my tanks with dechlorinator just prior to filling them and likewise, no problems here.

 

[George9]

I think those water changer faucet hook ups are mainly for taking water out. Ou turn the sink on and it starts sucking out the water. I'm pretty sure you still need buckets to put the water back in, im not 100% sure because I've never used one.

 

[mandy2936]

put your dechlor in as you fill it up. unless you're doing a 90% change (and even then I dont think it would be an issue), you'll be fine. I've done 50% pwc's by filling straight from the sink for 2 years now with no issues. The key is temp matching the water pretty close. I've even forgotten to put dechlor in when doing a pwc on my 150 until a couple hours later... while I wouldn't suggest doing that, my fish were fine.

I dose all of my tanks with dechlorinator just prior to filling them and likewise, no problems here.

Thanks for the replies. My parents got me that type of water changer today because they didn't like how I had to lift the heavy buckets. So, I need to make sure I understand what I'm doing before I use it:

So basically, you can just add the de-chlorinator to the tank and then fill it up with tap water? I now understand that I am wrong, but I always thought that the fish being exposed to the tap water before the de-chlor had a chance to kick in and diffuse around would be dangerous.

But how much do you know how to dose if you don't know exactly how much water your putting back in? For example, with the buckets, if I remove two 3 gallon buckets full of water, I have taken out 6 gallons of water and can then dose for the appropriate amount of water conditioner. But with this "Python" there are no buckets involved therefore no exact measurement of the gallons that have been taken out, resulting in confusion for me...

 

[George9]

Thanks for the replies. My parents got me that type of water changer today because they didn't like how I had to lift the heavy buckets. So, I need to make sure I understand what I'm doing before I use it:

So basically, you can just add the de-chlorinator to the tank and then fill it up with tap water? I now understand that I am wrong, but I always thought that the fish being exposed to the tap water before the de-chlor had a chance to kick in and diffuse around would be dangerous.

But how much do you know how to dose if you don't know exactly how much water your putting back in? For example, with the buckets, if I remove two 3 gallon buckets full of water, I have taken out 6 gallons of water and can then dose for the appropriate amount of water conditioner. But with this "Python" there are no buckets involved therefore no exact measurement of the gallons that have been taken out, resulting in confusion for me...

What water conditioner do you use?

EDIT: just found this video : http://www.ehow.com/video_4439094_refilling-fish-tank-python-hose.html
Just don't take as much water out as she did! she did like a 90% pwc in the vid!

 

[jetajockey]

It's recommended to dose for the entire tank volume rather than what you are taking out/putting in.

 

[WendiDell]

Same here. I can't do the bucket thing because of numerous back surgeries.
So after I vacuum the gravel I add Prime for the amount of the entire tank, not just the water I'm replacing. Then I match the water temp. and fill it up.
I match temp. by feel but it can take practice. So when the water is going into your tank put your hand inside the water in the tank and feel it and the water flowing in at the same time if you can't feel any difference you should be OK. But if the water flowing from the hose feels warmer or colder, make tiny adjustments until both waters feel the same.
Temp. is very important, anything more than a degree or two will cause to much stress on your fish, not to cause you any stress. You can practice matching the water temps. with the water changer & a bucket or a bathtub before you try it in the tank. At least until you feel comfortable enough with matching it.
Once you get the hang of it you wish you had gotten it sooner, their great.
Good Luck

 

[librarygirl]

Yep, dose for the entire tank. It usually works pretty instantly so by the time you hook up the hose to the faucet and turn it on, and match temp, it's good to go. I have the Aqueon changer for my 20 gal and the first time I used it I was amazed at how easy and fast it was compared to lugging buckets!

 

[glassbird]

I am going to throw a suggestion in here that may be a little confusing, but hear me out. I have a python (love it), and it is indeed important to temperature match. But actually doing that with a python is tricky because it takes a long time for each correction to get from the faucet to the end that is dumping into the tank! You never know if the "too hot" water coming out at this moment is from the latest correction at the faucet, or if it is from the correction you made before that one!

Here is what I do...make your first best guess and then twist the base of the gizmo that is on the end in the sink (where the water is draining out of your tank and down the drain) to the closed position, so that fresh water is running from the faucet toward your tank. Let it run for about 10 seconds, and then OPEN the gizmo so that water is flowing back into the sink again. Put your hand in the outflowing water and judge the temp. You will be feeling the water that you just put into the tube AS WELL AS the water coming out of the faucet, so for at least a few seconds you will have a chance to get a fairly accurate feel of the temp. Make a tiny adjustment if needed, and try again. When you feel you have come as close as possible, let the fresh water run to the tank and feel it there. This works for me, but it does take a little practice. (Maybe bring a bowl of water from your tank right to the faucet so you can feel the temp when you need to compare, if you are having trouble.)

Also, consider replacing the water slowly. That way, if you are off by a few degrees, it will be mixing slowly with the water in the tank and it won't be quite as much of a shock to your fish. Remember...nothing good happens fast in this hobby.

 

[George9]

If your faucet has two knobs you spin, instead of one that you turn left or right, here is what i did. I put a little mark on the knob and one on the sink next to the knob. so I line them up to fill the tank and I know it's the perfect temperature. You have to figure out the perfect temp first before drawing the line.

 

[mandy2936]

Wow, thanks for all the responses! I really appreciate the help.

I always try my best to match the water temp. I just bring a cup of water from the tank and use it for reference over at the sink.

So basically, whether I take out 2 gallons or 10 gallons, I still add 20 gallons worth of water conditioner to the tank before re-filling? (I use Stress Coat+)
I don't understand how that makes sense.

 

[WendiDell]

Wow, thanks for all the responses! I really appreciate the help.

I always try my best to match the water temp. I just bring a cup of water from the tank and use it for reference over at the sink.

So basically, whether I take out 2 gallons or 10 gallons, I still add 20 gallons worth of water conditioner to the tank before re-filling? (I use Stress Coat+)
I don't understand how that makes sense.

Yes, you got it right. Although I would suggest using Prime instead of Stress coat for PWC.
Stress coat is great when adding new fish to the tank or transferring them to or from your QT. But IMO, nothing de-chlorinates better or faster than Prime. Plus it's very concentrated, so you won't use very much in a 20g tank. I use about 1 cap full for my 55g tank. I've used a whole bunch of other types of water conditioners and Prime has worked best for instantly removing the chlorine & chloramines from tap water while using a water changer instead of a bucket.
When I first started using my Aqueon water changer I used a pool test kit to check for chlorine in my fish tank. I wanted to be sure it was safe. Prime did what it says it does. The others were somewhat slower. But it's up to you which de-chlorinater you use.