Water changes

[paulmorgan]

hi

Just wondering about water changing tools, are the battery ones any better? and whats the best thing for cleaning poop without having to do water changes?

thanks

 

[Obsessedfishlover]

hi

Just wondering about water changing tools, are the battery ones any better? and whats the best thing for cleaning poop without having to do water changes?

thanks

I use a regular siphon the vacuum ones aren't reducing the work that much with the siphon all you have to do is run it across the bottom same thing with the battery one....I don't think there is a way to clean it up without water changes unless you seen a pruduct...

 

[piao liang yu]

hi

Just wondering about water changing tools, are the battery ones any better? and whats the best thing for cleaning poop without having to do water changes?

thanks

I am not sure you are asking if you can get around pwc's, but if you are asking that I will share what I found out. I initially thought if I planted the tank enough that would cut down on maintenance like pwc's. Well, as I have learned from searching and asking on here is that even though you have a bunch of plants that do indeed help with the break down of waste in the water and laying in the substrate, you still need regular pwc's. The pwc's are still necessary for removing the toxins that build up over time. I am no expert, but I have learned that pwc's are imperative. They are non-negotiable. I have found they are best done once a week.

If you were not asking that then I apologize.

 

[TOMatt]

I think it depends on the size of your tank.
I've got a 50 gallon, and do well with 6 5-gallon buckets and a cheap gravity-powered vacuum. 3 buckets hold 15 gallons of treated tap water, and 3 buckets hold the tank water that I remove.
It takes about 15 minutes, once a week.

Much bigger tanks might want a mechanized water changing device, but i don't know anything about those.

 

[piao liang yu]

I am not sure you are asking if you can get around pwc's, but if you are asking that I will share what I found out. I initially thought if I planted the tank enough that would cut down on maintenance like pwc's. Well, as I have learned from searching and asking on here is that even though you have a bunch of plants that do indeed help with the break down of waste in the water and laying in the substrate, you still need regular pwc's. The pwc's are still necessary for removing the toxins that build up over time. I am no expert, but I have learned that pwc's are imperative. They are non-negotiable. I have found they are best done once a week.

If you were not asking that then I apologize.

To my point, I did find a filter on the interwebz that claims to eliminate the need for water changes. I don't think they mean all together, but I could not get any definitive answer on their site one way or the other. Part of their marketing strategy is them asking if you are tired of water changes though, so that implies with their filter you can get by with far fewer water changes if not all together. Their system is aquaripure.

Does anyone have any experience with aquaripure filters? And are their claims legit?

 

[Rlavassor86]

Some canister filters like the magnum 350 can be set up to vacuum it just filters the dirty water and returns to the tank. They make attachments for them. IMO water changes are still necessary though. I've only seen 1tank ever that was almost completely self sustaining.1000 gal reef with 600 gal sump. The guy only did a pwc once sometimes twice a year.

 

[blert]

To my point, I did find a filter on the interwebz that claims to eliminate the need for water changes. I don't think they mean all together, but I could not get any definitive answer on their site one way or the other. Part of their marketing strategy is them asking if you are tired of water changes though, so that implies with their filter you can get by with far fewer water changes if not all together. Their system is aquaripure.

Does anyone have any experience with aquaripure filters? And are their claims legit?

It's a denitrator. Expensive upfront, expensive to maintain. Helps lower nitrate but that's it. You still need to do regular water changes to remove other undesirable stuff and to replenish minerals.

 

[Hholly]

I read reviews of the filter you are talking about. The Aquaripure? They weren't good, for the most part. Maybe they have improved since I did my research. I have high nitrates in my well water at certain times of the year. Someone suggested an algal turf scrubber to help. But there's no easy solution to the need for water changes.

 

[paulmorgan]

thanks to all who replied, yeah i know water changes are essential and i do 10 percent a week on average, just i have jet black gravel and it shows up the poop so much, i only feed every other day but still get it, was thinking bout getting some shrimp, would that help? they eat the poop right?

 

[Hholly]

I don't think there's any shrimp or fish that eats poop. Basically you just need to do more gravel vacuuming. If you do enough, you'll be changing out more than 10%. If you don't like to do that, growing live plants can help. But you still have to change out water.

 

[tropical-fish]

hi

Just wondering about water changing tools, are the battery ones any better? and whats the best thing for cleaning poop without having to do water changes?

thanks

are you referring to a battery powered vacum which sucks up the poop into a mesh bag connected to the handle and the water goes back into the tank?

yes i've tried one. used it a few times and got rid of it. the problem was that the vacum sucks up a big piece of poop into the mesh bag. then as you continue vacuming the water pressure going into the mesh bag breaks up the poop into tiny particles which escape through the holes of the mesh bag and go back into the water.

a bucket and hose is still the best.