Water storage container

[marchmaxima]

I've been thinking about my big build lately.

Being that it's a 120g, PWCs with a bucket are obviously out. Before you all leap in and say "buy a Python" let me just say the use of a Python in Australia (assuming you can get one which is next to impossible) is considered amongst my local fish-keeping community as the equivallent of committing an act of terrorism.

With this in mind, I'm thinking the way to go is to have a storage container or barrell of some description where the water is stored/aged/heated. Getting the water from the water storage container to the tank will be facilitated by the use of a water pump.

Does the container need to be food grade? I didn't think so, considering I hear people using "rubbermaid containers" with no apparent hassles. Just thought I'd check.

 

[neilanh]

I can't imagine why a python would be frowned upon. It's no different than doing a PWC manually, except the manual part. Seems silly to me.

Do you have a water hose you can use? is that allowed in Australia?

120g PWCs are not a joke, especially if your'e doing 50%. Just get the python - I promise you will not regret it

 

[marchmaxima]

"Water security", or the need to conserve/resuse/recycle water is a massive issue in Oz. It's on equal par with the global economic crisis if that helps you understand the importance of it. If anything, the water issue (or lack of it) tops the issues and has for some time.

We're under extremely tight water restrictions so hoses are generally a "no go" as long as they are connected to the mains. You are allowed to use a hose (only if it has one of those trigger nozzles) to water your garden using mains water once a week during your allotted time. Unless your garden is full of Australian natives it probably died 2 years ago. Using hoses to wash cars, water lawns, anything else, is banned.

No one here suggests the Python is a bad product, but its a bad design for Australia because the design encourages people to dump their waste water down the drain. At the end of the day its a long hose with a venturi pump on the end to create the initial suction. The venturi pump attaches to your tap and the water squirts down the drain which is a travesty in Australia where the water could be diverted to your lawn or garden.

So when I do PWCs the water coming out of the tank will go out the back door into a seperate water container for use on the garden. On the I'm looking forward to being able to have a herb garden again! It burned up when the restrictions were imposed.

If someone suggests that the Python can be easily modified in such a way that the hose could pump the waste water out my back door instead of down the drain, then I'll look at it further.

 

[Egress]

I use ~30 gallon trash bins to agitate water before it goes into the tank. I've had no issues with them, I did scrub and rinse them with hot water before using them, until they lost their chemical smell. Mold release agents I'd guess. Instead of storing the water being taken out of the tank, I siphon into a 100 foot hose with someone else on the other end walking around watering.

 

[cmor1701d]

If you can get Rubbermaid BRUTE trash containers, they are food grade. The entire BRUTE line is food grade. I would still rinse them a couple times before using them.

 

[marchmaxima]

I think last night I found my answer. I found a few threads on SimplyDiscus and the Aussies there don't use food grade water storage bins. Just a normal one seems to do the trick. There's a 100L one with a tap fitting on the bottom and wheels. That'll be what I need becuase I'll need to roll it in and out of the living room.

But yes, I'll definitely be rinsing thoroughly! They had that lovely "new plastic" smell. Urgh.

 

[jsoong]

It will still be a pain to lug a big container around .....

I would suggest this: <what I and a lot of others do>

Remove water from the tank using a regular siphon, but dump the siphoned water out the window to water your plants. <I use a 20' clear vinyl hose attached to a regular gravel vac.> As long as you have the height, you can attach a long hose to your siphon & it still sucks well. <Esp. if you use a big gravel vac ... mine uses 1/2" hose.>

Fill with water from your tap using a long hose. I use a vinyl hose attached to my kitchen tap (so I can mix in hot water), or you can attach a food grade (RV) hose to an ordinary garden tap just for cold. I add the dechlorinator to my tank as I am adding the new water.

With this setup, not a drop of water goes in the drain. And I don't have to lug or store water. .... non use extra electricity with pumps.

 

[marchmaxima]

Would not ageing the water with a container/airpump, etc be an issue if the tank was full of discus juvies?

 

[Egress]

It depends on the difference between the properties of the water flowing from the tap vs. the existing water in your tank. My tap water comes out supersaturated with some variety of gasses. If I dump it straight into a tank without agitating it I get tons of tiny bubbles on every surface and most of my fish start acting strange for a couple hours. Many others use a python or similar device to go straight into the tank and apparently don't have this issue. Still others will choose to manipulate the water chemistry before it goes into the tank: adding some sort of mineral mix, etc.

 

[sw-addict]

I have a saltwater tank so water need to be mixed and brought to temp for days before use. I use a 44 gallon brute with the wheel casters on the botom like a cleaning service uses in comercial buldings and a tight fitting lid, actually one for used water and one for new.

 

[jsoong]

Would not ageing the water with a container/airpump, etc be an issue if the tank was full of discus juvies?

if you are not doctoring the water in any way <can't remember if you finally decided to use the tap straight or not!>, then there is no need to age the water. <Exception might be when water is supersaturated with CO2, or had been limed, in which case you need to aerate to stabilize the pH.>

Even if you have to age the water, I would still try to find a container that will fit inside the stand, and fill it up there with a hose. I would rather not lug around a couple hundred pounds of water, even if it is on wheels.

 

[ezy33]

I've found most trash can are not sturdy enough to move while full of water. I use a 60 gallon food grade drum (found at a yard sale). As they are round and a heavy grade plastic. I can easily move it around while it's still 1/3 full without fear of failure. I also have a furniture dolly I use to move while full. With a power head I pump from the drum to tank. With a garden hose I fill the drum, then put the hose in the tank, disconnect hose outside (on the lawn) and siphon is already started. Using the power head directed back into the drum to mix the treated water, then when the water level is lowered in the tank I redirect hose from power head to the tank. I used to put fresh water straight into the tank then treat it, until the water company started using Chloramine and I lost a Bala Shark.