Non python water change containers

[twoodrough]

I am in a 10 now but have a 20 I will set up sometime. I do 50% water changes weekly. I am considering a python but that seems like overkill for a smaller tank.

What containers do you all use for medium sized water changes that are not big enough to require a python, but big enough to be a pain without one?

 

[twoodrough]

Does everyone use buckets or a python? Are there no other alterntaives?

 

[jimsz]

The python is nice if a sink is nearby. If yo have the money it is worth it. If you don't mind buckets pick up a couple 5 gallon buckets at home depot. Moving 10 gallons of water a week is not that big of deal.

 

[BBradbury]

Water Changes for Small Tanks

I am in a 10 now but have a 20 I will set up sometime. I do 50% water changes weekly. I am considering a python but that seems like overkill for a smaller tank.

What containers do you all use for medium sized water changes that are not big enough to require a python, but big enough to be a pain without one?

Hello two...

For such as small tank, three or four 5 gallon buckets would work fine and not be much work. I keep several large tanks and have used the buckets for years and even take full buckets up and down stairs and I'm an oldtimer. Once you develope a routine, weekly, large water changes go pretty smoothly, with the help of some plastic tubing. Just make sure you set up your tank close to a tap water source.

B

 

[Jess1ca]

I made a homemade python out of a garden hose. Very cost effective. I cut a length off to syphon water out then used the rest to refill. I just duct tape it to the faucet, wish I had some pics to show ya. Works wonders for me!

 

[Bbarb27]

I just use 3 gallon buckets. They are easier to carry and lift than the 5 gallon buckets, especially into my taller tanks.

 

[twoodrough]

Getting the water out is not my real issue. It is getting it back in. I can carry a full 5 gallon bucket a dump it in the sink, but I have never used them to put water back into a tank because I am afraid it will spill all over outside the tank, and also make a mess with decorations inside the tank. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I am imagining. Right now I use a 3 gallon container that has a spiggot (sp?) on it. Keeps the mess down but it is slow. It is okay for doing 5 gallons but to refill 10 gallons that way is going to take forever.

So any tricks to using buckets to dump water back into a tank, or should I just try it because it ain't so bad?

 

[BBradbury]

Water Changes

Getting the water out is not my real issue. It is getting it back in. I can carry a full 5 gallon bucket a dump it in the sink, but I have never used them to put water back into a tank because I am afraid it will spill all over outside the tank, and also make a mess with decorations inside the tank. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I am imagining. Right now I use a 3 gallon container that has a spiggot (sp?) on it. Keeps the mess down but it is slow. It is okay for doing 5 gallons but to refill 10 gallons that way is going to take forever.

So any tricks to using buckets to dump water back into a tank, or should I just try it because it ain't so bad?

Hello again two...

Actuallly, there is a simple system of getting the water into the tank. You simply need to stack the buckets. As long as the new water is in a bucket and the bucket is slightly higher than the tank, gravity takes over.

Here's the explanation: When you remove water from the tank, you put a bucket on the floor in front of the tank. I use a long, clear plastic tube I got from the pet store. I prefer a 5/8s wide tube. It transfers the water faster.

I attach the tube to a water change syphon. I cover the end that goes into the tank with a piece from a nylon stocking and use a rubber band to secure the nylon. This way, you only suck up water and not a small fish.

Now, the tricky part. You suck on the end of the tube to pull the water out of the tank and drop the tube into the bucket. Draw out as much water as you want. I remove half of it.

To get the new water into the tank, just stack the buckets. The bucket with the new water goes on top of two other buckets. Remove the syphon and rinse the tube under the tap. Put one end of the tube in the bottom of the full bucket and suck on the other end. Put that end into the tank. The gravity will pull the water from the bucket and drop it into the tank.

Practice is needed, but you'll get it. PM me if you have any questions.

B

 

[twoodrough]

Really? This is how you do a water change with buckets? Seems like a tower ready to topple to me. That would be worse than a few splashes of water. The rim of my new aquarium is almost 45 inches off the ground. I would have to have quite a stack of buckets.

Does anyone just dump the bucket directly in the tank?

My hubby is pretty handy and probably could rig me up a homemade python type thing. I know I saw a detailed article somewhere on the net for this.

 

[Alyxx]

I've always just dumped the buckets back into the tank, at least until I got myself a python recently. I found buckets that have a small little lip for pouring and an indentation in the bottom to grip it to tilt the bucket. They were like $2 each at Walmart for 3 gallon buckets. Very little mess. Of course, I find the python much, much easier, especially for my 56 gallon tank.

 

[twoodrough]

Yeah - but I only have a 20 and don't plan to go bigger any time soon. If I had a larger tank the python decision would be a no brainer.

I like the idea of the 3 gallon buckets with the lip and grip. May have to search those out.

 

[Alyxx]

Yeah - but I only have a 20 and don't plan to go bigger any time soon. If I had a larger tank the python decision would be a no brainer.

I like the idea of the 3 gallon buckets with the lip and grip. May have to search those out.

The buckets and a gravel vac worked just fine for me for years, for my 20 and my 30 gallon tanks. I found them near the automotive section at my Walmart.

However, for an easier filling option, you could go to the hardware store and pick up a garden hose to sink connector for like $4 and a garden hose if you really wanted.

 

[Crawdaddy]

Really? This is how you do a water change with buckets? Seems like a tower ready to topple to me. That would be worse than a few splashes of water. The rim of my new aquarium is almost 45 inches off the ground. I would have to have quite a stack of buckets.

Does anyone just dump the bucket directly in the tank?

My hubby is pretty handy and probably could rig me up a homemade python type thing. I know I saw a detailed article somewhere on the net for this.

I pour, not dump, my water over one of the sturdy decorations in the tank. That way I don't blow my sand substrate all over. In my 55 cichlid tank, I use the rocks I have built up for caves, the 37 tropical, I have a glass vase in the tank as decoration, and aim for that.

 

[Bbarb27]

I pour, not dump, my water over one of the sturdy decorations in the tank. That way I don't blow my sand substrate all over. In my 55 cichlid tank, I use the rocks I have built up for caves, the 37 tropical, I have a glass vase in the tank as decoration, and aim for that.

I lay a dinner plate (only used for the tanks) at an angle against the driftwood in my tanks and pour the water onto the plate to disperse the force of the water. It keeps my sand from going everywhere and drifting too badly.

I also use 3 gallon buckets rather than a python. I prefer to treat each bucket with prime, not the full tank. The 3 gallon size is easier to lift and pour than 5 gallon buckets.

 

[Crawdaddy]

I should have mentioned, I only fill the bucket about half way. I use two buckets, one filling, while I pour the other.

 

[mfdrookie516]

A cheap powerhead like a maxijet 1200 might be a good investment if you're going to be using buckets. Would end up costing about the same as a python though.

 

[DragonFish71]

Since I always do more than one tank and all my tanks vary in size, I just use my python for everything except filling certain tanks. For those I use water that I have in jugs so that it's "aged".

 

[twoodrough]

Found some buckets with spouts and handles at Lowe's. They are 4.5 gallons but I will probably just fill to the 3 gallon line. They had the 3 gallon ones but they were pretty small and would have to fill all the way to get 3 gallons. I will use them in my 10 now and will be easy to upgrade to the 20 later on and still do 50% changes. Looking forward to trying something new at next week's water change.

Thanks all!

 

[BBradbury]

Water Changes

Yeah - but I only have a 20 and don't plan to go bigger any time soon. If I had a larger tank the python decision would be a no brainer.

I like the idea of the 3 gallon buckets with the lip and grip. May have to search those out.

Hello again two...

What's probably an "off the wall" alternative to large, weekly water changes, might be putting the root balls of certain land plants into the tank water with the leaves above the water. There are land plants that don't require soil to grow and need only fertilized water. Attached are pics of a couple of tanks that require only small water changes of no more than 3 gallons per week. The plants use the nitrogens produced by the fish and plants keep the water pure.

Might be an interesting twist for your tank. Just a thought "outside the box".

B

 

[Machinist]

Im thinking about buying this along some clear hose from Lowe's to refill my tank with, it attaches to water faucet. You can also use it to siphon the water out of the tank too.