Okay...I Have HAD It With Water Changes...

[Osage_Winter]

+1 for Vircomore's method. I have one of those self-starting siphons and I hate starting it with the jerk method. It scares the fish, moves things around, and often splashes.

That's EXACTLY what happens with us -- and it causes the entire tank to shake with the water in it, putting the fish in a turbulent current, and it's just heartbreaking to watch...

+1 for getting a python. I used to think pythons were way too expensive. I got one as a door prize at an LFS and I'm hooked now. It used to take me 30 minutes to do a water change on my 29g, 20L, and 5g. Siphon water into a bucket, drag the bucket to the bathtub, slop water on the floor, leave a mess in the tub, etc. Now I can do a PWC on my 29g, 20L, 20H, 40B, and 5g in 30 minutes and that's letting gravity drain the tank, not using water-powered suction. No water slopped on the floor, no endless hauling of buckets. If I broke my python, I'd be fixing it immediately. It makes weekly PWCs much easier than the siphon and a bucket.

From what I am reading, this may be the only way possible for me to remain in the hobby, unless I cross my fingers and pray to Allah (or any other holier-than-thou figure, take your pick) that nothing happens to my fish by skipping changes altogether, just topping off the tank from evaporation.

As for the messy tub, carpets, etc -- I just went into the guest bath which we utilize during these water changes for the bathtub, and the odor coming off the area rug in front of the tub was horiffic because of the tank water that splashed and soaked it last night. Now, we need to have this rug cleaned, if that's even possible...

In the meantime, pour your water into a pan or bowl and let it overflow gently into the tank. I use the fish guard on my python and aim the water onto a rock or the side of the tank to prevent the water from disturbing the sand.

The fact that all my plants and ornaments have been rearranged from this last change burns my behind like an electric feather being brushed across it -- I swear. How do you aim the water to the side of the tank -- you mean, like off the side glass?

Unfortunately, priming HOB filters is just part of the maintenance. I have four ACs running and I have to prime all four every PWC. I use one of those betta cups. One cupful for the AC30, two or three for the AC50, three to four for the AC70, and five to six for the AC110. It's just part of my regular maintenance routine now.

I just couldn't stand doing it, when the Aqueon on the other side of the tank was self priming due to the submerged pump...

You have to remember that an aquarium is an attempt to emulate nature. Things are constantly moving and changing in nature. Be flexible and relaxed and you'll start enjoying the hobby a lot more.

Okay; makes sense. Thanks.

Should I feel that way about the plants moving, shifting, etc. (even though they're not real)?

Try vinegar on the glass tops. It sounds like you've got mineral build-up on your glass. The vinegar will dissolve these minerals.

Yes -- there are salt deposits all over the edges of the tank, on the cover of the Aqueon filter and even on the power cord of the light hood -- can you believe that?

My tank room is just a G-d forsaken mess...

As for your carbon, don't replace it unless you're trying to remove medication or tannins from the water. You can leave it in the filter as biomedia or remove it. Beneficial bacteria will grow on just about any submerged surface, including carbon. If you want to clean the filter media, just rapidly and repeatedly dunk it in a bucket of old tank water. I've been using the same sponge and biomedia in two of my ACs for more than a year and this is how I clean them.

I've heard this -- but does this apply to those cheap, cotton carbon filled cartridge packs like in my Aqueon? Do I just rinse these, even though they may be black from tank gunk?

 

[Osage_Winter]

Maybe there is someone in this forum that lives near you and would like to help. I know I would like to help if I could.

Thank you...

Are you in the States? Which part?

 

[Osage_Winter]

Never mind, Reef -- I see you're in Arkansas.

 

[Osage_Winter]

Good call reefdiver. Osage_Winter, where are you located?

A bit of a distance from you -- Southern Nevada.

 

[Osage_Winter]

The Python is the answer to all of your problems. I know that I and many others have told you this before. I know that you said you don't want a hose running all over your house. So which is worse, having a hose running from your tank to your toilet, then from your sink to your tank - once a week - or lugging 5g buckets around and risking a dump like you had, then having to either soak it up with paper towels/rags or digging out a carpet cleaner to suck it out?

For you, I extremely very much mega highly suggest that you go invest in a Python. You will thank me and everyone else who has suggested it. Just get one. Please. Trust us.

It's not that I never trusted any of you guys or gals -- I just cannot see this working here, and I discussed it with my wife, and she just doesn't want to do it...

ALTHOUGH...

You bring up a good point about what we're doing now, ruining the carpets and all, compared to running hosing throughout the house...

As for floating fake plants and mixed up gravel, that's just the way it is. Fake plastic plants float and there's nothing you can do about it, they're going to get stirred up if you do a deep gravel vac. If you just vac around the plants, and just hit the top 1", you may not disturb them too badly. You should still do a deep vac once a month.

But this just sucks; I mean, I poured so much time into placing things just so -- and the fish have found little favorite spots amongst these decorations -- and then the water change completely disrupted things.

And it's not that the plastic plants are "floating;" it's just that they've been uprooted and "bent"/moved from their original spots because of the heavy splashing of the return water after the change (my fault for the way I was pouring I suppose)...the tank just doesn't look the way it did when we sit down in front of it, and really take it all in -- you know?

As for bumpy gravel - smooth it out with the big end of the vac after you're done. It will take you less than 30 seconds.

I tried doing that -- and ironically it's exactly what my wife suggested -- but I just couldn't maneuver the vac pipe to get into the back of the tank and corners...the tank isn't very deep, from front to back...

I smooth the gravel with my hand, but I HATE disrupting the fish in there, and kicking up all the crap that's under the gravel bed that the vac may not have caught.

Plus -- the bubble wands I'm running are suction cupped to the rear wall of the tank, and they weren't that stable to begin with, so when you look at them from the head-on angle in front, they look crooked all over the place stuck on the back of the tank -- I wanted to "slant" the gravel bed higher back there to cover the bubble wands a bit, making it slope forward, but now that all the ornaments are in there, it's impossible...

Is it normal to have uneven looking gravel or substrate all the time?

 

[Osage_Winter]

lol

you fill the gravel vac, lift it so the water starts to flow through the tube.

once it starts flowing down the tube put the vac part back in the water, and it'll magically suck

This may be funny to you, but it did not work for us.

 

[Osage_Winter]

I use the plain suction gravel cleaner. After clamping the tube from the gravel cleaner onto my 5 gal. bucket I kink the line with one hand and hold it tight, dip the suctioning end in the tank getting some water in it then I hold it up in the air and watch while the air bubbles travel up and out. Then I dip it in the tank, let go of the kink, and about 95% of the time the water starts flowing into the bucket. Using this manual method IMO gives a person control of the suction. Just be sure to watch the bucket because it fills up fast.

Once we got it flowing (don't know how) it did fill up fast, you're right -- but we couldn't get it to work using the method you outline above, and it seems others had that issue with these cheap, plastic vacs like the Top Fins...

I also have my aquarium in the living room on my carpet. I just lay a towel in front of the aquarium stand and it catches the water. I'm shortly, probably after the holidays, going to upgrade to a 50 gal. And, I'm really looking forward to it.

Well, good luck with that 50 because I'll tell ya...doing a 60 is a LOT of work. At any rate, I have used the towels, but at this point, I think our carpets are ruined. And this is in a brand new house, with many upgrades.

I'd hate to see you lose all interest in keeping fish. Because, once you get the hang of it, it's a really satisfying hobby and I think a fish tank is a wonderful and beautiful addition to anyone's home. I hope I see you on AA again.

I'm still here...

Thanks.

 

[strokinbyeu]

my sand bed isnt flat at all. i have some spots that are 2 or 3 inces deep and others that are an inch deep. as far as filling the tank back up, i have a large flat rock in my tank that i poor the water towards to reduce the swirle effect. when i chang water in my 10gal srimp tank i have to poor the water into a smaller container then slowly poor that into the tank bc the 10 is just to shallow to try and dunp 5 gal of water into it.

how many gal of wter do you replace when you do your changes? maby remove one bucket, dump that inthe tub(i use the toilet its less mess to clean up) then bring 1 bucket of clean treated water back and poor that in the tank slowly. then by the time you get to draining again ti will mixed in. try that you mite not thave to prim your filter that way.

i hope this info helps, if you have any ?? just ask away i would be more than happy to help as much as possible.

 

[Osage_Winter]

my sand bed isnt flat at all. i have some spots that are 2 or 3 inces deep and others that are an inch deep.

Thanks strokin. So, would this be considered "normal" to see uneven substrate beds?

as far as filling the tank back up, i have a large flat rock in my tank that i poor the water towards to reduce the swirle effect. when i chang water in my 10gal srimp tank i have to poor the water into a smaller container then slowly poor that into the tank bc the 10 is just to shallow to try and dunp 5 gal of water into it.

Indeed...

how many gal of wter do you replace when you do your changes? maby remove one bucket, dump that inthe tub(i use the toilet its less mess to clean up) then bring 1 bucket of clean treated water back and poor that in the tank slowly. then by the time you get to draining again ti will mixed in. try that you mite not thave to prim your filter that way.

i hope this info helps, if you have any ?? just ask away i would be more than happy to help as much as possible.

Thanks.

 

[strokinbyeu]

oh yes totaly, the bottom of a lake or river isnt flat, they have waves and holes all over. i think its neat to watch the fish reexplor there enviroment when somthing is changed around. the more "messed up" it looks will prob make it look more natural.

 

[strokinbyeu]

another thing to try is maby not fill your buckets up all the way if its a 5gal bucket maby try just 3 gal of water it makes it easer to dump the bucket and less likly to spill in the tranit to the bathroom

 

[Osage_Winter]

I understand what you're saying, wholeheartedly, regarding the natural substrate in a biosystem, but as far as people's home tanks are concerned...is it normal to see uneven layers and levels of substrate?

I disagree a bit, respectfully, with messed up aquascaping looking more natural; I am just a perfectionist with that kind of stuff!

 

[Osage_Winter]

another thing to try is maby not fill your buckets up all the way if its a 5gal bucket maby try just 3 gal of water it makes it easer to dump the bucket and less likly to spill in the tranit to the bathroom

Yes, you're right. I could try that.

 

[strokinbyeu]

I understand what you're saying, wholeheartedly, regarding the natural substrate in a biosystem, but as far as people's home tanks are concerned...is it normal to see uneven layers and levels of substrate?

I disagree a bit, respectfully, with messed up aquascaping looking more natural; I am just a perfectionist with that kind of stuff!

lol i understand compleatly, im a bit of a perfectionist myself, as far as the uneven substrait, the tanks i have seen inperson and in pic i find it quite common to see dips and mounds of substrait. iv also seen flat substrait also but in my opinion it looks kinda weird to me. not saying yours dosnt look great the way you want it, everyones veiws are diff.

im not in anyway trying to tell you how your tank should look,it has to please you(and your wife lol) if your gona enjoy veiwing it. so if you like flat sustrait or level substrait maby try and find a tool to use after the pwc is complete that you can use to flatten every thing back out. i have a ridgid peice of acrilic tube that i use to nug things around if i want them rearanged. maby somthing like that of a plastic rod, alot of things could be used. it mite also work to ajust your plants and push the base back into the substrait. that would not stress the fish out much at all

 

[Osage_Winter]

lol i understand compleatly, im a bit of a perfectionist myself, as far as the uneven substrait, the tanks i have seen inperson and in pic i find it quite common to see dips and mounds of substrait. iv also seen flat substrait also but in my opinion it looks kinda weird to me. not saying yours dosnt look great the way you want it, everyones veiws are diff.

im not in anyway trying to tell you how your tank should look,it has to please you(and your wife lol) if your gona enjoy veiwing it. so if you like flat sustrait or level substrait maby try and find a tool to use after the pwc is complete that you can use to flatten every thing back out. i have a ridgid peice of acrilic tube that i use to nug things around if i want them rearanged. maby somthing like that of a plastic rod, alot of things could be used. it mite also work to ajust your plants and push the base back into the substrait. that would not stress the fish out much at all

Thanks, strokin.

As far as pushing the plants' bases into the gravel, I indeed do that...and rather deep...but when they get moved around, I have to then smoosh them in the gravel in another part, etc...

 

[strokinbyeu]

Thanks, strokin.

As far as pushing the plants' bases into the gravel, I indeed do that...and rather deep...but when they get moved around, I have to then smoosh them in the gravel in another part, etc...

i would keep going at it trying some of the things you have learned and mite figure out some other things that work also. its frustrating to not have things work the way every1 says they should, and to be told the same directions over and over with no better results. you will get a grove and it will become second nature to you

 

[Osage_Winter]

Thank you.

 

[XimeD]

+1 on the python. I used to do water changes like you do with the gravel vac and 5g buckets. I swear the python is worth it, you can even get extensions so no matter how far away your sink is from your tank, you should be able to do it. It is well worth it, especially for a 60gal.

When u gravel vac do you stir the gravel/sand? If so, don't; try to keep the stirring to a minimum. So for a deep gravel vac just push the vac into the gravel and wiggle a bit then lift and repeat for the next section. The nice thing about the python is that it has a lot more suction power than just a gravel vac (which works based on gravity, this is why you need to keep the level of the water going out below the level of the water going in and why unless you fill the tube with water as was suggested, you need to suck on one end then immediately lower the output end below the level of the input to get the syphon going). I digressed........python having more suction power will not only help do your PWC faster but also there will be less debris floating around since more of it gets sucked in. I agree with everyone else that you have a lot less hassle with a python.

Regarding your substrate, there is something called a substrate flattener, I haven't tried it myself but don't see why it shouldn't work, here's a link to one they sell on ebay so you can see what it looks like:

Aquascaping Tools - Substrate Flattener ADA style - eBay (item 260651088700 end time Dec-13-10 05:33:53 PST)

Hope this helps

 

[XimeD]

Ohhh I forgot to mention this on the last post, but I also have those cheap aqueon filters and just rinse the cartdrige in old DECHLORINATED tank water, it seems like it will fall apart a lot earlier than my other cartdriges on the marineland filter. So, since you have both the aqueon and the AC, just change the cartdrige when it falls apart and alternate between the filters.

 

[maxst2]

IMO... take a deep breathe and step back. You're making this way overly complicated.