Filling the Aquarium...Rookie Question

[Apache58]

I was just wondering what the easiest way to fill an aquarium was. Im getting ready to do the first water change in my 20 gallon tank, I already have a gravel vacuum/siphon...but curious as to different methods of replacing the water in the tank. Thanks in advance
Chris

 

[scubasteve]

Welcome to the forum!
I'm assuming you have a saltwater tank?
The water should be filtered either through a RO filter, or if you don't have one you could add dechlorinator to the water.
To replace the water in the tank, you need to mix the salt and water in a bucket first (ideally with a powerhead for 24 hours or so) with a heater, so its temperature is as close to your tank as possible and then if you have a powerhead use it to pump water back in.

If you don't have a powerhead, you could have someone help you take the bucket and slowly add water back to the tank.

Theres no real science to it but you want to make sure the water/salt is mixed as well as possible, and the new water is as close as possible to your tank water in terms of temperature, salinity, etc.

 

[Menagerie]

First off, welcome to Aquarium Advice!
For our 29 gal my fiancé and I use the bucket method--back breaking (I always fill the bucket up too much), but efficient. For the 80 gal, we bought a garden hose suitable for drinking water and a waterbed adapter (way cheaper than buying a special aquarium hose. All of our aquarium supplies are clearly marked and never used for anything else (i.e. the fish bucket never gets used for washing the car).
HTH

 

[Apache58]

Yeah I have a siphon i can use to get water out of the tank. Its a 20 G. and i've only planned on doing a 25% change/ 5 G. the only problem i have now is when the bucket of new water is on the floor and the aquarium is on a shelf the siphon wont work to get water from the floor into the tank. Will a power head work for me to get water from that bucket up to the tank??
Chris

 

[two11devan]

Yes, a powerhead should do the trick. It is going to have to be able to move the water "up hill" so you are going to have to get a fairly large one. I think i have a rio 8oo that works great for this.

 

[loganj]

The way I do it, and I think this is pretty common, is to have a bucket of SW mixed up and use a powerhead and a piece of vinyl tubing to pump the new water into the tank. A Maxi Jet 1200 and about 4' of 1/2" tubing is ideal for this. I made a U shaped fitting out of PVC so I can hook the other end of the tubing onto it and hang it on the side of the tank...that way I don't have to stand there and hold it.

 

[BBReef]

i use this method for my 60 gal, but for my 25 and 20 gal tanks, i just lift the bucket up and set it on the corner of the canopy. then just syphon it out into the tank. for a five gal jug or bucket, its not really all that hard.

 

[peter101]

in my little 20 i just dump the 5 g bucket into there - a gallon's about 8 pounds so 5 gallons is gonna weigh like 40 pounds, which isnt so bad. Make sure to pour slowly if you choose this method because the flow of the water can really kick up a lot of sand or move around your gravel

 

[Apache58]

OK well i looked into the whole Powerhead thing and the only ones i could seem to find at my LFS were ones designed for Undergravel Filters, and those wouldnt work for getting water from a bucket on the floor uphill to the tank. What sort of water pump do those of you that have sumps use, wouldn't that work the same for doing a one time water change?
TIA
Chris

 

[two11devan]

Alot of powerheads out there can be used for undergravel filters, but that doesn't mean that they can't be used for this application. If you can find a rio or maxi jet powerhead, you can use them for either a pump, a powerhead in your tank, or as an undergravel filter. If your lfs doesn't have any, you can always order on online. I ordered mine from marinedepot.com. Good prices and fast shipping.