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

[Gus]

I don't rinse ANYTHING using tap water. If I have to rinse something from the filter I use either water from the tank, or I prepare a bucket with a little bit of dechlorinator.

This is like getting super complicated, and it is not.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Osage, I just wanted to say one thing. The phrase you used earlier on (like page two or three, I believe) "Burns my behind like electric feather being brushed across it" is the cutest thing I have ever heard. I think I might start using it.

 

[Osage_Winter]

Close to Las Vegas? I know nothing about nevada, but I do know there's at least one member in Las vegas who I'm sure would be glad to come over and try and help out

Is it macgal?

 

[Osage_Winter]

nice retro bucs avatar! Go Bucs!

Thanks -- I was a fan of the team back when they wore these uniforms and had Buco Bruce on the helmet; I don't like the new logo...

I'm also a fan of the old Patriots when Pat was on the helmet:

 

[Osage_Winter]

Yeah, leave the carbon in the pouch.

Okay...

Personally, I wouldn't do the rinsing in tap water and prime dip. That might save some bacteria but I am not positive it would save most of it. My philosophy: why risk it? However, since you are running two filters on that tank, even if you killed off some of your bacteria you might not see any ammonia/nitrite spikes (this is just speculation on my part, I haven't tried this and wouldn't recommend it)..... but again why risk it?

I understand...I figured I would throw it out there because it was suggested to me in another forum that I should actually just rinse the cartridge packs under a sink's gun/hose until it's nearly white again...

I hope all that you've been though doesn't put u off this hobby .

Very close...:-(

 

[Osage_Winter]

Osage, I just wanted to say one thing. The phrase you used earlier on (like page two or three, I believe) "Burns my behind like electric feather being brushed across it" is the cutest thing I have ever heard. I think I might start using it.

Wasn't that just a hysterical crack across the you-know-what?

 

[Smitty]

I know I'm late to the party on this one but wanted to let you know something about the python as well. I understand about not having your tank close to a sink. I have one 36 gallon tank that is in my kids room. It is 45-50' from my sink. Now, I already had a 25' python that I was using so I went to the local hardware store and bought a 25' garden hose and hooked that up as well.

I do have to shift things around when doing the water changes because I only want the 25' section for one tank but need all 50' for the other. The python has an on-off valve by the suction end and I can unscrew from there to add in the garden hose. Best of all? Same threads on the python as the garden hose so no need for adapters.

Granted it is a long haul but I never have any problems with water on the floor or making a mess. I have no idea of your situation but that might help.

Oh yea, if you are wanting to save money you can buy a really short python just to get the part that goes to the sink and the suction end, then buy a cheap long garden hose to make the distance!

Oh, if you are going up/down stairs I have no idea if this will work... and if that is the case then I guess never mind

Good luck!

 

[Mark Hewitt]

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?

Oh of course! I go out of my way to make sure that's the case! I think it would look "boring" if it were uniformly flat, and indeed it's not something that would be easy to achieve. The fish, especially the bottom feeders like having hills and valleys in the gravel.

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

With respect too, you have blue gravel, right? That's not very natural in the first place.

I did have a problem with water changes moving the gravel and uncovering my bubble wand, so I just removed the bubble wand!

I my old tank I used to go to great care putting the water in carefully, but now it's 4 foot long the fish tend to wait at one end while I'm doing changes, so I just up end the bucket straight into the tank, quicker that way!

 

[Osage_Winter]

Oh of course! I go out of my way to make sure that's the case! I think it would look "boring" if it were uniformly flat, and indeed it's not something that would be easy to achieve. The fish, especially the bottom feeders like having hills and valleys in the gravel.

Well, I wouldn't go "out of my way" to achieve this look, but I understand what you're saying.

With respect too, you have blue gravel, right? That's not very natural in the first place.

That's got nothing to do with it (in terms of the color of the gravel) the way I see it; I am merely pointing out that I don't like to purposely mess with substrate and stuff just to make it look a bit untidy...

I did have a problem with water changes moving the gravel and uncovering my bubble wand, so I just removed the bubble wand!

I suppose that's an answer, but I don't wish to part with that piece of equipment, plus it adds a good deal of oxygen in that water.

I my old tank I used to go to great care putting the water in carefully, but now it's 4 foot long the fish tend to wait at one end while I'm doing changes, so I just up end the bucket straight into the tank, quicker that way!

That's great that they "wait" on one end! I hate disrutping their habitat and the fish themselves with the splashing and turbulence inevitably caused by changes.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I replaced the bubble wand, which was full of air and took every opportunity to float with a diffuser which is anchored to the bottom of the tank with a suction cup, so I can put as much current as I like past it, it ain't shifting!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Not sure if this was mentioned previously in this thread, so if it was, sorry to repeat. But...

When putting the new water back in, instead of pouring it from the bucket into the tank which does create quite a current, you could consider pumping it from the bucket into the tank. Just get yourself a Maxijet 900 or 1200 submersible powerhead/pump and a length of tubing that is the right size to fit over the pump outlet. (I'd give you the ID measurement, but I don't have one in front of me at the moment.)

Put the bucket of new water on a chair to elevate it a couple feet, drop the Maxijet with the tube attached to the outlet into the bucket, put the other end of the tube in your tank, and then plug in the Maxijet. You can now pump the new water into the tank and direct the flow against the side glass to minimize the disruption the water coming in to the tank causes. Or you can pinch the tube to slow down the water flow.

At the end of the pumping process, before you unplug the Maxijet, bring the tube outlet out of the water. If you don't, once you unplug the Maxijet it will begin to siphon water from your tank in to your bucket.

 

[Osage_Winter]

Thanks, Kurt (and everyone else)...

My father in law actually passed away early this morning, so we're going to just take some time with that; in the meantime, the water quality in our tank has gone downhill again, so I don't know what my next course of action is going to be (another big water change, give up completely now, etc.)...

 

[reefdiver]

Sorry to hear your going trough hard times. My sincere condolences on your lose.

 

[jjhabe]

Just in my opinion, keeping fish is just like keeping any other pet. You have to work at it. I have quite a few tanks and I spend about five hours a week doing water changes and tank maintenance. I have a big bucket, three different size vacs and know that when I do my fish stuff, I'll get fish water in my mouth (even tho they say they're self-syphoning) and my carpet is going to get wet. I think the benefits are worth it, but it's not for everyone. It has to be fun, or it's not worth it. Good luck!

 

[Osage_Winter]

Sorry to hear your going trough hard times. My sincere condolences on your lose.

Thanks reef...

Although I think you meant "sorry to hear you're going through hard times" and "my sincere condolences on your loss"...

 

[reefdiver]

Yeah you got it , Im not much of a writer.

 

[Osage_Winter]

I'm actually a writer...by profession.

 

[bluerose]

Osage - you're going to hate me for saying this, but when water quality is in question... PWC.

It's not making it any easier on you that you have goldies (if I remember correctly). If it comes to it, you can "maintain" the tank sans fish by dosing pure ammonia (commonly found at ACE hardware - no fragrances, no surfactants) to keep the bacteria fed and then go back to having fish when you're ready.

Less fish, cleaner fish = smaller bioload = less work to maintain the tank. I have a five gal with three tetras and seven shrimp and some live plants - it is very neglected (it was supposed to come to school with me, it didn't, so it gets cleaned and PWC'd when I go home every few weeks) but everyone is thriving... probably has more nitrates than it should, as some of my plants are having trouble and not growing very well, but it's doing fine and should perk up with TLC.

Give it a think. You might be able to trade at your LFS if the goldies are healthy still.

 

[Osage_Winter]

Osage - you're going to hate me for saying this, but when water quality is in question... PWC.

It's not making it any easier on you that you have goldies (if I remember correctly). If it comes to it, you can "maintain" the tank sans fish by dosing pure ammonia (commonly found at ACE hardware - no fragrances, no surfactants) to keep the bacteria fed and then go back to having fish when you're ready.

Less fish, cleaner fish = smaller bioload = less work to maintain the tank. I have a five gal with three tetras and seven shrimp and some live plants - it is very neglected (it was supposed to come to school with me, it didn't, so it gets cleaned and PWC'd when I go home every few weeks) but everyone is thriving... probably has more nitrates than it should, as some of my plants are having trouble and not growing very well, but it's doing fine and should perk up with TLC.

Give it a think. You might be able to trade at your LFS if the goldies are healthy still.

I appreciate your honesty; so, should I go ahead and do a PWC? I was advised on another site to wait before doing this because there may be another mini cycle going on here...

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Unless you are using some sort of treatment chemicals water changes are never a bad thing!