Waterchange question, plz help?

[LayzorBeams]

So I've grown tired of hauling ten 5 gallon buckets off to the laundry room to empty the tank, as well as ten more to refill it... Its a pain in the... Well.

Ive acquired a 20 foot section of hose to drain the tank and i made a mistake or five the first time i used the system (today) and i was wondering if i could get some help on my method?

Steps:
1)put one end of hose in tank (duh)
2)unplug everything
3)drain out 50% of water
4)fill it back up again from the other end of the hose, which is in the laundry room sink.
5)add dechlor each time water rises half an inch
6)plug stuff back in

So the major questions i have revolve around the toxicity of chlorine...

1) do i need to unplug the stuff? Or can it survive the brief (~10 min) exposure to chlorine?

2) do i need to add dechlor as i go or can i add a bunch at the end? Worried about the fish in this case, can they handle the exposure to it?

So yeah, please answer

The reason I've started this, btw, is that i half the time and cancels all exertion, meaning I'm much more willing/able to do it every other day instead of once a week.

This is only on the 75, btw. The rest are done by 5gal buckets and a siphon.


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

 

[Fresh2o]

I still do the bucket method, but I do not see why you can't add the appropriate amount of water conditioner to the tank prior to adding the new water. If you decide to leave your filters running, directing the new water AWAY from the filter intake might be a good idea.
Big question is the heater(s): when the tank volume drops by 50% are they exposed to air? If so, then you would want them off.
If you place the filters and heaters on the same power strip with an ON/OFF toggle switch, then it negates having to handle the plugs (which is often done with wet hands). Flip the switch, do the water change, flip the switch.


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[brennae]

Yeah I unplug my heaters. Empty however much water. Dose prime and then run the hose set at the correct temp. Never had a problem. According to Prime directions you dose the entire tank with this method.

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[coralbandit]

I know a breeder who waits 10 minutes after he is done changing water to add the prime(for full tank volume).
He says it is a good prophylactic treatment and has never had issue?
Some of the best ,most effective meds(IMO) are oxidizers very similar to chlorine in effect.

Many question on this topic lately(chlorine).....
Has someone ever a had a problem that has put this fear into so many????
The problem IMO would be if you forgot water treatment completely.
In all honesty I don't think what order you add water or dechlorinator matters and I really don't think you could negatively effect your fish or filter unless you took like 30-45 minutes to fill and then added treatment.
Even at a 50% water change you are already diluting the chlorine by 50%......

 

[gilpi]

Can't beat a cheap ol' regular garden hose, some might prefer to use the Python but in my case the hose works just as good. I clamp it to the tank so it does not move around while in use.

To the dechlorinator, you can add whatever amount you need at once.
I add a little before I start filling and keep adding as its getting filled and I unplug everything during the process to keep the heater from cracking and also keeps the filters from losing their siphon. Once the tank is filled, I turn everything back on and I have no need to start a siphon.


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[PoppaRyno]

I know a breeder who waits 10 minutes after he is done changing water to add the prime(for full tank volume).
He says it is a good prophylactic treatment and has never had issue?
Some of the best ,most effective meds(IMO) are oxidizers very similar to chlorine in effect.

Many question on this topic lately(chlorine).....
Has someone ever a had a problem that has put this fear into so many????
The problem IMO would be if you forgot water treatment completely.
In all honesty I don't think what order you add water or dechlorinator matters and I really don't think you could negatively effect your fish or filter unless you took like 30-45 minutes to fill and then added treatment.
Even at a 50% water change you are already diluting the chlorine by 50%......

+1 I've seen this method done with no issues for years. Most the guys/gals i know dose 5-10 minutes after tank refill with prime. I cant speak for the success of this process with any other water conditioner. But prime is the only way to go anyways,

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[acewiza]

The every 1/2" part is a little OCD. In the unlikely event your municipal water supply has unusually high chlorine levels, the fish won't ever notice the difference. I bet you can even safely use alot less declor than you are presently putting in the tank.

 

[Delapool]

Would be interesting to see the chemistry worked out. I assume it wouldn't be too hard (assuming..).

I have got several years supply of seachem safe for water changes. Actually just wondering if water conditioner can ever go off? Will have to check.

 

[nkoyko]

Conditioner is a chemical and all chemicals degrade but you would need to look up the half life for the chemicals and that would give you and idea of how long it can last. If you keep the safe in a dry location it will last longer than prime which is in liquid form and has other additives which will alter the half life of the chemical.

There is my chemistry side showing and now I'm putting it back into hiding.

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[coralbandit]

Conditioner is a chemical and all chemicals degrade but you would need to look up the half life for the chemicals and that would give you and idea of how long it can last. If you keep the safe in a dry location it will last longer than prime which is in liquid form and has other additives which will alter the half life of the chemical.

There is my chemistry side showing and now I'm putting it back into hiding.

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^^NICE^^

I will just add that if light was a huge issue in the degradation of SAFE I would like think Sea Chem would have put it in something other then a clear jar!!!
Maybe something opaque like the PRIME bottle???

I'm all in on safe and everyone else is paying to ship water(and then some )IMO!!

 

[nkoyko]

Very true that light probably isn't a big issue for safe. The company probably assumes most people keep it in a dark location anyway and it is cheaper to use the clear plastic jar. Colored containers cost more. I personally wouldn't store it in sunlight because that will affect it but lighting in the home shouldn't cause that big of a problem.

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[lunch]

I used to run buckets when I had a 55g, now I have a 190g you can shove that!! i made a volume gauge so I know how much water is coming out when I syphon it out the door into the garden.
When refilling i 1/4 fill 1 bucket with hot water, dissolve the chemicals in it then top it up with cold water to approximate tank temp, add it to the tank then run the hose from the laundry sink and bickety bam! Labor free water changes.

 

[LayzorBeams]

I still do the bucket method, but I do not see why you can't add the appropriate amount of water conditioner to the tank prior to adding the new water. If you decide to leave your filters running, directing the new water AWAY from the filter intake might be a good idea.
Big question is the heater(s): when the tank volume drops by 50% are they exposed to air? If so, then you would want them off.
If you place the filters and heaters on the same power strip with an ON/OFF toggle switch, then it negates having to handle the plugs (which is often done with wet hands). Flip the switch, do the water change, flip the switch.


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Ido turn off the heaters. Everything that uses electrity in the tank is unplugged.

The every 1/2" part is a little OCD. In the unlikely event your municipal water supply has unusually high chlorine levels, the fish won't ever notice the difference. I bet you can even safely use alot less declor than you are presently putting in the tank.

I onlt added water at every 1/2" because i wasnt aware of what would happen if i didnt. Thats why i made this thread; to ask.

Ok so now i will just turn everything off, take out water, then add back water and the add dechlor.

Thanks


If money cant buy happiness, that why do I need a job? I mean, I should be getting these fish free, since I don't have to pay for happy...

 

[Guppylove85]

I noticed no one commented on the sister chemical that is in many areas added to its chlorimine not chlorine which does not evaporated from the tap water...so the dechlorinator is need. Lots of people in or area lost fish when the change occurred several years back.

While i stile do the bucket method i always add my prime in the first bucket so i don't forget.

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