Water Changes: A PITA.

[Mark Hewitt]

Siphoning by mouth without drinking the tank water is an acquired skill. I do it on my 10g all the time but it does take practice.

It's not that difficult! I do it all the time. Put the pipe in place, suck until you see the water come over the edge of the tank, then release. Simples.

 

[logansmomma1228]

Lol I tried that and the water would either stop coming or I'd get a bunch of nasty water in my mouth. I finally got down the technique like in the video, but it took some practice. If I had the money I'd just say screw it and get a self starting one .

 

[BigJim]

I have a siphon that you pump up and down in the tank to get it started. It's not as easy as the package made it sound, but it does work. I have to be careful not to hit any fish when starting the siphon. There are also starting bulbs available for about $5-$7. A couple of squeezes and you should be in business.

 

[SnailPowered]

You might be able to be make a flapper valve at the end of your hose to do the same thing that a self starter does...that is what the Army recommends for a chest wound that collapses a lung anyway lol.

 

[mellawson]

You might be able to be make a flapper valve at the end of your hose to do the same thing that a self starter does...that is what the Army recommends for a chest wound that collapses a lung anyway lol.

Oookay we all agree that water changes can be a PITA but I don't think we really have to worry about any battle wounds. But hey thanks for the tip cause really you just never know...right?

P.S. Thanks for serving hope you get to come home soon.

 

[logansmomma1228]

+1 to mellawson. It takes a strong mutha* to serve!

 

[SnailPowered]

Well I was thinking about it and you might be able to use a piece of plastic held over the end with some tape so that when you push the siphon down it will allow air out and then when you lift the siphon the suction will cause it to close holding the water in the hose...once the water starts to flow you could just pull the plastic off and discard it or save it for next time. I would test this but I don't have anything here to try it out with.

 

[inoffensive nickname]

If it's completely watertight (and should be), you should be able to create a siphon by jostling the gravel vacuum up and down until the tube fills with water. It doesn't take a lot of agitation, just some quick up and down motion to fill the tube until the water level is lower than the bottom of the tank. If you stay in a corner of the tank to prime the siphon, it shouldn't threaten your fish.

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Just suck it!! Hahaha but really as long as you keep the part your sucking on lower than the part taking in water you will and should never have an issue. If all else fails just get a sump pum

 

[logansmomma1228]

not even gonna go there.... lmao. I got the method down like mommytron's video. Just sticking it in there and letting all the air bubbles out then refilling it with water and yada yada. I still have to do it a couple of times before I get it going, but I am getting better at it

 

[Crepe]

Sucks to be you I suppose. My fish area has an entire counter set of with a sink built in 3 feet away. It makes life almost too easy. Then again, I'm planning on making a 20g Angelfish breeding tank to pay off all my equipment costs.

 

[Reefmonkey]

Get a python. No, not the snake. It's a siphon that attaches to your sink, and uses water flow to create the vacuum to start the siphon - so no getting fish water in your mouth ever again. Plus, the siphoned-off water goes directly in the sink, so no more hauling buckets. When you have siphoned off all you need to, just turn a valve to start filling right from the sink.

A standard unit comes with a pretty long hose, and you can get as many extensions as you need to reach your nearest sink, even if it is pretty far down the hall.

No Spill Clean & Fill Python Productss

They really aren't that expensive. Save up for one.

 

[otrguy]

My tap water is not safe so I guess with the Python you have to condition the water in the tank instead of a bucket right? Also will it condition it quickley enough as to not hurt or stress the fish?

 

[mfdrookie516]

My tap water is not safe so I guess with the Python you have to condition the water in the tank instead of a bucket right? Also will it condition it quickley enough as to not hurt or stress the fish?

what do you mean by 'not safe'? If you're talking about chlorine or chloramine, then as long as you use a good dechlor like prime, you wont have to worry about it. I do 50% pwc's every week, including my 150g (thats 75 of new water) and never have any problems using my python

 

[otrguy]

Yes chlorine and I do use Prime. Thanks for the responce, I think I'll give it a try.

 

[BeavisMom62]

I've got a few different methods for w/c's. My goldie tank sits on the bar in the kitchen above the sink, so for that one I use a siphon but let it drain down the sink. And fill it up with the sink hose. That is the easiest tank. I have a 65 gal tank in the middle of the house and I have to use the python for that. I don't like it though. I have to keep faucet on the whole time to get enough suction to clean the gravel. I hate wasting water. And its hard to get the temperature stable. It seems like by the time the water is coming out of the python into the tank, it is a different temperature than where I started! My other two tanks, I just use the siphon and bucket method. But they are my smallest tanks, 10 gal and 25 gal, so no biggie.

 

[Reefmonkey]

My tap water is not safe so I guess with the Python you have to condition the water in the tank instead of a bucket right? Also will it condition it quickley enough as to not hurt or stress the fish?

Shouldn't be a problem. If you're doing your frequent, partial water changes, you're only replacing about 20%, max. Any chlorine in the water you're adding will be diluted to below dangerous levels as soon as it enters the tank, and then adding a dechlrinator will neutralize it.