# prepping my first water change...



## louietsang (Jun 15, 2012)

so i'm bout ready to do my first water change w/ live fish in the tank.

now i wanna do this perfect, w/o harming the beneficial bacteria of course!

this will be my first water change of the week w/ live fish in my tank...

do i go about it prepping the water first w/ conditioner so it's dechlorinated and what not in another bucket... let sit, then empty tank and refill?

or after i empty w/e is needed from my reg tank, fill it back up w/ tap then put in the conditioner?

i really don't have much buckets laying round the house haha so my options are limited.


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## jasonmk1j (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi, I'm pretty new myself but I got myself 2 new buckets 1 for new water 1 for old, Fill 1 and treat it, then let it sit for a while til it gets to around room temperature as a sudden change can harm both the fish and the bacteria.

Once the new water is ready I turn my filter pump off (mustn't run dry), quickly syphon from the tank into the 2nd bucket, then get the new water into the tank asap as apparently the bacteria will start to die off pretty much as soon as the pump is off so it shouldn't be off anymore than 20 mins, but on new tanks like ours with a lower number of bacteria in the 1st place, I try and get it done within 5 mins.

Depends on your tank size how many buckets you may need (or something bigger maybe) mines only 70l so a 12l bucket is around the 20% mark, I do it twice a week (sun/wed) to keep it nice and clean in there and make it a little easier for myself.

Hope tha helps, and if I'm doing this wrong please do advise 

EDIT: just thought, if your water level is likely to drop below the minimum level on your heater you'll ned to turn that off too


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## claygriffith01 (Apr 24, 2012)

If you get an extension for your filter intake that takes it near the bottom of the tank, (below the 50% level) you don't even need to turn off the filter. I then slowly add my treated water to the filter so it falls back in at the same normal angle of the filter output. This keeps anything from getting disturbed and my fish actually get in the current and "race" against it. Very entertaining.


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## louietsang (Jun 15, 2012)

i was thinking bout doing give or take the same thing... just wanna make sure, i dont want a sudden ammonia spike or w/e b/c i killed off some bacteria.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

As stated, you'll only need 2 buckets.

Turn off not just the filter, but the heater too! If the heating coils become exposed, there's a good chance the heater will overheat and shatter.

I've always emptied 25%-50% of the tank water, cleaning filters and such as the water drains.

Empty the bucket(s), fill with fresh water.

I use my hand to approximate the temp of the water out of the tap and the tank water - I've heard it's accurate to within a few degrees.

Put conditioner in as the bucket fills, this ensures the conditioner gets well mixed. I don't let my water sit out at all.

I siphon back into the tank by propping the bucket on the corner of the tank (dangerous, I know), and siphoning into the tank. Siphoning ensures better acclimation for the fish, as opposed to dumping the new buckets straight in.

Hope this helps!


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

empty your tank (50% a week) then as you fill the buckets with new water add the de chlorinator and add to the tank......simples. i use my hand thermometer to make sure the temp is the same as the tank. depending on what filter you have you dont need to turn it off. plus it takes over an hour for the bacteria to die. with my canister filter i leave it running but my smaller internal filters i turn off because as the tank empties it will burn out the motor as the filter empties. also if you dont want to disturb the tank/sand then pour the water on to a plate or a rock thats in the tank.

and yes turn the heater off before starting the water change!


and i dont want to be rude but what the hell is all this 'w/e b/c'??


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

I would recommend a new 5 gallon bucket. Mark it "FISH water ONLY", and never use it for anything other than fish water. 

Make sure new water is close to tank water temp +/- 5 degrees.
Add declor to bucket.
Depending on what other chemicals you use in the tank, you may need to treat bucket water prior to putting it into tank.
Add new water to the tank slowly. 

When I was using buckets, I used 1. Most of the BB is either in the substrate, or filter. Pretty easy to keep the substrate wet, so just be sure to add water back to the filter if it drains empty, and only if you're one that's not task oriented. 
Fill 1 bucket up 3 times. (Roses love tank water btw) Then fill up with tub water, close to tank temp, added declor, and siphoned water back into the tank. (Same bucket, 3 times.)


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## RonB (Nov 7, 2011)

I use 3 buckets for my 55gl. Fill them in the tub before I go to bed. Ad the declor and let set overnight and it's good to go in the morning. And have a seperate bucket to drain the water in.


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## louietsang (Jun 15, 2012)

thanks guys!
luckilly it's a small 5.5 gal tank so luckilly i had 2 good sized buckets to do the switcheroo, i let it sit out like u all told me til it got to room temp w/ the declor and just used a siphon.

and waited a hour and retested the water, everything running smooth


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