# How do you do water changes?



## Hanekins (Jul 2, 2013)

Hello! 

I got my 55 gallon tank recently, and everything has been up and running smoothly for about a week now.

I've already done one 25% water change, but I need to do another one.

I'm kind of dreading this because as of right now, I only have three gallon bucket to use for these changes. I'm planning to get some extra tubing for my siphon, so I can just send the water out the front door to make the job easier. However, getting the water back IN is the annoying part. When we filled the tank, I used the garden hose. Of course I can't do that now, with the fish in the tank. I've been using my 3 gallon bucket to haul water from the bathroom. However, I am a 23 year old female with wimpy T-Rex arms, so water goes everywhere.

I was just wondering, what do all of you do for the water changes in your bigger tanks?


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## Hanekins (Jul 2, 2013)

Also- how often SHOULD I be doing water changes? And how much at one time? This would be for a 55 gallon freshwater tank. I keep hearing different things and it is horribly frustrating when I am trying hard to do the right thing.


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## Tolak (Mar 10, 2013)

Fill it with the hose. Been doing it that way for many years. Double dose the dechlorinator before filling for a 25% water change, you'll be fine. My tanks generally get 50% weekly water changes, filled with a hose, dosed with dechlor after adding tap water due to my water change setup.

***Edit To Add***

Generally it's a good thing to change as much water as possible as often as possible. At times this will depend on your source water, and if there are any differences in it after it is added to the tank. This also depends on your stocking, and what you are trying to accomplish with that tank.


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor enter your info here. It will give you a weekly water change amount, I personally think it should be thought of as a minimum requirement, but I am on the extreme end 50% every tank every 4 days.
Aquarium Maintenance & Water Quality: How to Use the Python No Spill Clean 'N Fill this will make your water changes a breeze.


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## krissytina (Aug 19, 2013)

I was going to ask a similar question. Should the gravel be vacuumed with every water change? I've been vacuuming every week with 25% water changes. Tank is crystal clear but I still get funk out of the gravel.


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## Tolak (Mar 10, 2013)

Gravel will always hold some debris, substrate cleaning depends on the stocking for the most part.


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## Sebastian (Dec 27, 2012)

I would definitely use some system with hoses - lugging buckets will get old very quickly. I only use buckets to actually clean the tank (i.e. vacuum the gravel, clean the filter). Gravel and filters do usually not need to be cleaned with every water change.

In terms of how often to change water that really depends on the fish you are keeping and your stocking levels. Dalfed sent you some good links. I change 50% water twice a week, but then I am also trying to breed most things I am keeping. If you have a moderately stocked display 55 gallon I would do a 25-50% water change every one to two weeks.


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## Hanekins (Jul 2, 2013)

Thank you everyone so much  

My tank is pretty well ticked, so I feel like more frequent changes are better. 

I never thought of double dosing on the dechlorinator and then using the hose. That would be MUCH easier. The bucket thing is a pain (and messy!)


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

Look into a python or aqueon water changer that hook to a kitchen sink.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Depending on where you live, using the garden hose to fill the tank could be risky. The temp of the water most likely will be different that the tank temp. Not to mention the pressure of the water. 

I wasn't sure what kind of hose Tolak is using, but thought I would give a heads up on the garden hose. 

have a blessed day


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## Donald Hansen (Jan 21, 2011)

I have an adaptor, that I bought at the local Ace hardware, that screws in place of the aerator for the faucet in my bathroom. After I drain 50% of the water by gravity into the bathtub I hook the hose up the the faucet. I carefully adjust the temperature to within 2 degrees of the tank temperature and slowly fill the tank. By slow I mean it takes around 15 minutes so as not to shock the fish too much. When about half of the new water has been added I add the water treatment and ferts.

DLH


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## krissytina (Aug 19, 2013)

Another question I had regarding water changes: on my 46 gal I have a marine land emperor 400 filter. When I do the water change, I turn the filter off (in case my level drops under the intake). Should I be soaking the two bio-wheels while I'm doing this? The process takes me about an hour (I'm using buckets...strength training LoL) Would the bio-wheels dry out in this time and become compromised?


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## Tolak (Mar 10, 2013)

If you're going to use straight cold tap water trickle it in for smaller tanks. A temperature drop & fresh water are a couple of triggers for spawning with many species. With larger changes a tap adapter & a hot & cold mix works well, you can pretty much do this by feel. I've used a variety of hoses over the years, the potable water RV hoses are more expensive, and less durable. 

As far as pressure, anything from dime size angels on up get tanks filled with the tap wide open, 4-5 gpm, without issue. If you have smaller fry go easy, turbulence can do a number on them. It's more difficult to control temperature from the tap at a very slow flow rate, I fill a bucket, then drop in a powerhead with a piece of tubing to fill, maybe 1/2 gpm on fry tanks. 

With the biowheels I'd pull them & keep them wet if they are starting to dry, tossing them in the tank is a common procedure. An hour on a 46 would kill me, my fishroom would be a second full time job! My 40's take about 5 minutes each for a 50% water change, most everything is drilled with overflows for water changes.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I don't think you need to worry about the bio-wheels. When it gets colder however and your heater is on longer, if the heater comes on while out of the water it can break when you put in the new water. I have broken my fair share.

I use what I call my water change power strips. I use a power strip that has the things I need to turn off to safely do my water changes. Like heaters, filters, powerheads, etc.. I flip the switch and I'm set to go for my water changes.


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## krissytina (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks! I do have everything on a strip. I just turn it off when doing the water change.


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## Hanekins (Jul 2, 2013)

Thank you everyone for all the replies!

Donald, I was wondering today if I could buy something at the hardware store that would fit onto the faucet. 

I bought an extra twenty feet of tubing for my siphon so it could drain out in the yard. That was fun to get started. 

I used the hose and doubled up on my dechlorinator. I also wrapped clean panty hose around the opening to help slow the flow of it. Next time I will try to find a faucet attachment though. I really liked the clean and fill but it was a bit pricey when I already have my siphon. 

So far everyone seems happy with their water change. I'm watching the glass cats closely as they are my most delicate fish. 

The newly cleaned tank:

Aquarium Gallery - image111


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## Rod4Rodger (Jan 2, 2012)

I got a piece of 1" plastic hose from the hardware store and two ball valves. I put the ball valves on each end and put it on a garden hose spool. When I am ready to change out I have the level marked on my tank that corresponds to my make up water. When I am ready to siphon the tank, this is critical, I make sure the end where I am dumping it has a bump or rise in it so the hose will not loose siphon. I put the other end in the tank and open the ball valve. It is a fantastic vacuum and pulls out a lot of water very fast.

I prepare my make up water in a pair of 54 gallon NEW plastic trash cans. I put an old power head or bubbler in it and heat it to the temperature of my main tank. Since I change out about once a week I do not even bother removing the chlorine, the circulation will do that. Your species may not require much water preparation but I have found that aged water at the right temperature is the best thing for my fish, Discus. To make it easy I bought a utility pump and use it to pump the water from the trash can to the tank.

The whole set up was not that expensive until I splurged on the utility pump, it last forever, and it is a lot less time consuming and messy than a bucket. I even go so fancy I piped the make up tank to my sump with PVC so it is pretty mess free and quick.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

krissytina said:


> Thanks! I do have everything on a strip. I just turn it off when doing the water change.


Yes, most of us do. The problem is most people only use one that also includes the light. Hard to do your water change with the light off and so most people just unplug instead of powering down the strip and forget to unplug the heater also. I guess what I should have said was that I have a power strip just for my lights (multiple lights) so when the other strip is turned off I still have light.


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

Definitely want to try to match the temperature of the incoming water to the tank water. My tap water is cold!! I could never add directly to the tank. Too much of a delta in water temperature stressed the heck out of the fish. Look into a python, or if you have the tubing already, the faucet adapter. 

Gravel cleaning, if you actually clean weekly, then clean ½ the gravel one week, other half the next week. Idea is to not clean 100% of it all at once. You will always have muck in the gravel, as fish continuously produce muck.


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## krissytina (Aug 19, 2013)

jrman83 said:


> Yes, most of us do. The problem is most people only use one that also includes the light. Hard to do your water change with the light off and so most people just unplug instead of powering down the strip and forget to unplug the heater also. I guess what I should have said was that I have a power strip just for my lights (multiple lights) so when the other strip is turned off I still have light.


I have the MarineLand light bar on top...when I do the water changes I have to remove it to fully open the glass canopy lid anyway.


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## Flip (Jun 17, 2013)

One gallon pitcher at a time.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I change water like rod4 rodger.I store and acclimate 2 32 gallon gabage cans with heaters,airline and power heads.My 180 has a pump in stage 1 of sump that goes right out to septic.I flip switch water goes out,I have a pump with ball valve and pump from my 32 gallon can into second stage of sump( no mixing of water till it hits tank ,takes under 4 minutes).All my other tanks get vaccumed and I pump treated water back in when done.I have a little over 800 gallons now adding another 120 in Sept.(not counting my sumps) and change at least 33-75 % on my tanks weekly(except salts they get changed according to nitrates).


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