hello, ok well i am getting pretty tired of doing water changes bucket after bucket.

ex: add water in each bucket, then pouring it in the tank.

or a 300 gal tank, is there any way, that is safe, that i can do a water change? i dont want to add 90 gallons of pure water without me knowing if it is safe for oscars.

can i just add the water to the tank then add aqua safe, or w/e. Or do i have to do the old fashion way, bucket by bucket. also how often should i do a water change?


also, i came up with an idea. most people use a suction tube/ vacuum for a water change. well i came up with idea that allows e to clean the bottom withought taking the tube out of the tank. all i do is get a fish net. get around 9 cotton balls, and stretch them. then i put it tight around the fish net, making act like a filter for excess food, waste, and debree. i rubber band that piece to the end of the vacuum tube and let it sit at the filter. that way the biological filter will do its job w/o a water change. unitil the nitrate readings are at 50 or 60.


please if anyone could give me an opinion and/or answer my questions, i would greatly appreciate it.

after is syphon out the amout of water for my water change i add the dechlorinator then add the water to the tank using a python straight from the tap.(adjusted to the proper temp)

also when my nitrate reading reaches 30-40 i do a waterchange
for me that works out to 20% of water once every 10 days.

i also vacuum every other day to keep the mess off the substrate


anyway thats how i do it and so far its been working for me

I use a hosepipe to take the water out (suck on the end to start)

I then add de-chlorinator to the tank. I then connect a housepipe to a mixer tap (you can get adapters for the hose to the mixer), adjust the temperature to the same as that of the tank and then sit down and watch it refill

A word about nitrates, ideally these should be kept below 20 but below 40 id ok. Above this is not good, you will end up with health problem is you allow your nitrates to get to 50/60 on a regular basis

I use a python and water directly from my tap. I add the aqua safe(or w.e u use) after i vaccume the tank

Oh! Please do yourself a favor, if possible, get yourself a
pyphon siphon/gravel vac. Best thing they ever invented for the aquarist. If I did not have one of those I really don't think I would be enjoying the hobby as much as I do now. I do the same as the others. I hope only do water changes/vac one a week or more if needed. I add the the tap water conditioner
product and pay careful attention to water exchange temps.

hi i dont mean to act stupid but whats a pyphon??????
all i do is i empty my tank with a hose i start to empty it by sucking it to start off, then i reffill the tank with a hose from the tap, or lately ive been carrying water cans full from the bathroom to my tank , i know its a pain but i broke my adaptor for my hose, then i add dechlorinator to the bucket and again and again , it does my head but its gotta be done, so whats a pyhon siphon???????

A python is a large gravel vacuum that makes water changes especially easy. You can get them anywhere from 15-30 feet or more, not sure of the specifics. They work like a normal gravel vacuum, you put the larger end in the aquarium and vacuum out debris from the gravel, and using a siphon, you put the water in a bucket- however, with the python, you don't put the water in a bucket. It's long enough you can just put in a laundry room sink or something. It has a special attachment at the end so you can hook it up the the faucet and put the water back into the tank, putting in aqua-safe drops as the tank fills up. They are relatively cheap and easy too use. I wouldn't bother using it for anything below 29 gallons or so, i just use a normal gravel vacuum and put the water in a bucket. They also have a valve half way through so you can shut off the water flow if you need too.

Now some other manufacturers besides python have mimicked the idea, but it is still called a python anyways, whether it's a true python or not.

Art

i just cannot picture it my head so if any1 has got a brief picture of 1 can you post it on here and hive us a glance plz . artemis so is it alot easier than a normal gravel vac or not?????

Type into google search..

in my opinion, these devices are a complete waste of money. they rely on strong water pressure to work properly. If you haven't got strong water pressure, the suction will not be strong enough to lift solid debris from the tank which is very important when you're keeping Oscars.

I have found that a hose pipe with the gravel vac on the ends, does just a good job

I agree with OFL.dont wast your money. Heres how I change 2 x 50 gallon a wk. Its safe, And easy-ish... I have a 50g drum in the garage(B&Q £20). I fill this through a nitragone slowly. Nitragone removes 90% of nitrates in tap water(rechargeable with dishwasher salt lasts yrs)and this gives me nitrate free water.(nitragone £50ish tel:01708744880) I heat the new water in the drum to 28c then add tapsafe.Thats my clean water sorted...To clean tank,I then siphon crap out,off sand(siphon attached to hose goes to drain, takes 3 mins.I then add a second hose, 1 inch,inner bore dia to finish siphoning off water. Takes 2mins as the 1 inch hose drains it fast!( take care here!!!) In 5 mins i have cleaned and drained 50g. I then pump the water from drum to tank( old 405).Note as I only drain 50g (small mark on tank glass to aid here)and the drum holds 50g i have little chance of a flood if I forget while doing other things.The main benifits are..

1, The new water is nitrate free.
2,Its total safe for fish as new water is treated before going back into tank. Heated at 28c. Heating the water is important
3, its fast-ish.. 50gallon in 30 mins work.

down side are

1,Time to make water nitrate free very slow(25g a hr)but no wast water if you are on meter.leave hose on slow drip through nitragone
2,you will need space for drum.
3,cost of old pump anything will do, faster the better.
4,cost of 1 inch hose.This is well worth it if you drain a lot of water.I got mine for free from work:)

I agree that these python syphons are not needed. I have had large tanks for a while now, and also have 4 other taks running and I have never used a python. I use a regular garden hose to remove the water from the tank, then when adding now water, I use a hose conected to a hot and cold water tap. I adjust the temerature so it is the same as the tank ans then start refilling the tank, I add a little declorinator first, then add it as the water is filling the tank.