FREDDY FISHEAD Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 Hi, ok so I've been bucketing water changes for years and like my cell phone time for an up grade. Are there any methods I can try that people might suggest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 Drain and fill with a hose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plecosam Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 Get a pump, a container, some descent 25mm hose and siphon water out/pump it back in, a little costly but my time is valuable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbunamad Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 How many, what size tanks, inhabitants, species, fry or adults? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam07 Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 Like my phones I prefer my old one, it does what It was designed to do with no frills to break down. And it still works perfectly well and often better than new technology albeit a bit slower on occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grigby Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 (edited) I do the same. 200 ltr drum outside with a 4,000 ltr pump, treat the water, leave for 24 hrs, (in winter I add hot water to reach temperature or use a heater over night). Run 25 mm hose into tank, turn on pump, turn off (starts the syphon process - sucking on a hose sucks). Figure out the water level to drain to, mark it, once drained to the desired level lift hose out of water (to stop syphoning), leave hose in tank (IMPORTANT: make sure you have the hose secured in the tank, so it doesn't flick out when pump is turned on, I use heavy cover glass on my tank) helps if you put a u bend in the tube with 2 x 90 degree elbows. Once hose secured, turn on pump & refill. Takes about 20 mins. Once a month I sift the gravel, dependent on the load on the tank. Missus gets pissed if I flood the carpet, so make sure that the water out = water in / do not over flow, hence the marking level. Sometimes I will store the drained water in another container & use the pump set-up to water the garden. I have a 1300 ltr tank & bucketing 200 litres isn't the way to go. Edited August 12, 2015 by fishhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plecosam Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 Yep same as me fishead, I will usually gravel vac weekly though, I have a 25mm adapter for the gravel vac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfish Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 Yeah just a hose onto yard then fill it back up with garden hose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORANGEMELLY Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 I have the pump from my oddessey canister in a large plastic garbage bin. I use the hoses and connections on the pump that way I have something that I can hook over the side of tank without worrying it will fall out.. (been there too many times)...I run the garden hose from outside into the bin but I still have to carry and add buckets of hot water to get the temp right/to match tank. Thank fully in summer I dont have to carry any buckets as water is warm. I have taps in my bathroom that are for a washing machine. My future plan is to purchase a large water storage bin (140+ litres) to put under them and mix my water in that and then pump it out from to which ever tank I am water changing on....that way I will not need any more buckets..ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipshodman Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 i have a 65 ltr bucket Just siphon out of the tank,clean gravel and all till its full It sits on a trolley so pull it outside and tip it out , fill it back up with the garden hose and treat water, then pull it back inside and i have a small power head that i have a attached to an air line tube and very slower pump water back in , that way i don't have to worry about temp and it takes an hour or two to fill back up to were it should be and no concern of over flowing the tank as i only fill the bucket to the amount i took out... its only a 200 lte tank so 65 ltrs change is plenty once a week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaholicsOnline Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 so how many of us have flooded the house filling with a hose?? we all do it lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazz Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 so how many of us have flooded the house filling with a hose??we all do it lol I have overflowed my tank twice in about 15 years haha. Lucky I remembered in time. Just buy a bigger Diametre hose from bunnings, can syphon much faster. Although I fill it very slowly because I don't age the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 You can modify a smoke detector to make a high water level alarm (the smoke detector will still detect smoke) if you want to avoid overfilling. If you have delicate species or small babies, you are best to get water from an established tank and then fill that tank with new water. Use a pool hose if you want to drain water fast. You can fill it with water to get it primed and cap it to keep the siphon when moving from tank to tank. (Or add a tap) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipshodman Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 [MENTION=470]aquaholic99[/MENTION] i would love to know your smoke detector trick if you would like to share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 You don't need a smoke alarm specifically, any electronic buzzer & battery will do but the smoke detectors are pre-assembled and for under $10 so it's more cost effective and very loud. All your doing is extending the circuit with a break in it. One wire is in the water and the other is out of the water and as the water level rises and covers the second wire the water acts as the bridge completing the circuit so the buzzer can go off. Just position the wire where the fill line is/where you want the alarm to sound off. I add a small hook to hang the smoke detector onto the tank side. I don't open the radioactive section but I'm told it's a very minor dose anyway. Here is a photo of mine. Google probably has better explanations or videos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 The manual "test button" that you push will complete the circuit to sound the alarm. You can use water to complete this circuit to trigger the test sound. Your not using the smoke detection mechanism at all although that will still work. It's an added bonus to have a smoke/fire detector in the fish room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cblaxall Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 so how many of us have flooded the house filling with a hose??we all do it lol I do it frequently as I unfortunately couple water changes with drinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brengun Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 I still use the buckets and a siphon to empty as its not unusual for me to end up sucking a pleco fry up or cherry shrimp. If I see them in the buckets I net them back out and return to the tank. I also rinse any sponge filters that need it in the buckets. I have installed a large drum nearby with a valve and a hose connection to the drum. Just lop the water out of the buckets into the drum and it slow feeds out into the garden over time. To refill I dropped a marine water pump I wasn't using into an ibc with a hose attached and the intake of a canister filter I wasn't using. The U hooks onto the side of the tanks and I turn it on with an inline canister tap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfishy84 Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 If it's in a fish room and need not look pretty than pvc is your friend. I store pre treated/heated water in an ibc and pump it via pvc into the tanks, and I have a pvc drain setup under the tanks to take the waste away. I have currently setup a drip system for my grow out tanks, as well which is even better. All aside, both methods have me doing away with carrying buckets, and filling with hoses. The less water on the floor and the less time spent the more time you have to pay attention to your fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 This is how I do mine.. Nice and easy. Hang it on any tank and walk away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
