Post your water change routine here

[frizzlefish]

How do YOU go about doing water changes and weekly maintenance?




Here's mine,

60g tank first-
-start syphon out the window, turn off power strip with filters, heaters, go make breakfast.
-after eating breakfast, stir up the gravel go get out some gunk, keep syphoning
-keep eye on water level while cleaning up breakfast dishes.
-hook up python when finished with sink from breakfast.
(-replace any decor, move plants around, anything that involves my arms IN the tank)
-take syphon hose to 29g tank, unplug heater, filter
-add declor. and refill 60g tank.
-start filters/heater power strip about 2" from water to the top.

-move to 29g
-suck up some of the gunk from the sand with syphon hose
-(move plants, replant, anything with arms in tank)
-add declor and refill tank
-start heater/filter about 1" from water being at top of tank

-go to 5g
-turn off heater/filter
-use 3 gallon fish bucket to syphon water into
-water houseplants with 3 gallons of mucky fishwaste/food water
-refill 3 gallon bucket, add declor to it
-put bucket on foot stool on counter so it's higher than the tank level and syphon water back into tank.

-done

1 - 1 1/2 hours tops (Depending on how much "moving and fiddling" with the tank interiors I'm in the mood for)

[bluebluecow]

ok mine

uasually once a week, but like an extra one yesterday as my siamese had hidden in the filter.

Anyway usually,

downstairs 1st

turn off heater, filter and airtube, take out using hand pum p syphone about 1/3rd of the water

wash filters in the tank water that ive syphoned out

threw away disposable white filter add new one

turn on air bubble

Then connect hose up from outside (bad I know but have done this all the time) ad fill up

turn everything else on

upstairs tank, turn off everything

syphone out 1/3

wash filter mead in tank water

fill bucket with water from both taps (so its warm) add dechlorinater

gentley fill back up

sometimes add stress coat

liz

[Lady Hobbs]

50 % water change once a week with phyton

Simple enough? (LOL)

[*Sarah*]

I'm with you Hobbs. Tho my 10gal often goes a bit longer...since I use the old school suction thingy, and the plants in it tend to keep the ammonia in check longer.

[frizzlefish]

50 % water change once a week with phyton

Simple enough? (LOL)


Ah....simple,.... almost too simple. I know you have multiple posts there Lady Hobbs, I also know you tend to do laundry while refilling the tanks???

[KingFisher]

I use an Aquaeon brand syphon that is very similar to a python. I turn off all heaters and filters until the tanks are refilled. I also shake any loose debris off the plants so it will be sucked up by the syphon, vacuum up any loose debris from the substrate, and poke around in the sand to release any trapped gasses.
90 gallon-30% weekly
29 gallon-30% weekly
20 gallon 50% weekly
10 gallon 50%weekly

Once a month I take the filter sponges and squeeze them out in aquarium water and do a deep gravel vac on the tanks with gravel.

[Northernguy]

I use a gravel vac and buckets!
I like the Hi-Tech approach!thumbs2:
I do plan on using a hose to refill when the 135 is up and running!

[Sharon]

I hook the python up, and move from one tank to another, until all nine are done. While my larger tanks are draining, I clean the glass of all nine, being careful to keep an eye on the draining process...at my age it doesn't pay to let the multi tasking get too complicated!:ssuprised:
All substrate vac weekly...
All glass cleaned weekly...
Filters cleaned every month to six weeks...

[frizzlefish]

tanks there Lady Hobbs, tanks - not posts. I need a nap.

[Fishguy2727]

Most of them get 80% at least once a week.

[Taurus]

50 - 75% once a week.

[Wild Turkey]

I change 25-50% weekly or twice weekly, depending on the tank.
Right now i use a python to drain and fill manually, the idea of filling with the draining hose has always bugged me, and for right now its not terribly labor intensive.

[fishlover49]

I have experimented with different amounts of water on a water change. I find that 20 to 25% a week works the best for my fish. If I take anymore water out than that, it seems to mess them up.

I use a siphon hose and buckets. I vacuum one-half of the gravel each time I do a water change. I keep my same filter media until it just starts looking too gross, then I put new in, which isn't very often; I just give the sponge a good rinsing about once a month, depending on what it looks like. I clean the glass every time I do a WC.

[Jaster]

I start Sunday morning by putting my famous chicken wings (that have been marinating for days in some kind of homemade sauce I've concocted) Once they are in the oven slow roasting I move to the tank. :18: (they smell killer through the house all day!)

I do a pretty good vacuum with the python, wipe down the class, clean off the plants and decorations every Sunday. Normally ends up in being about a 40-50% water change.

Every month I do a serious deep vacuum, still do all the normal cleaning stuff, and clean or replace filter media depending on messy it is. I also take the filters them selves apart and clean out the tubes and the impellers. Normally ends up being a 50-70% water change.

When I'm done with the tanks I have a beer and enjoy the tank for a while and do a head count to make sure no one is missing. Play some video games with my son (normally Gears of War 2) waiting for the race and my wings.

All this gets shifter to Saturday if Sunday becomes a paintball day! :14:

I'll do a small 25% water change durring the week if something odd happened to the water or if I've added fish and things are going up until the biofilters catch up.

[NickFish]

40-75% weekly on high-light planted tanks.

40-50% weekly on all other FW display tanks

90% twice weekly on fry tanks

10% weekly on reef tanks


Python for draining, buckets for filling. Except the very large aquariums where a python is used for filling and draining.

[DrNic]

When I was breeding angelfish I would do standard 60% weekly water in all the tanks.

After I stopped mu breeding program and moved out of angelfish and into community tanks I found that other species of fish didn't seem to like this much of a change each week. I ended up killing off some fish accidentally (twice), and there were massive algae blooms. I've since moved to 30% changes every other week. To be honest I didn't think this was going to be enough. But the fish seem happy, its a LOT easier on me and the algae is GONE!

[Mith]

We're supposed to change the water???

[Red]

LOL^
I change 50% twice a week on my 75
50% on all other tanks
and then 90% three times a week on fry tanks..

[mxgibby911]

40-60% water change once a week with vacuum and buckets on both the 55g and the 20g, get as much gunk out as i can then clean any plants needed and thats about it.

[Mith]

90%.....that surprises me! I thought 30% was standard!

[MCHRKiller]

Step #1 dig 25ft python out of the recess of my bathroom closet...curse profusely to myself about how I should tie it up so it doesnt end up in this knot every time.

Step #1 hook python to bathroom sink

Step #3 Clean the 100G tank, siphon all gravel that is easily accessed at every change, and once per month do a complete tank siphon under wood and rock etc. I generally take out around 35gallons from this tank with each normal cleaning, the big monthly cleaning I take out 60gallons. I simply start filling the tank once Im done removing water with tap water that closely mimics the tanks and I had a cap full of Prime as the water is refilling.

Step #4 Clean the 150G tank, same process with siphoning gravel that is easily accessed, and once per month doing the complete tank. Only I remove around 60 gallons with each regular cleaning and the big monthly cleaning I remove about 100gallons. Same process of refilling with similar temp tap water and I add a cap and a half of prime as its filling.

Step #5 Clean the 15G planted. First do any pruning that is needed removing any dead leaves and seek out and destroy any filament algae I can find...use my cheap as dirt algae scraper and clean the front and side glass. Crush as many ramshorn snails as I can see, laugh as the neons eat the falling snail remains. Siphon out about 3-4gallons of water, replace water and add an 1/8 of a cap of Prime...1/2 cap of Flourish Potassium and 1/4 cap of Flourish Comprehensive.

Step #6 Clean the 55G planted. Clean the front and side glass, do any necessary pruning although there isnt any with these slow growers. Marvel at how well my 3 little otos are working on keeping the diatoms down on that Rotala...remove the chunk of java moss attached to the canister intake and throw it in the trash. Siphon out about 15gallons of water and replace with a tad less than a half cap of Prime, add 1 cap of Flourish Potassium and 1 cap of Flourish Comprehensive.

Step #7 Drain python hose and yet again throw it back into the bathroom closet without having it rolled up or restrained in any way so you can have a fit again in a few days.

Step #8 Get the 1/4" piece of vinyl tubing and siphon the 5.5G tank directly into the bathroom sink remove about 4 gallons of water and scare the living crap out of your baby firemouth. Run a 5G bucket of water and treat with afew drops of prime and slowly add back to the tank. Baby firemouth will now hide under the filter for about 6hrs.

Step #9 crack open a Killians because youve just spent an 8hr shift doing the same thing at your work, and now youve spent 2 hrs doing this on your home tanks...and just think you get to repeat this process again in 5 days because you insist on overstocking. Your bulldyke female oscar rams the front glass and you raise your beer in her honor and think you wouldnt have it any other way...

[chronic]

Step #1 dig 25ft python out of the recess of my bathroom closet...curse profusely to myself about how I should tie it up so it doesnt end up in this knot every time.


#1 I take my python off the designated python hanger from in my closet, no kinks [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] lol

Same deal as most people. Scrub the glass, move logs around, suck up stuff from gravel. Drain at least 50% and refil.

Twice a week usually.

[cocoa_pleco]

90g FW- 1 water change a year

125g SW- one water change weekly

[frizzlefish]

I start Sunday morning by putting my famous chicken wings (that have been marinating for days in some kind of homemade sauce I've concocted) Once they are in the oven slow roasting I move to the tank. :18: (they smell killer through the house all day!)



Wanna have some help next week?? I LOOOOVE wings!


:19:

[terrapin24h]

Step #9 crack open a Killians

Ah yes, my favorite part of fish keeping :)

I just do a std "dump and suck" with my "python", cleaning the front or side glass as required. Every other change i gravel vac, unless i've over fed tha week then i definitely vac. I've always read that the one of worst things you can do is over clean, so I try not to clean any decor unless it's absolutely required. My school of oto cats likes to stay busy :)

--chris

[labnjab]

I do it different for each tank, so I'll make it short and sweet
75 gallon goldfish first

turn off filters and air pump
Drain 50-75% with python
replant any plants the goldfish love to dig up
add water conditioner
fill with python
turn filters and pump back on


55 gallon
same as above minus replanting plants and I only do 25%

10 gallon and 5 gallon betta

use hose to drain 20% from each and fill with a gallon jug with temp mached water and stress coat

29 gallon reef

clean powerheads as needed
clean algae in display as needed
turn off sump pump and skimmer, wait til water stops siphoning into sump from display
clean and empty skimmer
clean filter sock and sponge on return pump with very hot tap water to kill any possible bacteria that may have formed in the past week
drain 5 gallons from sump into a bucket
fill with 5 gallons of clean, heated saltwater, siphoned from the mix tub above the sump
turn pumps back on and check for air in the u-tube
check calcium and alkalinity after an hour or so and add a supplement if needed (haven't had to add any lately)

[jaysee]

I LOVE MY PYTHON! My buddy came over one time to "help" me do my weekly/biweekly water changes of all 7 tanks. When he saw me hook up the python and move 70 gallons of water without spilling a drop, he went out and bought one the next day.

I usually change 30% twice a week. I vaccuum the gravel, thoroughly where I drop pellets. Rearrainge and refill with water the same temp. I add conditioners as I am refilling, including neutralize (removes chlors, metals and such), colonize (ben. bacteria booster), and finally some stress coat.

If there is a problem with a tank I do 25% changes every other day.

For my quarantine tank, I have a different routine. I put a small regular old goldfish (that I've had for a while. not new :ssmile: ) in the quarantine tank along with some decor and filter media from another tank. I use a goldfish because I feel like their higher amonia output helps sustain more of the bacteria I've transferred since the tank is bare and not continuously running. I use pimafix and melafix as a precaution. If all is good, after 10 days I do 15% changes daily to be sure the pH is the same as the other tank and introduce the fish after 14 days.

Are those good practices - the qt tank water changes and goldfish?