Weekly Water changes. Is there a better way?

Striped Bass

I was just wondering how all of you guys and girls out there with larger tanks do your water changes. I As a few of you know just started out a 45gl FW planted Cichlid tank about a month ago. I was so used to doing weekly water changes in my old 20gl tank with a couple of 5 gl plastic buckets and two 5 gl spring water bottle filled with treated water from the night before. But in order for me to do proper weekly water changes with that method for this tank, would take me a total of at minimum 3 of each of these buckets and bottles. There must be a better way. If not at least let messy. Any one have a better why?


Thanks all

Striped bass




Yes i use a gravel vac.

yoshi191

i just use my gravel Vac..



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55g sw cycling week 1

ahill3780

Well, having a 55 gallon saltwater tank I keep 2 seperate sotrage bins for my water.



I have a 55 gallon rubbermaid trash can that I bought to keep my RO/DI filtered water in. (Black container shown) I keep a 35 gallon rubbermaid latch tote storage bin (Blue container) where I mix my saltwater for my water changes.

I use 5 gallon buckets to haul water (seperate buckets for each) and I either siphon the water outside, or into another 5 gallon bucket dedicated to waste water.

I simply reuse the buckets my salt mix comes in so having enough buckets is never a problem.

Striped Bass

I dont have that as a real option, but i gotta tell ya Ahill. good job man. thats a right way to go if you have a home. Im in a apartment. But that seems to be an affective way.

Striper

mmh123

you can use products like Easy Balence to allow you to not do water changes for up to six months i haven't personally tried it so i'm not sure how effective it is but it's worth a shot

ahill3780

That wouldn't really work out too well for long. Changing the water out removes waste, among other things, from the tank which will only continue to build up and cause problems unless removed.

Here's another idea I thought about using when I lived in my last apartment (when I was first planning for my current tank):

• Keep a 5 gallon bucket(s) filled with change water stored near the tank (if possible), or somewhere close by.
• Use a Python (Click Here) with enough extensions (Click Here) to reach the nearest toilet, or drain to siphon the water out of the tank. This way I wouldn't be pouring it off the porch down 3 floors.
• Then use a water pump (Click Here.) to pump the water from the buckets into the tank without any heavy lifting.
• Then refill the bucket(s) and sit them away for the next time.

Its a little more of an apartment friendly method. I decided to upgrade the idea after I got into the house, and its still a work in progress.

HTH,
Aaron

Jay

I use a DIY similar to the "python" for my weekly 60% water changes.

Start to finish about 50 minutes.

Jay