No, not unless the tank is small, eg, 20 gal or under. Then it's just easier to change with a bucket. I've used a hose to drain and refill my tanks for 35 years, never once have I had an issue. Marine tanks, you must pre mix and such, but not freshwater. Use hot/cold tap water blend, add dechlor, you are done.
I refill as fast as the water pressure coming out of the shower head will allow, same for all tanks. I'm not going to wait hours and get old and wander off ans forget and have a flooded floor.
Get it done and over with asap.
The Barr changer is something we used when I worked at the fish gallery 35 years ago, no clue who came up with it, made changing 85 twenty gallon tanks much easier. It's not "mine" by a long shot.
I use a flexogen hose, they are pretty good and stay flexible.
I've added Prime (conditioner) as I suspect many do after the water starts running into the tank from a hose for the last five years without a problem.
I add it before the new water hits the tank. It obviously doesn't matter if it's a little before or after I just wouldn't let it completely fill before adding Prime or other dechlor of your choice.
Not sure if it actually important or not, but if adding directly to tank it says to treat the entire tank volume rather than just the volume you are replacing.
" May be added to aquarium directly, but better if added to new water first. If adding directly to aquarium, base dose on aquarium volume." - from Seachem website
Oh and I should add, I have been doing this for years as well and never had an issue. I slowly fill over a few hours.
That's what I do if I use the python. If I just use my one gallon jug ill pour Prime into the jug as it's filling with new water so its all nice a mixed up. (I do 3-5 drops per gallon)
I have done water changes with a hose, direct fill from the tap, and I just add dechlor into the flow of incoming water. If it is a large water change, or a 'constant change' sort of event I know how much water is flowing from the hose (I have timed it) and I keep on dosing dechlor to stay ahead of the incoming water.
I have done really large water changes with the 'constant change' idea and dosing dechlor periodically with no problems.
I drain the tank just a few inches, then start the water coming in. Temperature adjusted at the tap. Then I keep on draining the tank, but refilling at the same time so the water level stays pretty close to the top, or a few inches down. Every few minutes I know to dose X amount of dechlor. I know the 'new' water is mixing with the 'old' water, and what I am removing has a certain % of old and new.
At the end, tank is topped off and I can test for chlorine and ammonia (Chloramines) and dose a bit more dechlor if needed.
Fish can tolerate a certain amount of chloramines. You can very slightly under dose dechlor and not have problems with most fish.
I top off tanks up to 10% of the volume without dechlor.
I can be a bit casual about the timing of when dechlor hits the tank.
Barbs (Including Goldfish) seem to be a bit more sensitive, so I usually err on the side of overdosing the tanks with these fish. Not by much, though. A severe overdose can lock up oxygen. Read the label: Most dechlor can be dosed at several times the basic dose to help with ammonia or other toxins, but there will often be a caution about maintaining good aeration.
i've built a "barr" device. someone may have come up with it sooner but he posted his picture
that's beside the point
it siphons the water out my front window and has a quick connect for my garden hose. water change in 3 minutes if i realyl wanna go that fast.. ADD DECHLOR FIRST
its not a necessity really to add it first, just a general good idea
chlorine takes time to kill, it works by burning the gills
Garden hose does not imply you use the cold water outside garden hose source, it's just a hose to drain and fill.
Connect the refilling end up the shower(generally this is a 1/2 to 5/8" plumbing adaptor to Garden hose, 3/4" garden hose in this case). You don't take cold showers do you?:redface: Generally, most people can measure with their hand, a temp difference of 1-2 degrees F.
I figured, but it is..........a bit inconvenient. Shower adapter works like a charm, and then the large 3/4" hose drains pretty quick, and you can run that end of the hose outside to water the lawn or landscaping etc. Once drained, you take that end and attach to the shower head, prep the temp, then pull the shower valve to send new water to the tank.
The Hook height for draining can be set for your tanks to any length also, and simply twist to make it more shallow on smaller/shallower tanks.
This pre sets the drain % you do without you even being around. The strainers prevent fish and shrimp getting in and also prevents large high pressure water from destroying the landscaping.
Squirt some dechlor or run through a carbon block prefilter= done deal.
I change 440 Gallons of tank about 70% 1-2x a week in 1.5 hours and clean the prefilters, wipe glass, cleanign sponge block filters, change CO2, trim etc.
The tank takes some time to drain and refill, so I clean and do the other stuff.
The actual work involved in the water change for 5 tanks actually only takes maybe 10-15min tops.
Having a quick and painless water change system is really important IMO. Having to use buckets, etc. gets old really quick and causes people to either not do them on a regular basis or for some newbies to quick the hobby. This is an overlooked area and needs to be emphasised even more.
For the winter im going to have to do water changes with a bucket for the simple reason its way to cold for the hose, but wont the chlorine in the water kill all the beneficial bacteria within the substrate and or filter media if it gets in the filters? or would filling it most the way and not letting it come in contact with the filter media?
If you are filling via a hose from any source you add dechlor where the water is entering the tank. It acts so close to instantly there is no problem, even doing 100% water changes.
If you are filling via a bucket add the dechlor to the bucket while you are filling it. It acts so fast that by the time you have carried the bucket to the tank the chlorine or chloramines are no longer a problem.
Benefits of the 'constant water change':
Water level does not get so low that the fish are stranded on the floor of the tank.
Allows a longer time for more thorough vacuuming.
Makes a more gradual change in water parameters as the old water and new get mixed. The total change in TDS from beginning to end should not be greater than what the fish can handle, but this change takes place over a longer time, and is more gradual.
I do not do this very often. Mostly I drain the water out the window to the garden then refill from either the shower or a garbage can.
When the weather is cold the water holds more gases and these come through the pipes and hose and into the tank and cause problems for the fish. In the winter I need to run the water into a garbage can and aerate it for at least half an hour, or longer.
Constant water change is good for folks who make a huge mess or need to get things real clean or are trying to get rid of a tough algae issue and want to pick and clean while the water is being exchanged, there are MANY good reasons to drain/fill at the same time.
I tend not to do this, except on a few tanks where semi automated water changes are hard plumbed. A bit inefficient of me........
To clean up the tank post water change, I add a HOT magnum with a cartridge micron filter, maybe purigen or carbon etc.
Water changes are a lot more about cleaning the plants/tank, and trim/prune/preening than any REQUIREMENT to do so due to water quality.
I do not recall when I made it (maybe 8 years ago), but I use a device like the Barr changer as well (mine is drilled on the side and has a diffuser mesh inside - it will break syphon when the tank is about 60-70% empty (my 2/3 water change).
I have a T and extra valve on my nearest toilet - I prime the hoses, quick disconnect and siphon into the toilet, drop in a cap full of prime (amount for a 50 gallon fill) then reconnect and fill. New house has a longer run to the toilet, so I went with a larger hose - but the draining is still slower than I would prefer. Likewise, the fill off the toilet is limited due to the house plumbing (it is not the same flow as a garden bib). Doing large changes with a bucket is messy and tiring.
In the past, I would just let the tank settle after a change, and would occasionally use my HOT Magnum as a polisher. I let a tank go and have been using the micron filter alone the last few weeks and am very happy at how quickly it cleans up floating particles.
I use the shower head plumbing and the bath drain or outside to the landscape, this works pretty fast, if you use smaller plumbing fixtures, often you can regulate the flow with a valve under the sink or if you take off the aerator on the faucet.
You can get about 5-10X more flow this way. These are added to conserve water and to spread it out evenly over the place where the water is used, showering, hand washing etc, but for brute water flow, removing them is a wise thing where time is an issue.
It would take me 2-3 hours to change 100-150 Gal worth of Marine water at one location, I can do it in about 45 minutes because I removed the sink's aerator and placed a hose adapter on it.
It's been awhile for me, but I remember those days. Maybe next year. Folks just need to know how to make them cheap and easy for themselves. I find it ironic and odd that so many fight this simple idea:
I use a pretty simalar method to Tom's. I have a chlorine removing filter in a 10x2.5 housing.( cheap buy at a home store same filter housing people use for cerges reactor). On the inlet I have a 3/4 by 1/2 bushing and a 1/2" shoulder nipple. On the outlet a 3/4 bib (or 3/4ips x garden hose adapter which ever you have) I disconnect the hand held and connect the 6ft hand held hose to the 1/2 IPs nipple then set the filter on the sink or floor. Turn on the tub running on a thermometer. when the temp is right pull the diverter knob and the tanks fill. The hose end has a piece of regular 5/8 copper bent in a 180 degree loop. I'm gonna make one of those PVC ones like in the picture,
he copper scratched my glass once. I've done this the same way for definetly over a decade. Works for me. I don't use a declor.
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