Get a Python. They're great
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3910
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3910
Is it just me or does doing a WC really suck!
Maybe I'm using an ancient method of doing water changes...(bucket method)..
But if there is a more efficient way of doing WC then PLEASE let me know!!
But if there is a more efficient way of doing WC then PLEASE let me know!!
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either way, it is what turns most people away from the hobby. that or dead fish resulting from not doing WC.
ya i've seen those... but my one question with that is.... how do you declorinize (not sure if thats a word) the water before you put it in the tank
Just put the recommeded about of dechlor when you put in the water. Thats it.ya i've seen those... but my one question with that is.... how do you declorinize (not sure if thats a word) the water before you put it in the tank
As for me, a water change is super easy with a python. I just run the hose out to my garden and fill up from the sink. No buckets, no mess. I suppose your tank is located near an exitway, toilet, or sink? If it is, just drain it there.
so it doesnt matter if you dont take the chlorine out before the water hits the tank
Nope! That's how I do it - just squirt in the dechlor as the Python is refilling it. Great product, I couldn't live without mine.
omg wow... I cant beleive I've been doing the bucket method all this time..
any DIY instructions on making your own to save a few bucks
any DIY instructions on making your own to save a few bucks
genius! thanks Jen!
Ideally you should but this depends on the volume of the water change.so it doesnt matter if you dont take the chlorine out before the water hits the tank
It also depends on how much chlorine is in your municipal tapwater.
When I shower I smell like chlorine when I get out so I dechlor in the bucket.
If I have been doing this wrong please enlighten my because WCs are a PITA.
here's a trick I use to make the bucket WC go faster and without disrupting my plants. I bought a cheap $2 breeder box from Lee, took all the plastic parts out, then float the box in my tank where I'm pouring water from my bucket. the water dissipates rapidly through the side vents of the breeder box, so I can pour fast without bothering my plants.
another trick we have discussed in Prime related threads, is to replace the Prime bottle cap with a dropper cap, so it's fast and easy to measure out a few drops of Prime per bucket one handed, then using both hands to measure it out by pouring it into the standard cap. using these tricks and my fast flowing bathtub faucet, help make WC a snap.
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another trick we have discussed in Prime related threads, is to replace the Prime bottle cap with a dropper cap, so it's fast and easy to measure out a few drops of Prime per bucket one handed, then using both hands to measure it out by pouring it into the standard cap. using these tricks and my fast flowing bathtub faucet, help make WC a snap.
If it weren't for the Python, I would have been out of this hobby a long time ago.
Python is probably one of the best innovations for water changes in a long while. Not scientifically proven, but I guess it has been really helpful for beginning fish keepers to get a good start on doing frequent WCs.
Personally, I don't like the idea of the nutrient-full fish water going down the drain, so I do an extremely primitive DIY python.
Siphon straight out to the backyard lawn, and then simultaneously a hose garden fitted to the kitchen faucet provides the new water. I wait for about 10 minutes on my 55g and it's about a 40% water change just sitting there! I still get water spills though.
Personally, I don't like the idea of the nutrient-full fish water going down the drain, so I do an extremely primitive DIY python.
Siphon straight out to the backyard lawn, and then simultaneously a hose garden fitted to the kitchen faucet provides the new water. I wait for about 10 minutes on my 55g and it's about a 40% water change just sitting there! I still get water spills though.
so would I be able to get away with using a python on doing 50% WC on a 55 gal
I do a 50% on a 110 with a python, I think you'd be fine 
roud:
roud:I prefer to python into the yard, too, but usually have to refill form a faucet so the water isn't too cold. Two hoses really would make that easier....hmmm
For my larger tank, I put the dechlor in a measuring cup (I think it takes about 140 mL) and add it in glops as it fills. A bit at the start, more in the middle, etc.
Some people use enough dechlor just for the water they're adding, and others use enough to treat the whole tank. I've done both and really don't know if there's a difference. Not knowing the chemistry behind it, and not curious enough to learn, I can't advise on that.
For my larger tank, I put the dechlor in a measuring cup (I think it takes about 140 mL) and add it in glops as it fills. A bit at the start, more in the middle, etc.
Some people use enough dechlor just for the water they're adding, and others use enough to treat the whole tank. I've done both and really don't know if there's a difference. Not knowing the chemistry behind it, and not curious enough to learn, I can't advise on that.
Don't worry about removing chlorine before adding to tank, just add dechlor while filling....now isn't that much easier?so it doesnt matter if you dont take the chlorine out before the water hits the tank
wow you guys are life savers..
I had a 26 gal bow for a year and I used the bucket methed that whole time...and you could tell a little I did that..
So today I did a 50% WC on my new 55 gal... and I thought to myself there is no freakin way this is going down once a week!
So I'm extremely glad to hear the possitive news about the python!
I had a 26 gal bow for a year and I used the bucket methed that whole time...and you could tell a little I did that..
So today I did a 50% WC on my new 55 gal... and I thought to myself there is no freakin way this is going down once a week!
So I'm extremely glad to hear the possitive news about the python!
You can also vacuum your substrate with a Python--try doing THAT with a bucket! (Not as important with a planted tank, but every once in a while, it's nice.)
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