Water changes

[Luis]

I do weekly water changes to my 250litre tank. 
The way I do it is literally empty out 30% off water with a siphon, and then I fill up a 25 litre bucket with the dechlorinator and pour it in little by little with another bowl. 
 

this is very tedious but I’ve just done it like this without thinking too much as it’s worked fine for me.

 

right now I’m getting busier and I’m finding it hard to carry out my weekly WC this way.

for next time should I put the dechlorinator in once I’ve taken out the water and then just fill it directly with the siphon back in the tank? 
 

i don’t want to mess up my aquarium so any help with how I could make my water changes less tedious would be extremely appreciated.

 

thanks! 

[TheDukeAnumber1]

It all depends on your water parameters and fish but personally I wouldn't hesitate to try it.  I think something would really have to be off for it to causd a problem, especially since 30% isn't a drastic water change. Keep an eye on the animals the first time to see if it stresses them out at all. When I do large water changes I need to make sure to gas off 50% of if first to avoid stress.

[Mmiller2001]

Dechlorinate the bucket, then fill. To make things easier and faster, buy a cheap pump. You can slap a tube on the pump, drop it in the bucket and plug it in. Easy.

[MJV Aquatics]

Modern dechlorinators work instantly so you could drain the tank, add the appropriate amount of dechlorinator, then refill with the appropriate temperature water straight from the tap. The only question is the amount of dechlorinator to use. Manufacturers  tend to recommend to use an amount equal to the total volume of the tank. Some hobbyists report that they only use an amount that approximates the volume of new tap water being added. I think the former is perhaps safer than the latter (e.g. use an amount for the entire tank volume). HOWEVER, I'm not an expert as I live in the country and have untreated well water so I don't use a dechlorinator - I just have Safe on hand in the event of an unforeseen ammonia spike. The downside is I have nitrates in my well water from a 95 acre farmers field across the road. My nitrate fight is documented on my Blog.

As previously mentioned, I also use a submersible pump (Ecoplus 396) for water changes. Much easier/faster than a siphon. If you wanted, with a submersible pump, you could not only drain, but use it with a brute trash can to treat water and refill your tank.

[Maggie]

That sounds similar to what I do, except for me it's part of my exercise regimen to lug water repeatedly. 😀 I have a bad back with episodes of sciatica, and need to move a lot, as the minute I sit down it starts hurting.

[OceanTruth]

Don’t worry too much about it. You can add dechlorinator straight to the tank and just fill it with tap water. I’ve done this before when I wasn’t on well water and I have never had any problems attributed to it. I have even done 50% water changes with this method often when I kept fancy goldfish.

I’m sure there are people who will rant against this, but that’s been my experience. Also, I have seen many others who have been keeping fish far longer and far more successfully to me who say the same. Like @TheDukeAnumber1 said, it may depend on your water parameters as well though. 

[Odd Duck]

I have Brute a trash can on wheels (a dolly that is made to snap onto them) that I use to mix my water with dechlorinator before pumping it into my tanks with a very large powerhead, big hose, and a homemade disperser rig.  I’ve also rigged it with a ball valve so I can hang it over the side, then turn the ball valve to start the water flow.  This works very well for changing the water in my bank of 5 and 10 gallon tanks.  Drain all, fill all, done in about 10-15 minutes for the whole bank!

[Ruud]

Yup I do the same, siphon the water out with a hose. Fill a few buckets with water and pump it in the aquarium using a small pump with a hose. Put in dechlorinator afterwards directly in the tank, haven't had any problems.