How do you do your water change?

[Hunter]

Hello Everybody,

I hope all doing good and staying healthy !

 

I have shrimp rack with 3 + 3 tanks, and during water changes, taking water out is easy, how do you put water back without lifting 5G buckets?

I was thinking setup an adapter to airline tube (let's say from 3/4" to 1/4") and connect that to the pump.

Before I start contracting I was hopping to hear some opinion

 

Thank you

[uuaaayyy]

• I have seen somewhere bucket, placed on something higher than your highest tank, with small diameter tubing, letting water go in the tank. Speed is set by you, from dripping to small stream.
• Another possible way: if adding water fast is not a problem, use small water pump (it have to have head rating for this height, see its specifications) with tubing and a plastic tube hook (as of Eheim canister filters, sold as replacement part). Hook could be hung on the tank, pump will do the work, you watch the process and stop it.
• Or manually, if there is clearance for maintenance above tank, allowing use 2L (half gallon) plastic pitcher, add water manually. If too small clearance and tanks are big, using pint sized (500 ml) containers to refill tanks is not feasible. If they are very small, this is possible.

[Duff0712]

On 4/25/2020 at 5:06 AM, uuaaayyy said:

• Another possible way: if adding water fast is not a problem, use small water pump (it have to have head rating for this height, see its specifications) with tubing and a plastic tube hook (as of Eheim canister filters, sold as replacement part). Hook could be hung on the tank, pump will do the work, you watch the process and stop it.

I did this for a while with a small pump and the eheim canister tube hook and it was great. The water did come in pretty quick (even from a distance) so I shoved a prefilter sponge on the end of the tube hook to slow/disperse the flow. 

[OblongShrimp]

I currently have a semi automated water change setup that uses drip emmitters to fill my tanks and then I have drilled overflows so they just overflow when full and drain out into my yard.  For a smaller setup I would use a small water pump and tubing to pump the water into the tank.  You can get a remote control for your outlet so you don't have to try and plug and unplug the pump (the remote controls can be purchased online or are often in stores around Christmas for use with Christmas lights).

[wyzazz]

I have standpipes (overflow tubes) installed behind the HMF's in all of my tanks.  So I just flow new water in with dosing pumps and let the old drain out.