Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)
Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
Water Changes - any tips to make it easier
- roscelt (Paul Egan)
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Is there any piece of kit out there that makes water changes easier to conduct? This query relates to a freshwater aquarium setup. I bought a 35L water container with tap for 10% water changes for my 350L tank, thinking it would make it easier, but between the container being half a ton to carry and its tap leaking I reverted to refilling the tank with saucepans, making the whole experience a bit slapstick.
Some questions:
1. Is it okay to add boiling water to the new (conditioned) water to bring up the temp before adding to tank? Else I have to buy a 2nd container and leave it full overnight to bring it up to room temp.
2. Is there any kit that makes water changes easier e.g. holders for tubing over lip of tank, pump unit, sink water tap attachment with 6 metre tubing that helps braw up the water (but can it help put conditioned water back in)?
3. Considering my desire to keep African cichlids and the level of investment so far, is it advisable to buy water test kits (pH, Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate) and if so what brand product is best?
Your advice much appreciated.
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- Alkers (Simon Alvey)
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Post a few pics of your setup, ie, Lid open, height of top of tank from the floor, give the distance of the Water source from the Tank, then someone will have a better idea on what you need.
Adding boiling Water is not a problem.
Kev.
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- KenS (Ken Simpson)
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I have my gravel siphon connected to a garden hose (the hose on the larger siphons is the same diameter as garden hose). This siphons the water out of the tank and straight out to a drain in the front garden.
I use a submersible pump with a length of tubing to pump the treated water into the tanks.
This is a lot easier that hauling buckets around. I have a bad back so necessity was the mother of invetion!
Regards,
Ken.
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev,
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- damien71 (Damien cotter)
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- Pat (Pat Coogan)
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The bucket has markings to say what volume of water I am taking out.
I then treat each bucket as I fill it from a mixer tap in the kitchen. I use an electronic temperature probe to get the same temperature as the tank and use the probe to stir the water to mix in the conditioner and ensure there are no hot/clod spots.
The bucket is then manageable for lifting above the tank and pouring in. The more bubbles created when pouring it in helps with the chlorine removal (or so I am told).
Also when pouring it in I pour it directly into the flow from my powerhead to get it mixed around the tank as quickly as poss.
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- Ma (mm mm)
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Fill the butt from the tap, when you buy hose you can usually get the fittings and a pump, or use a powerhead, from the same place like homebase.
Draining the tank is also very easy as you conect the hose to the a powerheah and pump it out in one go.
My back is also in tatters but still have not got around to getting one myself.
Mark
Location D.11
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- Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
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- arabu1973 (. .)
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It looks that my setup for changeing water got very popular i should had put a pattent on itI do pretty much the same as Kens. Empty tank with hose using gravity, refill from 200L container in the shed which has a pump in it. Super simple.

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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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- alan.s (alan)
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Al
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- JustinK (Justin Kelly)
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The pump job will be next on the list for my 400L. It was okay on the 150L, but this is a bit excessive.
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- roscelt (Paul Egan)
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I really like the idea of the pond pump to pump the water back in to the tank. Initially I would like to use a large bucket container and eventually figure a way to run it from a large water but in shed or houser..
My tank dimensions are displayed in centimetres in the image attached below as per Kev's request. I estimate that the kitchen sink is approximately 7 to 8 metres away from the tank. The lid comes in easy to remove segments, and essentially I can drape the tube over the front lip. A piece of curved plastic piping might come handy to fix the flexible plastic tubing in place.
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- alan.s (alan)
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- joey (joe watson)
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work allows me access to zillions of 10/15/20l buckets all with lids (oil and mayo/sauce) so i mix up the water in enough buckets (say 100l total) and use 2x20l buckets to collect syphoned water, when one is full just switch it over and pour full one down the crapper until 100l is taken out
if you like i could get some more if you live near/can get to portlaoise and want em, i have 10 already and probably 5-10 going spare in work (less lids tho)
Location: Portlaoise, Midlands
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- arabu1973 (. .)
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I'll show this to Hazel today, i can't wait to see how you explain this to her when you come over this eveningDon't believe a Word, Arabu has his Wife carrying loads of Buckets !!
Kev.



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- andrewo (andrew)
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- Jim (Jim Lawlor)
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I connect the valve to a tap & run it into the tank until water starts to come out.
Then I stop the tap, disconnect the valve and put it in the drain.
Then I connect the gravel cleaner at the tank end.
The I put another connector into the auto-stop valve and it starts to let the water out. This usually starts draining water through the gravel cleaner without any messing about in the tank. And all the water goes straight down the drain.
Then I use a 120L wheelie bin filled with water previously, heated & treated - I use a powerhead to pump the water into the tank. (its very heavy full of water, so I "park" it beside each tank before it gets filled.)
I wrecked my back previously, so tried to find ways to minimise further damage . . .
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- joey (joe watson)
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and my wife goes nuts that i have alot of buckets in the house at water change time! would never get away with a wheelie bin
Location: Portlaoise, Midlands
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- Jim (Jim Lawlor)
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It's actually fairly straightforward, no buckets, No spillage, no splashing in the tanks, much faster and the only thing visible in the rest of the house is a hose. The wheelie bin is restricted to the fishroom (if u could call it that).
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