W/c's - best way to replace water?

[Carol_Roberts]

I try to keep my change water very close in temperature to the tank water. Cooler water may induce spawing when used once or twice. Large daily infusions of cold water will induce hex. Discus don't like the stress of temperature fluctuations either.

[dred]

Hehe,

I'm currently doing the wet run on my water change system. It is using dripper and an overflow.

Since I'm gonna bring home some Discus (maybe tomorrow <smiling&gt, I wanted to make sure my laziness wasn't gonna be reflected by their water quality.

I stole the prefilters from my RO unit (actually, just T'd in before the membrane) so that I get highly filtered/dechlorinated water with just a trace of ammonia right from the tap. The ammonia is amost instantly converted by the bio filter. This in tank conversion will be replaced by in holding tank conversion within the next couple days.

This is very easy to set up, and their are numerous plans for overflows, etc. in the DIY section. There are advantages and disadvantages to the drip/overflow change system, but it is definately something even a newbie can consider. The toughest part is plumbing the waste water (you need someplace to send it).

milton

[FrankLuvsDiscus]

I use an tap water aging setup,, i have a 32g rubbermaid trash can that i fill up to the rim and condition the water with peat moss and ariate it with a pond pump and i heat it to the matching temp, make sure ph is same of my tank and when i w/c i just use the pump and a long hose to fill tank up once i've drained what i want out. Its so easy and smooth its killer and i don't get water all over the place .... my discus hardly even notice i've done I w/c (well im sure they do they notice everything) it doesn't upset them.

[lesley]

Hi Frank,

do you just suspend the peat moss in the water??

Thanks to all the helpful suggestions, I am looking forward to some stress free water changes

[FrankLuvsDiscus]

;D Yeah , I suspend it using a nylon stocking it works great!! That reminds me i need to change it tonight. If you go this route its really cool, but you have to change the peat moss around every two weeks. Or as soon as the water loses its "yellowish" tint. Peat moss causes the water to take on a yellow color to it , its natural and the discus like it ,its tanins being released into the water that soften it and are supposed to lower ph, i think it softens but not so sure about lowering ph, i think the softening allows the ph to be manipulated easier.....

Its all about changing the water chemistry or parameters of several different things.....

Anyhow have fun !
Franko

[Bruce]

I hear a lot about storage barrels in a storage room or outside the home somewhere . . . but I prefer a different method.

This is my first Discus tank, but I think from now on I will plan for a secondary storage tank directly below it. What I believe is a must is permanent plumbing to support the fresh water intake and waste water removal procedures. I use sched 40, 1/2" pvc piping and 500gph supreme mag pumps to both fill the upper tank from storage(submerged), as well as to hasten removal of such large quantities of waste water (inline, outside of tank). Most aquarium stands won't accommodate a secondary aquarium of 65 or 75% of the main aquarium, but I build all of my own stands anyway, so I can make sure there is plenty of room for the storage tank by keeping the lower portion of the stand free from structural obstructions. Making my own stands also allows me to make them like a table so that it can accommodate a computer or a reading area in front of the aquarium, and serves multiple functions if I ever get rid of the tank.

Currently, the set consists of a custom 58 gal main tank, and a 40 gal storage tank. I run the pvc intake from the rear lawn sprinklers and output to the garden area alongside the house. I'll be running a tee with a ball valve to redirect the flow to a clean-out sewer access plug so I don't get a moss/saturated soil problem in the long run.

The end result is that I can flip a lever, press a button and wait 3-4 minutes to evacuate the waste water, do it again to transfer the aged water, and turn the tap for a couple of minutes to refill the storage tanks. I do this all while sipping coffee and browsing the L.A. Times on the internet before leaving for work. If I had to do the bucket thing for large tanks (and all discus display tanks are large or giant) I don't think I could even entertain the thought of Discus in the home.

[Bruce]

The waste water removal pump is mounted on the stand to save interior tank space (the supreme magdrive is usable both inline and submerged, but as a centrifugal pump, it can't prime when above the water, must be below water line). Rigid black pvc is run to the top and then to the inside bottom of the tank, held by a tronic heater guard, which acts as both a suction mount holding it in the proper position, and as a strainer.

[Bruce]

The valve on the left controls the intake from the sprinkler tap and fills the storage tank very quickly. The only issue is that I think I would save a lot of electrical use if I created a secondary tap from a hot water line. I'd probably call for a plumber to help with that, but my wife thinks my obsession has gone to far already and probably won't want me re-doing the entire house plumbing to provide warm water to every room in the house. I was thinking to have a super small electric water heater installed on the outside of the house to provide a supply of water preheated to 85deg. Will need to look into that.

[Bruce]

To monitor temperature status of the tank set, I found it easier on the eyes and pocket book to use these $13 digital in/out thermometers. The display is large and lets me compare temperatures between the two tanks more easily.

[keith_cny]

Bruce,
Did you consider using a mixing valve with your present water lines? Run hot and cold into it and set it for the right mix (temp). Then you would need to just run one line to your tank (or tanks) to refill any storage container at a nice consistent preset temperature. Mixing valves are not cheap but should be a heck of alot cheaper than an additional water heater and twice the plumbing.

Keith

[lesley]

Hi Bruce,

that is an impressive set up.

Are there any worries with using water from the hot water service? I had always thought that the tanks were copper and that this was not recommended?

[Carol_Roberts]

I use a mix of hot and cold water to fill my storage barrels

[Fisheyes]

Yaaaaaaa
No more *** bustinbucket liften back breakin water changes for me anymore .Today I went to Home depot and bought two bur cam pumps and a few fittings .One for in and one for out .yippeeee.
Now the toughest thing I have to do for 7 tanks is unscrew a few couplings Yahoooo
Fisheyes(

[Carol_Roberts]

Well, it's about time Fisheyes! What took you so long :P

[Bruce]

[quote author=lesley link=board=21;threadid=9348;start=15#101305 date=1053207935]
Hi Bruce,

that is an impressive set up.

Are there any worries with using water from the hot water service? I had always thought that the tanks were copper and that this was not recommended?
[/quote]


Hey Lesley,

Yes, household heating tanks are made of copper. But . . so is the entire pressurized house plumbling. My understanding is that all modern homes are built with copper plumbing pipes, and most homes built before the use of copper (mid- 1970's?)have been retrofitted with copper by the owner, as galvanized steel piping gets really ugly on the inside, you can even see the chunks of corrosion in a white-colored mug of tap water. I don't think you need to worry about the water becoming bad from copper issues. I think the issue is getting this warm water from the heater to the tank. In my case, using a mixing valve still requires custom plumbing through the house as my heater is in the center of the house.