Are water changes a big deal? How to make them easier!

[rickztahone]

Over the years I have seen more threads than I can count that wanted to find a way to reduce water changes. I understand that this seems like a natural thing to want to do with someone beginning with discus. However, the truth is, water changes are very important. We feed a lot, we must change a lot of water, simple as that.

I am not here to have that arguement, the reason I wanted to start this thread is to inform people of ways to make water changes easier and faster.

This is a contributing thread, so I welcome other ideas/photos/explanations of how people are doing water changes.

The goal is to get other people to cut down their water change time so that it doesn't seem like such a chore.

I will upload a video showing my WC process but I will explain it here how it works:

My setup, 75g w/ 40g sump.

I drain/refill 60% of that water in 15 minutes. I know many members that wouldn't mind doing more water changes if all it took was 15 minutes!

How Do I do it? In my case, it is a little more complex than most people would like to tackle on their own, but there are alternatives.

I have a bulkhead where I drilled a hole in the back of my tank:

93293
You can see it behind the driftwood on the right. I then simply insert a 1" pvc pipe there with a screw on brass barb and a hose connects to that. These are the valves I use:
93294
The one on the far left is the one that is in the back of the bulkhead. That valve allows me to simply turn a valve and have the water drain to that point. That in turn is routed (via pvc) to my front yard.

Another item that makes my water changes much easier is this little thing:
http://image3.plaza101.com/p/n/47/05/690634705/180/woods-path-landscape-light-parts-outdoor.jpg
This little Christmas light remote allows you to simply press a button to get water from one place to another via pump/hose.

I age my water so when my tank drains, I fill it up via pump/hose and all I have to do is press a button. These sell for like $10 and are life savers instead of going down to an outlet, many times AWAY from the tank and stopping the power.

This next piece isn't a necessity, but I have been using one for a very long time and it doesn't really break down and it is easy to clean:
http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mtfsi1Wd7ar8VPMu8kWOTWA.jpg
It is an Eheim round media sponge. It isn't anything fancy but this cuts down on my time for water changes because I don't have to go get a paper towel, and go throw it afterwards. It stays in my stand and all it takes is a good squeeze to be clean.

Here are other ways to speed up your water changes:

get a source of water closer to you.

I tapped my house copper line and ran copper line to my room. I know this isn't an option for many, but if you are a DIY person and own a HOUSE (not apartment, lol), then you should consider brining the water source closer to you. It makes a world of difference. I simply turn a valve and my water hits my aging barrel and fills in 2 minutes (I have timed it)

When I first started researching faster ways to do water changes, I researched submersible pumps. I didn't want to spend a lot of money, I simply wanted a faster way of doing it and landed on getting a Rio 1400 submersible pump:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/images/graphics/rio2001100parts.jpg

Now keep in mind, I am not adverstising this pump, it is simply what I used when I first started with more automated water changes. This pump is still around in my house and still works like the first day. You can buy this cheap on ebay and attach a hose and get water changes done much faster by simply placing it in the tank, attaching a hose and run it to wherever you want to dump it. I used this approach for many years and works like a charm. Just keep in mind, if you have sand it may affect the pump, but if you buy a cheap pump, it may not be as crucial to keep things out of it.

For those using your water faucet to start a siphon and fill up a tank, consider getting a rolling aging barrel. This is a good practice for those that live in areas where the water conditions change dramatically during the winter months. Aging your water can save your discus many times. Here is a link to one of the cheaper places I have found that sells the barrel and roller:
http://www.centralrestaurant.com/Round-Rubbermaid-Brute-Combo---55-Gallon-c118p26261.html
http://images.centralrestaurant.com/images/products/large/972-945_2.jpg

Of course you can find cheaper alternatives on craiglist or maybe a local sale at a home depot or what have you. The point is, aging the water gives a place to store your water and you can ditch having to rely on the facet to get water which is a huge waste of additional water. You can get water from outside with a safe water hose and drop it in cold to the aging barrel and heat and air it out 24hrs and it is ready to go.

I understand that this may ADD time to your WC, but this is the one thing typically that I recommend for the safety of the discus, and the small added time for that isn't a big issue, or at least it wasn't in the past for me.

If you happen to HAVE an aging barrel that is stationary but use a regular hose, add a drinking hose instead. They don't kink as easily and are safe for fish and drinking water:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ME11FS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/710WC2ZQJRL._SL1500_.jpg

For years, many members here have been going over to Jehmco to purchase their pvc/pump setups. If you don't know about them, check them out here:
http://www.jehmco.com/html/safety_siphon_aquarium_drain.html

http://www.jehmco.com/assets/images/JSS002a100p.jpg
For a little over $40 you can drain 300g in an hour, not bad. Of course you can always buy a submersible pump like I mentioned previously and achieve the same thing, but this is an already prebuilt system which many people really like.

Now this next one sounds very silly but many may have considered it but haven't done it. Go with a larger sized hose and get water changes done faster!

I know many are going to worry about a discus possibly getting sucked up by the larger hose since it creates a faster suction. Here's a part that will help you prevent that!
http://premiumaquatics.com/search?search=profile+strainer
http://asp-pa-web-2-pavinthewaysoftw.netdna-ssl.com/product_image/asp_pa/140x100/7182.jpg

It is called a profile strainer. Use the larger hose and at the end of it, attach one of these strainers. Now you can clean your tank without having to worry about sucking the side of your discus off. I have walked away from my tank with the strainer on the hose while draining the tank without having to worry about one of them getting sucked up. AND, this lets you pick up feces and uneaten food just as quickly as without.

Those are all the ideas I have for now, but I am sure there are tons more. Please share them with us.

My goal is to possibly only show you one new thing above that you didn't know about and implement it to your routine and reduce your water change time.

I remember the bucket brigade, and believe it or not, I pulled my back out once lifting a very heavy barrel full of water that left me in bed for over a week. Now all I do is turn vavles and press a button and no lifting involved. It made my wife happier because I am not putting my body at risk and she is also happy because water changes are no longer a thing that takes hours, simply a few minutes.

:)

Edit 1-9-16


https://youtu.be/l8CBrK6xbak
Sry, no audio. Tried to find a track long enough to last the whole video and failed and didn't know how to loop a single song to span the length of the video. I'll try to figure it out later, going to catch the playoff games now ;)

[XAnhLe]

Thank you Ricardo this is very helpful!!! :)

[Tshethar]

+1 Extremely helpful! Thanks for putting this together; personally, I think this might serve newcomers like me as a sticky in an appropriate section somewhere.

Taking seriously the advice on the forum about frequency and quantity of water changes basically translates into thinking about this kind of stuff--otherwise I don't see how most of us with other responsibilities can manage the work reliably over time. But you all have convinced me it's worth doing the planning up front, and this is just the sort of thing people need to see.

I bought vinyl 1" O.D. tubing over the summer and a large submersible pump, and have been figuring out how to build something out of PVC to accomplish what I see going on with the Jehmco units. Haven't engineered it yet but will keep following this and may either order from them or try to build. Thanks for the link to the strainers!

One thing I learned about the big vinyl--it moves water much more quickly than my python hose, but was extremely inflexible and difficult to work with when I got it. Watched a youtube video that suggested heating the stuff in a clothes dryer for 10 min, and then laying it flat. It made a big difference. Jury's still out for me about whether it was an ideal choice, but I think it at least has a chance to work for me now.

Some of the recent ideas for eliminating microbubbles with low-micron filter socks (and possibly other material like sponge, etc.) might also help people do water changes as well....

Thanks again!

[mee]

rickztahone, great thread to start, and I think you have posted pretty much the best possible way to do things in the ideal situation. I am going to post my similar but much simpler method, but need to point out I have exceptional water where I live with no chloramines, and virtually no chlorine.

Items I use

1 5 gallon bucket
1 pump (forgot brand, but similar to the rio rickztahone posted
1 wide guage clear hose (about 1 1/2" diameter) (safe type)
1 hose that fits perfectly on the pump nozzle (safe type)

Tanks 1- 80ish gallon tank, 1- 60ish gallon tank 1- 40ish gallon tank (I live in Japan and sizes are usually off by a few gallons.)

What I do..

1) Put the bucket in the sink and fill it with the pump in it (can be cold water for initial fill)
2) Run large guage hose out sliding glass door into a small flower pot (prevents erosion in my small yard, and acts as a fry saver just in case)
3) attach the pump to the large guage hose. This is not a perfect fit but the wider part that attaches the nozzle goes almost tightly inside. I have to position the hose just right to get it flowing fast enough for a full syphon , but there is minimum drop from my sink to back yard, so others would likely have an easier time.
4) once full syphon takes effect, I take the hose off the pump and block it with the palm of my hand
5) walk over to my largest tank (all big fish) and first suck up all the poop and junk, then leave the hose in while I then...
6) put one end of the blue hose into the same tank, and plug the other onto the pump in the bucket
7) turn on the water doing my best to match the flow into the bucket and flow out of the bucket (doing it correctly will waste zero to very little water).
8) since the flow of the larger hose is so much greater the tank still drains quickly (5 minutes)
at that point, one by one drain the other tanks, and by the time that is done (5 minutes) the large tank is about 30% full again, and I can either let it fill all at once, or my preferred method it to fill each tank about half way and then one by one top them off. The fill is considerably longer than the drain, but the whole process is about 45 minutes for a total of 180ish gallons. I can put the fill hose safely in drilled holes on top of the big tank and sit back and watch, and recently realized I can plug it into the top tubes on my sponge filters and it holds. Alternatively you can use a strong clamp.

When each hose is done, raise it up as high as you can and wind it around your arm/hand, in doing so you will drain it completely into your tank or backyard, and have less mess. I always have one of several aquarium specific towels on the floor for any potential spills, drips, splashes, etc... My up coming fry is drilled very low, and I will be using rickztahone's method for draining it.

Hope this helps someone

[dprais1]

buy these

93309

they come in super handy in preventing hoses from falling out of tanks, etc. closing the lid on your hose to keep it in place is one of those "It worked fine for me until...."

[rickztahone]

OP updated with video of a 60% water change.

[MD.David]

+1!
I have about a dozen of these. Couldn't live without it in my discus room!


buy these

93309

they come in super handy in preventing hoses from falling out of tanks, etc. closing the lid on your hose to keep it in place is one of those "It worked fine for me until...."

[discuspaul]

Ricardo, you should be extremely proud of this post !
Very, very helpful, and I'm sure it's one subject many discus hobbyists would not take on & explain well the way you did.
I for one am very impressed.

[rickztahone]

Thanks Paul :). Anything to help fellow discus hobbyists

[Second Hand Pat]

Great thread Ricardo. Perhaps I can offer some helpful tips. I gravity drain all my tanks and use either 2/3 or 1/2 (interior diameter) vinyl hosing. I use the 2/3 hose when simply draining and/or vacuuming the BB tank. The strong suction of the end of the 2/3 hose works well for sucking the junk from the tank bottom.

When I vacuum sand I use one of these. I use my 1/2 hose instead of the six foot hose it comes with.

93327

[MaviYesil]

To me, not the water changes, but heating the aging tank is a big deal. :(

[afriend]

Ricardo,

Nice post. Anything that makes water changes easier is a good thing and I like your approach.

I just want to add the following so that any beginners here don't go away with the wrong impression. Changing water is absolutely important, however it is not the entire answer to keeping discus healthy. It's just as important to make sure that feces and uneaten food are removed on a regular basis. Also, wiping down the glass and cleaning the decor is also important.

I'm certain that you already know this, but I didn't when I was a beginner. Hope you don't mind my addition here.

Paul

[Jack L]

+1!
I have about a dozen of these. Couldn't live without it in my discus room!

be careful with these, especially with the cheaper variety, i had one break, when flying past my face and stuck into the drop ceiling.

[MattArmstrong]

Ricardo, great video.

Pro tip for those viewing: you can get youtube to speed videos up to 2x speed by hitting the gear icon during playback -- they seem to have added this some time recently. It turned your 15 minute water change into 7.5 minutes; can't beat that!

The sticking point for me is where to put the aging barrel. Unlike you, I don't have the luxury of sitting it right next to the tank. :)

[rickztahone]

Great thread Ricardo. Perhaps I can offer some helpful tips. I gravity drain all my tanks and use either 2/3 or 1/2 (interior diameter) vinyl hosing. I use the 2/3 hose when simply draining and/or vacuuming the BB tank. The strong suction of the end of the 2/3 hose works well for sucking the junk from the tank bottom.

When I vacuum sand I use one of these. I use my 1/2 hose instead of the six foot hose it comes with.

93327

The upgraded hose makes a big difference. Back when I had gravel (a long time ago), the suction side of this contraption worked great at getting gunk out. Now-a-days, a simple hose does the trick for me with the low profile strainer like mentioned above. You run the risk of possibly sucking the side of a discus, but I am very careful when doing the bare suctioning.


To me, not the water changes, but heating the aging tank is a big deal. :(
I don't think it is a big deal, but I do think it is expensive, lol.


Ricardo,

Nice post. Anything that makes water changes easier is a good thing and I like your approach.

I just want to add the following so that any beginners here don't go away with the wrong impression. Changing water is absolutely important, however it is not the entire answer to keeping discus healthy. It's just as important to make sure that feces and uneaten food are removed on a regular basis. Also, wiping down the glass and cleaning the decor is also important.

I'm certain that you already know this, but I didn't when I was a beginner. Hope you don't mind my addition here.

Paul
This is a very valid point, and I am glad you brought it up. I do mention cleaning the tank walls, but cleaning debris/feces off thet ank floor throughout the day is a huge part of keeping discus healthy. One time, I fed BH in the morning, I came home later that day and noticed a piece of BH that I had missed earlier in the day after the vac. They could have eaten this and possibly could have gotten sick. Carelessness can get your discus sick.

Thank you for the addition. This thread is here to help in all facets of changing water and maintaining a clean enviroment for discus. The more advice/techniques, the better.


be careful with these, especially with the cheaper variety, i had one break, when flying past my face and stuck into the drop ceiling.
Also, I will add, these clamps have metal in them and they do rust over. If you notice in the video I use a clamp, but I remove it before the water gets to the top.


Ricardo, great video.

Pro tip for those viewing: you can get youtube to speed videos up to 2x speed by hitting the gear icon during playback -- they seem to have added this some time recently. It turned your 15 minute water change into 7.5 minutes; can't beat that!

The sticking point for me is where to put the aging barrel. Unlike you, I don't have the luxury of sitting it right next to the tank. :)

This is a very cool tip. I actually didn't know that. I am going to try it now. However, I wish I knew how to loop music on the video to make it a better viewing experience. It is quite dull and boring at the moment, but I simply couldn't figure it out.

[rickztahone]

Ricardo, great video.

Pro tip for those viewing: you can get youtube to speed videos up to 2x speed by hitting the gear icon during playback -- they seem to have added this some time recently. It turned your 15 minute water change into 7.5 minutes; can't beat that!

The sticking point for me is where to put the aging barrel. Unlike you, I don't have the luxury of sitting it right next to the tank. :)

I couldn't get the video to go 2x faster for some reason. I clicked the gear icon and the only thing that popped up was the quality settings. Maybe my browser isn't up to date?

edit: yeah, that is what it was. My IE was not up to date. My chrome is though. I use IE here at work.

[rickztahone]

This is a good thread to check out by another member that has improved his WC method :)
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?122587-My-DYI-Water-Change-System

[HappyFace]

Amazing!

[Willie]

Not everyone is prepared to power drain their tanks. Like Pat, I rely solely on gravity to drain. By putting my discus tanks on the top of a double stack rack, the changes are very fast. I use tanks on the bottom rack to condition my water. The biggest improvement to my water change routine came when I won a second Python at a raffle. Now I'm cooking!

I come down to my fish room early every morning and can change out 100% of my discus tanks in 90 minutes (while I'm watching TV, surfing the net, reading e-mail, doing crossword puzzles and taking a shower). Life is easy if you can make it into a routine.

Willie

[Tindale83]

1. Age my water in a 110 titre brute bin by running a pump from the sink into the bin. Add chemicals to treat the water then put heater and air stone in for 24hrs. Quick PH test.

2. Then use one of ya basic syphon hand pumps that clean the bottom of the tank and under the bog wood into a bucket (remove all left over food n poo)

3. Use a pump with hose to drain 100ltrs out the tank and into the back garden, when the tank is a pit empty I will clean the glass insides with an sponge.

4. Remove the heater and air stone from my ageing water and put the pump in the barrol and run the hose into the tank.

5. Refill the bin with tap water using the pump method. Put heater and air stone back in. Clean the equipment down however the hose pipe I use tangles up easy. Need to look at getting a new one.

Can any one recommend a way to make it easy or ways I could improve? My tank is a juwel trigon 350. (77g) run an ehiem pro3 2080. 7 discus 20 neons. Bogwood with anubias attached

[Jack L]

i stopped heating the aging water. its adds up $$
i change over 1/2 the tank water and it only drops a few degrees, and the fish never seems to care. in fact they seem to be prompted to spawn from it.

[adrian31@outlook.com]

Wow your water changes are amazingly simple, I'll be honest I'm jealous:)

I made my system as simple as I can with my 50' python stretched to my utility room sink for the cleanup, switching to a 850gal/hr pump to finish draining, then refilling straight from my tap (my tap water's pretty good).

My wife is amazed and keeps asking if I 'enjoy' doing this each day:)

Thanks for posting this!

[ssevasta]

i stopped heating the aging water. its adds up $$
i change over 1/2 the tank water and it only drops a few degrees, and the fish never seems to care. in fact they seem to be prompted to spawn from it.

This might work for you with the amount of water that your replacing during a water change but new hobbyists should exercise extreme caution before going this approach. While I was on vacation my stepfather did this in one of my tanks and i lost a 7 inch Male Leopard Snakeskin that I had raised from 3.5-4 inches.

[Jack L]

This might work for you with the amount of water that your replacing during a water change but new hobbyists should exercise extreme caution before going this approach. While I was on vacation my stepfather did this in one of my tanks and i lost a 7 inch Male Leopard Snakeskin that I had raised from 3.5-4 inches.

your point is a good one. FYI: i've lost Black Neons to the temp swing, but not Discus, so i heat it up again.

[talkdiscustome]

I do water change like every 2 days. i have a 90 gallon discus tank and 20 gallon sump.. still struggling with the green algae though.. recently bought phosgard coz i feed my fishy lots!
any other ways to take care of cyanobacteria?

[Ryan925]

I do water change like every 2 days. i have a 90 gallon discus tank and 20 gallon sump.. still struggling with the green algae though.. recently bought phosgard coz i feed my fishy lots!
any other ways to take care of cyanobacteria?

Are you sure it's BGA and not just simply GSA?

[Jack L]

Boyd Enterprises Chemiclean worked for me

[rickztahone]

I do water change like every 2 days. i have a 90 gallon discus tank and 20 gallon sump.. still struggling with the green algae though.. recently bought phosgard coz i feed my fishy lots!
any other ways to take care of cyanobacteria?

what light fixture are you using? When you wipe down your tank, are you getting a thin layer of gunk?

[Branch]

Great thread, albeit I'm late coming to this as I've only recently joined the forum. Like rickztahone I automated my system years ago and will need to upgrade it again soon due to the need for more RO production. Changing water with my system doesn't require anything more than turning Fluval pump aquastops, from the old filters, on and off and letting the tank drain and then refill. To drain the tank I have one outlet pipe which, when the tap on the aquastop is opened, syphons the water out of the fish room and into a drain outside. When the required level is reached I merely switch off the tap. To refill I pump the RO water, correctly re-mineralized and heated, out of a 20 Imperial gallon water butt and into the tank using a large marine tank pump. The RO water flows directly into the water butt from a build in piped system from the pressurized water tap.

The advantage of using this system is that the water is perfectly matched and pre-heated to the tank parameters and I can either work whilst the re-filling takes place or go out for an hour as the flow in is controlled and always takes the same amount of time. No buckets or mess and the fish are barely aware that the water is being changed as the only need to go into the tank is if I'm vacuuming the substrate.

[bluelagoon]

I've gotten rid of cyano by doing a total 3-4 day black out.It starves the algae that live inside the bacteria,that feed it.Also,there is always erythromycin,but I have never gone this route.

[afriend]

My system is completely automated. It produces RO water, mixes it with a controlled amount of untreated well water, ages the mixture, heats the water, and transfers the resulting water to the aquarium. I exchange 40% daily using a modified drip method. In addition, I have developed a filtration system that automatically removes uneaten food and feces. Thus the only maintenance that I have to do daily is to feed my fish. The tank remains in pristine condition such that algae is eliminated completely because nitrate is reduced to near zero by the filtration system. The only maintenance that I do is to provide a once a month servicing of the canister filters, purigen reactor and provide minor cleaning of the tank interior.

Paul

[Branch]

Hi Paul can you please set out how you water system works give me some details on the filtration system that you refer to in your post, maybe some pictures would help, as it sounds like a good method for eliminating the c*ap!? B

[afriend]

Hi Paul can you please set out how you water system works give me some details on the filtration system that you refer to in your post, maybe some pictures would help, as it sounds like a good method for eliminating the c*ap!? B

Branch,

All of this is explained in detail at my Simply Discus Homestead page. At the top of the page. the two subjects that might interest you are "filtration system" and "how the filtration system functions". The system is not cheap and it is not easy to build. However, the rewards are great as it maintains the tank in a pristine conditions and creates a very healthy condition for the fish. Here's the link:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/forumdisplay.php?372-Adult-Discus-Show-Tank-(afriend)-NW-Arkansas

The section on the water transfer system is somewhat out of date as I have recently upgraded it to a fully automated system and have not yet updated my homestead page.

If you decide to implement this approach, I would be glad to assist you with any questions that you might have. Just feel free to ask.

Paul

[Branch]

Thank you Paul I'll take a look at it and if I have any questions I'll revert back to you. B

[kim457]

In your original post, you mentioned using this hose (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ME11FS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00) to fit this pump (https://www.amazon.com/Rio-Plus-1400-Aqua-Pump/dp/B000IMXTCG).

How do you actually fit the hose to the actual output of the pump? The water hose looks like it screws on.

[Cosmo]

I've been using my current water change setup for almost 20 years, although it was revamped 4 years ago when we moved. I started using this system in response to losses sustained because of a temporary change in the municipal water supply I was depending on at the time. As I've aged (I'll turn 73 this year) I've refined the process to reduce actual physical labor down to syphoning detritus and cleaning the tank interior. Then there are filter cleanings but that's another story.

I have a 90gal acrylic tank and I change at least 50% of the water daily. The tank is, of course, a bare bottom tank.

The heart of the system is the 100gal aging barrel in the basement. It sits on a 2in thick insulated base and is wrapped by 2 layers of 1/4 rolled cork. Inside the barrel are two 500 watt heaters and three massive air stones connected to a Jehmco linear piston air pump (which also provides air to the tank upstairs). The heaters are connected to a Jehmco digital temperature controller which I set one degree warmer than the tank water so that water going to the tank is at least the same temperature as the tank water. I have 1/2in water lines tied into the house water supply to refill the barrel using two ball valves. Both Prime and Discus Essentials are added into the barrel whenever I add water. (Kent Discus Essentials is now known as Continuum Discus Elements - T). By using and refilling approx. 1/2 the water in the barrel daily the water that goes to the tank is a mixture of multiple days of "new" water so that any temporary change in the source water is buffered by the water already in the barrel. It also insures the water that will go into the tank is as homogenous as possible with the tank water it will replenish. There are two Aquatec 550 product moving pumps that suck the water from the barrel and send it to the tank at refill time. No buckets, no hoses to the sink, all easy peasy.

I have an "umbilical cord" of fill and drain lines that run from the aging tank to the fish tank on the first floor that goes through an incredibly luckily positioned HVAC return and then through a vent next to the tank.

The water change is obviously started by draining water from the tank, and for that I use both a drain and a syphon. The drain consists of an Eheim installation kit 1 (syphon side) with an inline Eheim quick disconnect double ball valve that when opened drains water through a 16/20 (5/8ths) tubing down into a floor sink in the basement. This drain syphon going into the tank is shorter than the syphon tubes to the canister filters so worse case the drain cannot drain enough water to stop the flow of water to the filters. I used to use bulkheads for a drain but find I prefer this method for cleaning purposes. To facilitate detritus removal I use a 12/16 (1/2in) sized hard tube connected to 12/16 tubing that also runs down to the basement sink, I start the syphon using one of those rubber inline hand pumps that I buy from Amazon - does a great job though I have to replace the hand pump occasionally.

I drain the water this way until it reaches to the top of the 300 watt heaters in the tank (which equates to about 45 gallons). To refill the tank I simply sit down and plug in the extension that runs to the basement to energize the two pumps and wait for the water level to raise to the point where the outflow of the spray bars skims the surface of the tank.

The only downside with this setup is the electricity needed to heat the aging tank. The basement gets colder than the rest of the house and I'd love to cut down on energy usage, but I'll never go back to using tap water with a Python and can't figure another way around it (the wife won't let me put the aging tank in the living room :p).

[LizStreithorst]

Of all people to show up out of nowhere. It's my old play pretend boyfriend. Hi Jim :

[Cosmo]

Hello sweetheart :) I've been thinking of you, hope all is well :heart2:

[brady]

And here I thought I was the only one. Oh well life will go on, I think.
Jay