Big Tank Water Change

[MKD]

Hi all,

I need some better ideas to do wc. For those who have big discus tank, how do you manage to do 50% or more wc and make aged water temp the same as tank temp especially in winter? I use 3 250W heaters to heat it up but take forever.

Thank you,

Tony

[William Palumbo]

I use straight tap water, conditioned with SAFE directly in the tank. Hot/cold mixed at the faucet. Do you HAVE to age your water?...Bill

[MKD]

Thank you Bill

Yes and No. Some people do and some don't. IMO it's better to age it because My local water is not good. Also I don't like that much chlorine in the tank and want them To show their beauty, colors and shapes.

[lpiasente]

I boil 2 large pots of the water or I boil the kettle and add it to the aged water P.I.A but it is pretty quick

[peterhql]

get one of these
http://www.norwesco.com/page.cfm?menu=34
stick a jager in it.
stick some air in it.
fill it with warm water from the tap.
pump it with a mag drive. my mag drive 18 fills my 90 gallon fast, feels like 5-8 minutes.

alot of people use brute 55 gal trash cans. a 100 gallon water tank is a worthy upgrade. It doesn't take up much more space and it holds twice as much water. I have mine in the kitchen and i think it looks better than a huge grey trash can.

[Jennie]

+1 with Bill.
I use straight tap water, conditioned with SAFE directly in the tank. Hot/cold mixed at the faucet. Do you HAVE to age your water?...Bill

[hironobu]

I invested in a home water purification system. Cost couple hundred dollars but takes all the hassle away from frequent w/c. I just adjust the water to the right temperature and the filter does the rest.

[MKD]

wow!!! so far 4 different ways and i like lpiasente's way. But it will take a lot of boiled water raise the temp in 275G tote. Maybe i have to change WC routine.

[hedut]

straight from tap and use prime ;)

[peterhql]

whats the room temp of the room the storage tank is in? insulating it and filling it with warm tap water to begin with should be more than enough. 3 jagers seems like overkill, maybe 2?

[MKD]

It's outside in my backyard. I'm thinking If financial allows, I'll upgrade hot water tank to tankless and add water softener as well. That will benefit the whole family.

[AquaSteve]

Here's what I do:

Use 5 gallon empty water jugs (the ones that usually hold spring water) and fill them.
Put the jug on a ladder, above the tank and use a thin hose to syphon from the water jug into the tank.
Control the flow by tying a knot in the hose.

This fills the tank slowly and allows the tank heater to warm the water gradually so there are no temperature fluctuations.

Steve

[Frankr409]

Tony I use an r/o system with a continuous fill via a float valve and I gravity drain 40% of the water per day into the sewer. I have never lifted a bucket and the system runs 24/7 without my help.

[Jhhnn]

I fill my insulated aging barrels in the cellar with warm water, then condition, heat and aerate it for 24 hrs before pumping it up to my tanks. I fill with warm water because I figure it's cheaper to heat it with gas and hold it at temp with electricity than to heat it from cold winter temps with electricity alone.

If you can't age water indoors, then you could insulate the tote with foamboard all around so that the heat doesn't get away as fast as you put it in...