Filling up the tank..

[nicklimzhiwe]

Okay, so cut to the chase, here is a problem I would like to ask..

My 4feet tank with a volume of 360L(90Gallons) is coming in soon.. So excited.. But I have a problem.. That is quite a big tank to have to fill up.. I only have 2 standard size pails (around 5-6 gallons)..

So I was wondering, can I arrange my substrates (Gex soil, river sand and lapis sand) and hard-scapes (Redmoor driftwood, stone slates and lava rocks) nicely in the tank, add in tap water one shot into the tank, then add in the appropriate amount of de-chlorine..?

Will this in any way contaminate my gravel and hard-scape with anything?

Or should I de-chlorine the water in the tank 1st? Then add in the rest of the substrates and hard-scapes slowly by hand?

Thanks a whole lot people!!

[stormhawk]

I would advise you against using de-chlorinators. I had the same issue as you when my 4 footer arrived. When filling up the tank, don't use the pail. Get a small plastic container, those dessert takeaway ones will do. Use it to fill the tank slowly.

Use the plastic tub's cover, put it on the gravel bed, then pour the water onto the cover, so that the water fills your tank gradually. Once the tank is half filled, you can switch to a larger container. If you dump the whole pail into the tank you'll have one huge hole in your gravel bed.

Once filled, let the tank cycle for a few days. Get a test kit to test the water after 3-4 days. Once your nitrite readings go to zero, and your pH has stabilised, you can put in fishes. Don't bother with dechlorinators. They don't fix the issue with nitrite spikes and that will kill any livestock if you put them in too early.

[nicklimzhiwe]

Wow.. That is the first time I heard people say to avoid de-chlorine..

And yup.. Not intending to pour the whole pail in.. I would know better after months of research.. The horrors of pouring the water in like that.. Argh!!

So you saying the chlorine filled water will have no ill-effects on the substrate and hard-scape?

Thanks by the way..

Anyone else?

[bossteck]

Our tap water contains choloramine, it doesn't just 'go away' on it's own. So it would be good for you to use water conditioner that removes both chlorine and choloramine during your set up and subsequent water changes.

I don't think chlorine and choloramine have any ill-effects on your hardscape and substrate, but I believe if you do not remove them, it would take your beneficial bacteria a longer time to get established.

P.S. With such a big tank, it is time to think long term, get a hose and use zip ties to attach a plastic bag with it's bottom cut off at one end, that would make topping up / water changes much easier. On the other hand, using pails would make you more muscular in the long run

[christopher.wtc]

I use large pails for water change. I will be able to mix my buffers and chlorine remover first. I prefer to treat the water first rather than treat it when it's in the tank. I would then use a power head to transfer the water from pail through a long hose into the tank. Pumping water into the tank slows down as the hose gets longer but I am in no rush to get water into my tank, it distributes fresh water evenly and won't disrupt the scape.

[stormhawk]

I never use de-chlorinators, because I'd rather see my tank cycle for longer, than to rush and put in livestock and see everything die if there was a sudden nitrite spike. Chloramine takes much longer to go away as compared to chlorine.

Notice how some people just fill up their tanks with tap water, minus any dechlorinators? I do that, in moderation and I've yet to lose any livestock. The important thing is that your tank must be stable. Stable here means that the biological cycle is running at tip top condition.

It is obvious that some form of chloramine will stay in your tank water, but if you use water conditioners, they tend to kill off microscopic animals. Those animals are beneficial to the tank, even though people think lowly of them.

I've got copepods, fresh water limpets and what not in my tank, and my fish are not bothered in any way. In fact the copepods are always eaten by my Boraras.

Dechlorinators can help, but they are not necessary. If you wish to use them, that is your choice. I was just offering an alternative route.

If you really want to remove the chlorine etc, get a tap water filter.

[nicklimzhiwe]

Oh.. How about SeaChem Prime? Heard good things about it.. Its not only a de-chlorine, but also conditions the water or so I've heard..

It comes at a good price too.. I think it quite affordable if all the good remarks about it is true..

[stormhawk]

Yup Seachem Prime is reputed to be a good water conditioner. I used to use it, then when I saw my friend raise his killifish in our tap water without dechlorinators, I stopped bothering with them.

[checkerboard]

I too never bothered with anti-chlorine. As long as you have a stable tank and do not change too much water all at one go, there should not be any issues. For newly set-up tanks, you shouldn't be putting fishes in too early anyway since the tank wasn't cycled, so there is no need for dechlorinators in this case as well. I have safely breed T.espei and N. marginatus in without bothering with water conditioners.

[shrimppaste]

Why don't you just buy a long hose and attach it to your kitchen or something? My hose is like 30 metres long. Easier when you do water change to just put water then release the other end and the water would start sucking. I always take like 20 minutes to change my 3 feet tank. Then when filling water all you need to do is, after putting the substrate, put a plate upside down and then just use the hose to aim at the plate and the water would just trickle to the side.

[shrimppaste]

And seriously I dun think you need dechlorinator etc. Just make sure you cycle the tank properly.

[DMC]

ant-chlorine is a must for nowadays water...

[shrimppaste]

Like I say, if we are cycling the tank without any fishes in the beginning I seriously don;t think we need to dechlorinate.

[jiajuen900]

Sry but could you all tell me what hose to use, Can i use garden hose or must i get those tubes sold in LFS

[stormhawk]

Garden hose is fine, or those LFS tube will work too. You can buy those HozeLock reels at the DIY stores. They're great for water changes, if your tank is situated far away from a tap or drain hole.

[nicklimzhiwe]

Sry but could you all tell me what hose to use, Can i use garden hose or must i get those tubes sold in LFS

Yo bro..

The most important thing here is not about the type of hose you are using, but the flow-rate of the hose that you are using.. Imagine this with me, a a fireman hose that pumps out 5L of water in 10secs verse using a hose with the circumference of a air tube to pump out 5L of water in 10secs.

The latter will give you a world of hurt, let alone creating a mess in your tank when it hit the substrate or anything else for that matter..

Just make sure the hose is clean, and ready for aquarium use.. Meaning not weird stuff in the insides of the tube and no cleaning it with soap or some funny chemical you might think of using.. Plain old simple tap water will do in my opinion when cleaning the hose..

Cheers!

[jiajuen900]

can i add the change water with the hoses directly from tap and add anti chlorine? I have kept fish without usage of anti chlorine but i feel safer using it

[nicklimzhiwe]

can i add the change water with the hoses directly from tap and add anti chlorine? I have kept fish without usage of anti chlorine but i feel safer using it

Oh.. Then like what the bros have being saying, use it by all means.. According to the instructions of use of course.. Cheers!

[jiajuen900]

Thanks. Does anyone have automatic water changing system?

[stormhawk]

but the flow-rate of the hose that you are using..

Flow rate of the hose is dependent on the water pressure from the water point. I don't think our household water pressure in HDB flats is enough to create a torrent of water, if the tap is opened slowly.

Thanks. Does anyone have automatic water changing system?

I have an old model of the Python No Spill water changer, but the tap fitter is not to our usual tap size so I don't use it. Instead I just siphon out water into a bucket and throw it away. I fill up my tanks with a large plastic fish bag. You usually get them if you buy 50 pieces of tetras or other small fish at once. They're great for filling up tanks slowly.