Water Changes

["Dixon, Steven T. (Exchange)" <stdixon at ben_bechtel.com>]

Okay, several folks asked how I do water changes.  Let gravity do the
work or use a Python is my basic advice.  If you happen to have a
trickle filter and sump under your tank, life can be quite easy.  Here's
the note I sent to a few people yesterday:

>>> I've had several notes on this.  Basically I can siphon from my tank
to a sink (or bathtub) and because I have an overflow trickle filter
with a sump under the tank, I can also siphon tap water from the sink
back to the sump under the tank.  I would use the Python if I couldn't
siphon water back to the tank.

I wrote the following note to one of the folks I know pretty well here
in the Bay Area:

¾ inch clear siphon hose (25 feet long) from the big tank to the kitchen
sink.  40 or 50 gallons is emptied out in about 10 minutes (plus I can
have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine!).  Then, leaving the hose in
place, I put the stopper in the sink and begin filling up the sink with
75 degree tap water (use one of the $3 paste-on temperature strips to
calibrate water temp on the faucet outlet).  Then I take the hose from
the tank and siphon water from the sink to the sump underneath the tank.
Adjust the faucet flow to the siphon flow so the sink stays full but
doesn't overflow (and relax with another glass of wine!).  I add
dechlorinator to the sink water every ten gallons or so.  Over a twenty
minute period with less than 4 minutes of actual activity, I've
accomplished a 40% water change in my 125!  There you have it and now
you know!>>>

On the subject of Amano and carbon:  He does not remove the carbon, but
just leaves it in as additional biological filter. 

Regards, Steve Dixon in San Francisco

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