General Care Discussion :: changing out the tank water

[industrial_girl_2000]

Heck, 5 gallons of water is nothing. I have a 20-gallon long tank located right next to my kitchen sink (has my aquatic frog in it) and I just use a siphon tube to allow the dirty water to go right down the drain.

Also, in order to siphon the water out, you don't need to put your mouth on the tube. You just put the entire tube under the water, allow the air to go out. Then put your thumb over one of the ends to block water flow. Make sure the other end is still fully in the water. Lift the thumb end out of the water and release your thumb. Water will flow naturally for as long as the other end is still in the water.

If you have your tank next to a window, it is very easy to open the window & siphon directly outside. Then fill up with the water hose from outside (route it thru the window). Of course filling with water hose won't work if you live in a winter/cold/snowy climate, but in that case, you can just haul 10 gallons of clean water to the tank. 3 trips and you are done (easy!).

I use the python tube that other people here talked about for my 90-gallon tank & it works great. LOVE this!!!! I don't know what people did before python tubes...that thing was worth EVERY PENNY.

[untsmurf]

I have a 55 gallon in what is supposed to be the dining room, next to the kitchen, changing out the water is a pain, but I do it.

[N4784N R4613]

Of course filling with water hose won't work if you live in a winter/cold/snowy climate, but in that case, you can just haul 10 gallons of clean water to the tank. 3 trips and you are done (easy!).

Do you know how heavy 10 gallons of water is? Over 80 pounds!!!!

[industrial_girl_2000]

Of course filling with water hose won't work if you live in a winter/cold/snowy climate, but in that case, you can just haul 10 gallons of clean water to the tank. 3 trips and you are done (easy!).

Do you know how heavy 10 gallons of water is? Over 80 pounds!!!!

Yup. That's why I said "THREE trips and you are done!"

Heck, I hauled 55 gallons of water out, and 55 gallons of clean water back into Sheba's tank for 16.5 yrs before I got her the 90 gallon tank she has now. It was back-breaking work back then & I always used those heavy duty 5-gallon plastic buckets to do it (!). That's why I am so thankful for the python....no back breaking anything! Just screw on the hose, drop the other end in the tank, and turn on the tap! GENIUS!!!!!

[N4784N R4613]

OHHH!! Lol, for some reason I thought it was a 30 gallon tank, and you where telling him to fill it up in 3 trips with a 10 gallon bucket.

[madmax1]

if you upgrade to a very large tank 100 gallons or better this might be a good investment for the long term it recycles the water in the tank for less water changes can get a couple of extra weeks of no water change and you can hook up water to this also to add water to tank i just got it and it works great . you can clean for a long time because you are not limited to water running out . water goes back in tank. saves good bacteria. and helps filters last longer . save money on media and it realy sucks the crap out of the tank. not like the python. i use the python just to take water out of tank and put back in it is not a good cleaning vacume. take a look ! and you can clean tank any time you want with out a water change wich is great!

here is a review from the site! ---Brian D
[City Not Selected], NH


After having purchased one of these, I was a little bit upset because I had read some bad reviews. But having used it - I can say that it works as advertised, and I'm quite pleased with it. It works like a charm and doesn't make a mess (provided you follow the instructions and lubricate all the "o" rings before each use). Definately would recommend it to others!

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=15484
it works great!
it is expensive! but long term good, and save on water bills. and filter media. great for realy large tanks! mine is 180 gallon.

[Dee_Dee]

ok i have a 10 gall tank andi dont have very much water maybe like 3 inches is that to little?....i aslo wanna kno thier water is at the right temp and they seem to spend alot of time in the water and not basking what can be causing that ?..i condition the water and i take out about 1.5 inches of water every 2-3 days i have a filter in the water and so on and they have areas to bask but they dont why is this?...mind u they are only hatchlings so they are small...and one is like premature hes tinyer than the other....

[DavidY]

3 inches of water is fine for hatchlings but once you see that they are getting good at swimming you can go ahead and raise the water level maybe an inch at a time until it's a few inches from the top (enough so they can't escape). You should also make sure you have some plastic plants or decoration in there that reaches just below the surface of the water for them to rest on.

The water temp for babies should be about 78 degrees. The temperature on their basking platform should be about 10 degrees warmer than the water. That will encourage them to come out and bask. If it's not warm enough they will choose to stay in the water which can lead to shell rot or fungus if they don't bask enough.

Also new turtles can be very shy and may not bask while anyone is in the room. If the temperatures are correct and they are otherwise in good health, they will most likely bask when they are certain no one is around to watch them. As they get to know you better and to associate you with food they will become more relaxed and you may be able to catch them basking if you peek into their room very quietly and slowly.

How many hatchlings do you have? You should probably upgrade to a bigger tank pretty soon as the general rule of thumb for RES is 10 gallons for every 1 inch of turtle (straight carapace length).

[Dee_Dee]

hey thanx for that info yea well ok i wasnt sure if 3 inches was enuff and cuz i have the filter in there it makes a lil bit of ripples inthe water like not enuff to drown them or nething lol but like enuff to filter out the water...i was gunna put plants into the water but i thought they were still a lil young but they do have plenty of rocks to rest on i wanna put lily pads lol...but there isnt enuff water and they have a big basking platform u kno to think of it when i come into the room from work they are basking but quickly run bac into the water...hehe....

rasing the water level i use to have less water in there and i mean one of my turtles is bigger than the other its like one is premature and hes not a very good swimmer as for the other one hes gettin there...

i have 2 hatchlings so since i have 2 they sould be in a 40 gall tank already :S i thought that was soo big for them but ill be gettin a bigger tank soon tho ......

i got another question im having a hard time gettin them to eat :S....they only wanna eat dried shrimp and i read here and another guy told me i should put them in tuna water...i was thinking about it...but i mean is that really gunnna work for them cuz they seem to like the shrimp but arnt gettin the right nutrition and itsn ot a balanced diet?..or is it im not even sure?......
thanx

xo

[Dee_Dee]

should i stop giving them the dried shrimp?....

[marisa]

Dee_Dee, if you have a question about feeding, you'd get more of a response if you posted it under the Feeding and Nutrition section. This is the second time you've asked this question in a thread on a totally different topic. I locked that last thread and I will do so with this thread as well. Please post your questions under the appropriate forums.