How to manage a large tank in pregnancy

[TreeSparrow]

I've got a 350 litre tank which isn't high maintenance but I do near 50% water changes every fortnight. The tank is drained by hose but refilled by bucket (from a wooden workstep as it's high) and I'm worried I won't be able to do this as I get bigger. The nearest tap for refilling is down a fairly long corridor and round a corner.

Any advice/ideas?

[EauRouge]

How do you usually refill with clean water, do you go back and forth with one bucket or use several.

One thing that some fishkeepers with disabilities use is a small pond pump to pump clean water back into the tank. So you don't have to lift heavy buckets up to the tank, you can just bung the hose in the tank and switch the pump on. If you got a long enough hose then you might not even need to carry the buckets far from the tap (depending on how far it actually is). Would that work, do you think? This is the sort of thing I mean.

Congrats on your pregnancy :) Is it your first?

[TreeSparrow]

Thanks for the reply. I normally fill 12 litre buckets at the kitchen sink and carry them one at a time down the corridor (it's a bit narrow to carry two buckets by your sides unless you walk twisted). I then go up the steps with the bucket and pour the water in (from chest height). Normally takes ten to twelve trips. I'm just a bit concerned I won't be able to do this later on. I know in the States people use something called a Python water changer with long hosing direct from tap to tank but I've not seen them in the UK.

Thanks. First pregnancy and (I think) I'm about six weeks at the moment. Lots to think about!

[TreeSparrow]

The pump is an interesting idea but didn't get away from actually having to carry the water to the tank. It's about 15m from sink to tank I think. I'm starting to think I should sell it as it takes up precious space we need but it's fully planted and took a lot of work so...

[EauRouge]

Nooo, don't sell it, fish tanks keep babies amused for ages

I've heard of those python things too but I don't know how they remove the chlorine from the tap water.

It's tricky to say how you'll do, I managed water changes fine when I was pregnant but my tank was half the size and the tap was only about 5 metres away. It's OK to do a bit of light lifting (most second time mums have a toddler to haul around too), but you've got a fair bit to do. You could just see how it goes. It's your ligaments you have to watch out for.

Another option would be to temporarily hire someone to do water changes for you. You could search for aquarium maintenance companies near you (although they tend to do large tanks in commercial properties), or you could just ask in your local fish buy and sell group on Facebook. I'm sure there would be someone that would be happy to earn a tenner once a fortnight. You're not in Cambs, are you?

What have you got in your tank anyway?

[TreeSparrow]

Oh I can get DH to carry them for me if I can't find an alternative solution, I just wanted to keep a bit of independence on this one.

With the Python water changer you dump all the dechlorinator in the tank then fill it up. So long as your filters are off it won't hurt the cycle. I might see if my local shop can get hold of one or offer an alternative.

Tank is fully planted (jungle look with grassy bottom) with redmoor root wood, schools of corydoras, cherry barbs, penguin tetra, shrimp, and otocinclus. It's a nice relaxing tank to look at and is currently positioned where we should have the cot really.

What do you have?

[EauRouge]

Oh wow, that sounds fab. Do you use a CO2 diffuser? I've never had much luck with that grassy stuff.

I've got two tanks at the moment. Well, one belongs to the DDs. They chose guppies and multicolour gravel but I have managed to sneak quite a lot of crypts in there. I've got one type of crypt that gets too tall for my other tank so they are all in there. That's 65 or 70 litres.

My downstairs one is a 60 litre, it's fully planted (I need to prune, I can hardly see the fish) with tons of crypts, anubias, java moss and bogwood. 7 cherry barbs and I don't know how many cherry shrimps.

[TreeSparrow]

No. No, CO2, although I dose EasyCarbo to control algae and split the lighting cycle into two to keep CO2 higher than it would be in one long light session.

My "grass" is a bit bizarre in that it's vallisneria that seems to have just completely taken over and doesn't mind being "mown" short. My local fish shop thinks it's a miracle.

Crypts are awesome
...and "Clown puke" gravel is a right of passage.

[EauRouge]

I'm pretty sure I had clown puke gravel in my first tank

I use liquid carbon too. I've grown bonsai vallis by accident once, but never kept it cut short. Sounds brilliant! I've never had any luck with hairgrass at all.

[TreeSparrow]

No I've tried two species of hair grass (in my big tank and my nano) and it never did well.