Hi folks... great forum!

So, I'm getting a 30 gal tank for my GW as a birthday present and I bought a package that includes a wooden stand/cabinet.

One thing I realize is that its necessary to change some of the water in the tank on a regular basis.

I'm not sure what our local tap water is like... I have to get a test kit. What I did years ago was fill a large water bottle and lit it sit for a day or two to allow the chlorine to disperse, and then I used that water.

Will that still work?

My main question is how to change the water. The tank and stand are going to be sitting on carpet, so I will want to avoid spills as much as possible. I dunno if that hope is realistic or not! I'm thinking of some sort of carpet protection, but I'm not sure what will work.

So, anyhow, what do you suggest for removing water and pouring more in?

I can easily get a siphon for removal... into a bucket. Is that the best way?

As for adding new water, should I just dump it in? Or should I get a small pump to pump it in slowly? I KNOW I don't want to dump it in so quickly it disturbs the plants or gravel, but I wonder if you have an alternative suggestion.

Thanks

I use this Aquarium Maintenance and Water Changes: Aqueon Aquarium Water Changer Works the best for me and will work just fine if you go to a much larger tank in the future where bucket carrying becomes impractical. As far as chlorine, I think a product called Prime is the most popular brand for chlorine removal.

I use a gravel vacuum and clean my gravel while I take out water. They act as a siphon. You can get them at your local lfs or lps. Top Fin® Gravel Vacuums - Aquarium Maintenance - Fish - PetSmart That is the one I use.

Get a decent sized bucket and do 20-50% water changes every other week. I prefer to do my water changes every week, but biweekly is generally ok, it depends on what you have in the tank and if it is overstocked, understocked, or perfectly stocked. If you are new to the aquarium hobby (I still consider myself a newbie as well) I would suggest understocking your tank, I overstocked my 3 gal based on the fish store guys advice and I need to be diligent about cleaning it. I am okay with it now, but I would have started with a beta if I had known better.

Also I would suggest reading up on the nitrogen cycle. The Fishless Cycle

Good luck to you

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I dunno about this process of vacuuming gravel...

Can I not set up a well balanced system that need no gravel vacuming? Years ago, I used to take out about20% of my tank's water and use it to water my house plants, and replaced it with water from my jug. Unless something went really wrong, I could maintain this for years, never needing to vacum it out.

Maybe I'm wrong, if so please help, but I thought a well balanced system would have the plants eating the nutrients that the fish excrete and returning O2 to the water for the fish.

I realize that it may take a while to get to that balanced state, but that's my goal.

You are right plants will eat up hazardous toxins that can kill fish, but it is never a bad idea to vacuum your gravel (assuming you aren't using something like sand or another fine substrate). It will remove any leftover food on the gravel and clean up some algae, but if your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are reading fine it may not be necessary.

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Get yourself a Python water changer. These are great easy to use and no spills. Google it

Ok, perhaps I was misunderstanding... I can see vacuuming the top surface of the gravel to remove loose stuff, extra food, fish poop, etc... I thought when there was previous reference to vacuuming it was almost total removal of the gravel to clean it... that would disturb the plants too much...
Thanks

If you are worried about water on your carpet get a tarp. Those are cheap and work great. As far as water changes go, you can use a Python or equivalent or you can go to your local Wal-Mart or K-mart and get one of those blue 5 gallon water containers (usually found in the automotive section or in the camping section) and use that. They are basically gas cans but they are blue and they have the nice pouring nozzles on them like gas cans. As for letting your water sit for 24+ hours to condition it still works.

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75 Gallon Planted

back in the day you used to just let the water sit out for 24 hours and it would be safe but theres more BS in our water now so most definetly use a water conditioner.

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10g- 2 hi-fin fm platys, 3 koi & red wag sword fry
40g Breeder- 6 danios, 4 female swords, 1 male swords
"I was born with nothin and I still got most of it left."- Seasick Steve

vaccuming your gravel picks up all the nasty crub that's in there from dead plant matter to rotting food, you name it, it's down there. you'd be surprised how gross it gets. vaccuming gravel is definitely necessary, imo.

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29g planted, Eheim 2215 canister, Top Fin 150w heater.

Albino Cory x 4, Guppy x 8, Oto x 3, Bolivian Ram x 2

Honestly I have heard mixed opinions about this. I always use water conditioner because I have little knowledge of what is in my tap water.

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75 Gallon Planted

I dont vacuum my tanks unless there is some plant debris or something I want out. All my tanks are fairly well planted. I will do it if I remove a plant also. My home is carpeted as well. Never had a big problem with water spills except when I overfilled the tank. I walked away from it....not the smartest thing. Carpet wasn't damaged.