Fish Tank Water Changers
Simplify the way you change your fish tank's water with effective tools from PetSmart. Routine water changes help keep your entire aquarium clean with minimal effort, if you have the right products. All sizes of aquariums need regular water changes, even if filters are working properly and the water looks clear. Food particles settle to the bottom of the tank to decompose undetected in the aquarium gravel or sand beds. Live plants help by converting nutrients, carbon dioxide and ammonia into beneficial oxygen and are a food source for some types of fish. A partial water change will reduce both visible debris as well as invisible toxic elements produced by fish, decaying food and waste matter, particularly ammonia and nitrites. To remove water with a siphon or other aquarium water changer, remember to put the bucket to collect the old water on a level below the aquarium. Siphons work by gravity, so once you pull water up out of the fish tank into the plastic tube, gravity will pull it down into the bucket. Some water changers use a priming ball which you squeeze to pump water up and out. Others use a shake start valve or require you to suck on one end of the tube until the water comes out. Some have water flow control mechanisms to start or stop flow and minimize splashing. Water changes are also a good time to clean your gravel, sand or other substrate with a gravel vac, often included or sold separately to attach to the siphon. Stick to a weekly schedule of 10% water changes to reduce the shock to tank inhabitants, including any live plants. You may need to change more if you are treating any fish diseases, but remember that the existing water harbors beneficial bacteria that help remove toxins naturally. If you have a very small tank or fish bowl without a filter, you will need to do daily water changes to remove toxic byproducts. Adding new water of the same temperature, properly conditioned with a dechlorinator and other additives, should be the last step in your aquarium cleaning routine, after scraping or scrubbing away algae and cleaning the substrate. Rinse any sponge or other mechanical filters in the bucket of water you removed from the tank to avoid removing all the beneficial bacteria. Replace the carbon filter media monthly or more frequently depending on your unique tank setup and inhabitants. Find durable, fast and effective fish tank siphons, plastic tubes and accessories for aquarium water changers at PetSmart.
