# Garden Hose ok for Water Changes?



## Fishoutofwater (Feb 5, 2012)

So the adapter for my bathroom sink just does not work. I have garden hoses that can reach from my slop sink in the basement to the tank upstairs. My nitrates skyrocketed quickly and the only other option is to use a 5 gallon bucket, which, it being a 125gallon tank i'd rather not do that.

My question is, it is the garden hose that we have used around our yard for the past couple of years. They are good quality hoses and only 2 years old. Only water from the outside spickets have passed through them. Is this ok to use for water changes? They have buildups of white stuff on either ends which i'm guessing is calcium.

Thank you.


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## langod (Nov 28, 2009)

Ideally, a new hose would be best, but think it should be fine. 
I assume you have well water, so no concerns about added chemicals?

Just to be safe, I would run several gallons through the hose, then fill up a small bucket and test the water to ensure that the hose isn't adding anything.

(BTW You can buy "potable water" (drinking water) hoses at RV centers or even on Amazon, if you think its necessary.)


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## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

I wouldn't assume that your hose is safe. Im pretty sure you can get 100 feet of clear line (like they sell with gravel vacs) of any diameter for pretty cheap at the big box hardware stores. You need dedicated "fish stuff" because it would really suck to accidently put soap or w/e in your tank because someone use the hose to wash the car.


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## Warhawk (Feb 23, 2014)

I have 6 tanks and I have used a 50' green water hose for years no problems. I will adjust the water temperature so it isn't too cold for the tank(turn on the hot water). The hose was used to water flowers and wash the cars until we bought a longer one so I grabbed this one for water changes.

I have city water so I will add prime while the water is filling the tank


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## guppyma (Feb 13, 2015)

to be honest, i wouldn't trust the hose if i couldn't account for it's condition 100%. i would buy dedicated tank items, all brand new, and go from there. do you have a python siphon? they are excellent and have all sorts of spicket adapters.

i have a bucket. yup. i do nearly 100 gallons of water changes with a plain old 2 gallon bucket, and a 1 gallon pitcher. but i know my water is safe that way. so i python out my water and manually refill it.

but now that i'm a mama to a tank full of baby guppies, i will be using the tiny siphon to remove water too...one bucket at a time (to check for babies who may have been siphoned out).


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## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

Its important to have fish stuff..... Also important to have a syphon for each tank just got over a ich spell..... Accidenlty infected another tank....... Anyway big big mess and lots of stress for me and the fish...... So after that haha I am doing one syphon per tank, then my fill line that never goes in a tank


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## Warhawk (Feb 23, 2014)

[email protected] I understand what your saying but I hate using buckets. I still use buckets to siphon water into and I have to carry them to empty it doubles my time to do water changes. My goal is to put a sink in my fish room so I can drain to a bucket take 5 steps and poor it in the drain. I can still check the bucket for fry and keep track of how much water I removed with out working my self to death.



[email protected] I understand wanting to keep different equipment for different tanks I have cross infected tanks before and it sucks. I'm rebuilding my fish room and I'm working on a way to keep that from happening in the future while keeping things running faster. 


If anyone is looking for a good siphon hose let me point you in a cheap direction. Last night I saw one of these at the local petsmart.

Aqueon® Water Changer Extension Hose | Water Changers | PetSmart

That is $25 for a 20 foot rubber hose. Go to lowes get one of these for $7.50

Shop Watts 1/2-in x 20-ft PVC Clear Vinyl Tubing at Lowes.com

Its safe for human food so it will be safe for fish also.


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## guppyma (Feb 13, 2015)

i definitely understand the pain of the bucket system...i just manually changed 15 gallons of water with a bucket, and refilled with a bucket. normally i'd just siphon everything out and refill without paying much mind, but with the fry and all, i'm of course an attention rat. LOL.


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## Embouck7 (Jan 11, 2015)

My tanks are 150 down some stairs from my sink haha I feel the burn... So I invested in a vinyl tubing a few months ago. Best 20 bucks I have spent in a while


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

I completely understand the need for a hose with a tank that large. For me it would be a time issue more than anything else. I would buy a hose specifically for the tank though, and make sure it is safe for potable water. I always err on the side of caution with my fish. Yes, you would have to spend some money on a new hose, but I think the ability to sleep easy without worrying about possibly having added something dangerous to your tank is well worth the expense.


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## chiefacorn (Dec 2, 2014)

I use a garden hose for draining and refilling. I put a fish net over the end of the hose that I put into the tank, I connect the hose to my outside faucet using the quick connect adaptor, and watch through my window until the bubbles stop. Then I pop the quick connect off and voila, a siphon. I go back inside and watch to make sure everything is going smoothly. I use the hose to suck up anything that needs cleaned out (the dead zones where all the fish poop collect) and then once the water is down to where I want, I break the siphon, wait for the water to drain out of the hose, and place it back into the tank. I add my Prime, reconnect my hose to the faucet, and then turn the water back on slowly. I use the water pressure to stir up around things I can't move and pretty much make a mess of my water, and let the filters catch whatever I couldn't suck out. Once the tank is filled, I shut off the water, and pack up the hose. 
I do keep a specific hose for doing this.


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