Problems With Water Changes, Any Solutions?

Hi fishy friends!

When i do a water change on my 40L, I use a mop bucket to syphon in to, and then pour down the toilet. I use 4 pint (just over 2 litre) plastic milk bottles to refill, because they are easy to handle for me when I'm unwell.

I run some warm water in to each of four of these bottles, then top up with cold from my filtered drinking water tap and then add conditioner.

This works fine, but I am planning procedures for when I get my 80G tank live (still some way off) and later my 240L (even further off!)

I'm planning on using a Walsted Method tank, as I love my plants; this should cut down on water changes drastically. However, I'll still need to do some water changes.

Can anyone suggest methods for making it easier? I'm thinking that the water needs to be as close as poss to tank temperature, and that a big beer-makers fermenting bin (or similar) with an immersed pump might be best.

Is using my filtered drinking water tap much use anyway?

Moose

Can I ask what exactly you mean by filtered drinking tap water?

The link seems to say it contains only carbon, in which case it's fine.

It's those filters with an ion exchange resin that are not fine. They either exchange calcium for sodium to soften the water or for hydrogen ions. Sodium is not good for fish so this type of filter shouldn't be used for water changes. Hydrogen ions are responsible for pH. Filters like Brita are this type and they drop the pH off the bottom of the scale.
That's why I asked 

This is the filter. Hope the info helps.

Do you think that I've been wasting time and money putting de-chlorinator in mt water then?

Does it matter particularly about the odd litre of warm unfiltered water that goes in to the water change?

this is a HMA filter this removes heavy metals and also
chlorine this is the sort of filter i use these are better than
the in line ones i have been using these for the last 20 years
without any problems http://www.waterfilterman.co.uk/fish-keeping-water-filters/254-3-stage-hma-heavy-metal-reduction-water-filter-system-dechlorinator.html

flow on a HMA filter is the same flow of your tap
its not like an RO unit i have a garden hose attachment
on my kitchen sink i use mine like that it quick simple and you
will get about a 12 to 18 months out of the cartridges depending
how much you use it i used to have 15 tanks and used to get 15 month
out of a set

In America they have a thing called a python for water changes. It is a device which attaches to the tap; with it set one way it sucks water out of the tank, set the other way it puts water into the tank. If water is added slowly and with the heater switched on (provided it won't be out of the water below the line on it), the tank won't get too cold. Pythons aren't easy to get hold of in the UK but if you google diy aquarium python, you'll find a few ways to make one.

I think they work on the same principle as a water pump in a chemistry lab (well, back in the 1907s anyway). With those there is a T piece attached to the tap; the equipment is connected to the side branch and the tap turned on. The drop in pressure in the side tube caused by the water rushing past the end of it sucked air out of the equipment. Presumably it would also suck water out the python tubing, and then water out of the fish tank. I don't know if the tap can be turned off once the tank water starts to flow ie just using the tap to start the siphon.