ideas for water change in 12 gal

[zoie2]

I 'm trying to decide the best way to do water changes in my 12 gal. This is what I did last night to see if it would work. (I don't want to change my temp (79) or my SG (1.024)
I only took out 1/2 gal because I'm cycling. So I broke down the ration to add salt to 1/2g of RO water. Mixed it in a plastic jug. Tested the SG, came out good. To bring it up to temp I placed the water in 2 mason jars I use for canning (They were never used and I rinsed them) I placed those jars in the plastic jug with hot water. I put a thermometer in the water till it hit about 79 and took them out. (it took about 4 minutes) I let them sit for a bit to make sure the temp wouldn't rise any more, then I added them to the tank. I tested my water an hour later and the SG was just right and my temp didn't change.
Any other ideas for water changes on such a small tank?

 

[nuhtty]

Get a white 5g bucket from home depot.
Invest in a Mag 1 pump and a 50w heater and 4 feet of 1/2" tubing.
Mix the water and salt in the 5g bucket. Bring it to the right temp and salinity (usually takes overnight). Let the Mag 1 run in there overnight to keep the water moving and aerated.
Simply siphon off roughly 5g then use the mag 1 to pump the water up into the tank

 

[zoie2]

I'll only be changing a little over 1 gal of water. I don't think I need a 5 gal bucket or a heater. But maybe I should agitate the water. What would be the best way to do that?

 

[bigarn]

Use a powerhead.