Water change method?
- Thread starter Woodstock
- Start date
I need to find a better way to perform my water changes. I have been using buckets for removing and replacing new salt water but it is a draaaaag. I'm thinking of using buckets to remove but maybe a large trash can with a mag 5 to pump the water back into the tank.... or maybe a python to remove the old water and then a trash can and pump to replace it.... 
What do you use? Explain your procedure please...
What do you use? Explain your procedure please...
In our tiny apartment we barely have room for two stackable five gallon buckets, let along a big drum. Our water jugs are 7 gallon vertical style because the popular 5 gallon cubes are too wide for where we store them. We balance in labor what we cannot set up for convenience.
No complaints - we're nice and cozy with a sweet tank.
No complaints - we're nice and cozy with a sweet tank.
forestal
Active Member
i picked buckets, but i use a 96 gallon garbage can for ro/di storage and a 55 gallon garbage can for premixing salt water, which sits with heater, powerhead and airstone for a week ideally before using....
i do weekly water changes...15gallon on 120 reef, 10 gallons on 36gallon seahorse tank, 2 gallons on my 2 2.5 gallon nanos and 5 gallons on my seahorse nursery (6 gallon with 10 gallon sump)
so i use about 45gallons /week of salt water
i do weekly water changes...15gallon on 120 reef, 10 gallons on 36gallon seahorse tank, 2 gallons on my 2 2.5 gallon nanos and 5 gallons on my seahorse nursery (6 gallon with 10 gallon sump)
so i use about 45gallons /week of salt water
Looks like most people use buckets... interesting...
Thanks for chiming in Jimeluiz & Dan!
I just purchased a Brute 32 gal trash can. My plan is to fill it up with ro/di then salt, get the params right and then use my mag pump and vinyl hose to pump the water into the tank. I will still use a bucket to remove water from my tank but I may try my Python for that eventually....
Thanks for chiming in Jimeluiz & Dan!
I just purchased a Brute 32 gal trash can. My plan is to fill it up with ro/di then salt, get the params right and then use my mag pump and vinyl hose to pump the water into the tank. I will still use a bucket to remove water from my tank but I may try my Python for that eventually....
Witfull
Well-Known Member
im lazy~~
i have a 30g tub, i syphon into that. i have another 30g tub with RO,ph and heater which i mix my salt in, i have a mag7 in the resiviour and tubing plumbed through the walls. i pump premixd SW into the tank, then disconnect the mag7, but the end into the laundry room sink, take the pump to the tub with old water, plug it in and pump the old stuff down the drain~~
i have a 30g tub, i syphon into that. i have another 30g tub with RO,ph and heater which i mix my salt in, i have a mag7 in the resiviour and tubing plumbed through the walls. i pump premixd SW into the tank, then disconnect the mag7, but the end into the laundry room sink, take the pump to the tub with old water, plug it in and pump the old stuff down the drain~~
mps9506
Well-Known Member
I use a 32 gallon brute trash can on a dolly for the new SW.
I just drain the water into a 5 gallon buckets out of the tank to the sink
my buddy has a t with some ball valves on his return line. Opens one, shuts of the return to the tank and it shoots the water to the driveway.
I just drain the water into a 5 gallon buckets out of the tank to the sink
my buddy has a t with some ball valves on his return line. Opens one, shuts of the return to the tank and it shoots the water to the driveway.
Cougra
Well-Known Member
For the new water I have a 15 Gallon rubbermaid (dedicated to saltwater and two to fresh RO water used for topups and in the FW tanks) container that I fill with RO water using a long hose from the RO unit. TO the rubbermaid container I add salt, powerhead and heater. I leave it for a couple days before doing a water change in the tank. Then I add a hose to the end of the powerhead and pump the water into the tank.
In order to remove water from my tanks I have a nice long garden hose that reaches into the bathroom drain. I start the syphon and let the tank drain.
In order to remove water from my tanks I have a nice long garden hose that reaches into the bathroom drain. I start the syphon and let the tank drain.
corvettephreek
Active Member
i need to do a WC baaaad tomorrow. the water looks fine, fish look happy, but its been there for a while.... buckets have been my choice for a few years. i set up my saltwater for a couple hours before putting it into the tank. dont like buckets, i just use them because like jimeluiz i have no space in my tiny apt. for anything else.
BoomerD
Well-Known Member
I kept a pair of 55 gallon barrels in the garage. One for RO water, one for salt. I also kept a couple buckets full of RO water in the fish room for top-offs. I had 2 pythons. One to suck out the old water, another with a pump to replenish that. I also had a 44 gallon Rubbermaid Brute can for my water-making station (outside) and I'd pump it into the 55 gallon barrel where it was heated and aerated prior to being used, either for mixing salt, or toping off. Heater, airstones, and powerhead in the salt barrel 24x7 so it was ready to go on a minute's notice. The only flaw to all this, was in the heat of summer. My garage got well over 100 degrees, so I had problems keeping the water cool. Often, I'd fill several buckets with salt water, and leave them in the fishroom to cool over night, so I wasn't doing water changes with 90+ degree water.
Between 10-25% weekly changes, and an average of 5 gallons per day in top-offs, I went thru about 75-80 gallons of water per week for my 90 and 40.
Between 10-25% weekly changes, and an average of 5 gallons per day in top-offs, I went thru about 75-80 gallons of water per week for my 90 and 40.
We make and mix our water in the front bedroom (where the half bath and our computers are) since the trash can is too heavy to move once full we use a mag pump to fill 5 gal buckets with the tank water. We then just fill the tank back up with the freshly made water using the mag pump also.
When we finally move into a house we plan on having an in wall and all of our fish supplies in the other room behind the tank. That will make life much easier when it comes to working on the tank and I love the look of in walls anyway!
When we finally move into a house we plan on having an in wall and all of our fish supplies in the other room behind the tank. That will make life much easier when it comes to working on the tank and I love the look of in walls anyway!
blue_eyes53813
Well-Known Member
I noticed a couple people mention python with siphon and pump it into a bucket and discard than siphon the water back to a drain out of a bucket. My python(vaccum) hooks to a sink faucet, You hook the python to the faucet turn the water on and it sucks the water from the tank and down the drain. Does anyone have one of these???? It is amazing. For filling the tank back up , I have a 50 gallon drum and pump the water back to the tank. My waer changes are pretty easy. Takes about 20 minutes.
ScottT1980
Well-Known Member
At home, I had a new batch of saltwater always mixing in the garage with a powerhead and heater. I used the big brute trashcans for storing RO/DI water, and used buckets to actually do the water change.
It is an entirely different monster at school. We have to run tubing from our tank to the nearest men's restroom (a good 40-50 feet and through a few doors) and down the urinal the SW goes. We have a brute trash can to make fresh SW and add it to the tank using a Mag 7.
It is a good 1 hour affair
Take er easy
Scott T.
It is an entirely different monster at school. We have to run tubing from our tank to the nearest men's restroom (a good 40-50 feet and through a few doors) and down the urinal the SW goes. We have a brute trash can to make fresh SW and add it to the tank using a Mag 7.
It is a good 1 hour affair
Take er easy
Scott T.
dwall174
Member
You just had to ask!Woodstock said:
I change about 15% every 10 days!
My top-off & WC tank is plumbed to my set-up, My total system is about 140gal & my top-off/waterchange tank is 20gal. I have around 1.5~2 GPD evaporation so it usually takes 10 days before I need to replace the RO/DI water in the storage tank. That’s when I do a waterchange, First I clean out the storage tank then refill it with RO/DI water, then mix-up a new batch of salt. After that has ran with a powerhead overnight to mix thoroughly, All I have to do is turn a valve to drain the sump to a pre-set level. Once the sump is drained I close that valve then open the valve from the water storage tank & gravity does the work. After the storage tank is drained I close the WC valve & fill the storage tank back up with RO/DI water & I’m set for another 10 days. The best thing I like about the set-up is that because my return & skimmer pumps draw water from the bottom of my sump & I only drain it to about 3” the whole waterchange process can be done without turning anything off.
dwall174
Member
Water Change Valves
Valve 1 Main valve, Controls water to my sumps float valve, & water change valve (valve #3)
Valve 2 Storage tank drain, Used to drain the storage/water change tank for cleaning.
Valve 3 Water change, Used along with main valve to drain new water from storage tank into the sump.
Valve 4 Sump overflow, Runs to floor drain incase of sump overflow
Valve 5 Sump drain, Drains sump to its minimum operating level of 3”
To do a water change I fill the 20gal storage tank up with RO/DI water. Once the storage tank is full I close off the main valve #1 , then mix my salt with the RO/DI water. I have a small powerhead & heater in the storage tank so after the newly mixed salt has aerated & heated overnight & I have checked that it matches my tanks water it’s ready to be transferred to the sump. Now this is the hard part LOL. I open up valve 5 which drains the sump to 3” (which is still enough to keep my pumps & heater running) after the sump has drained I close valve 5! Then open valves 1 & 3 which transfers the new water to the sump thanks to good old gravity. This just happens to be my sumps running level also! Then I close valve #3, refill the storage tank with RO/DI water & I’m all set for my top-off.
Valve 1 Main valve, Controls water to my sumps float valve, & water change valve (valve #3)
Valve 2 Storage tank drain, Used to drain the storage/water change tank for cleaning.
Valve 3 Water change, Used along with main valve to drain new water from storage tank into the sump.
Valve 4 Sump overflow, Runs to floor drain incase of sump overflow
Valve 5 Sump drain, Drains sump to its minimum operating level of 3”
To do a water change I fill the 20gal storage tank up with RO/DI water. Once the storage tank is full I close off the main valve #1 , then mix my salt with the RO/DI water. I have a small powerhead & heater in the storage tank so after the newly mixed salt has aerated & heated overnight & I have checked that it matches my tanks water it’s ready to be transferred to the sump. Now this is the hard part LOL. I open up valve 5 which drains the sump to 3” (which is still enough to keep my pumps & heater running) after the sump has drained I close valve 5! Then open valves 1 & 3 which transfers the new water to the sump thanks to good old gravity. This just happens to be my sumps running level also! Then I close valve #3, refill the storage tank with RO/DI water & I’m all set for my top-off.
