auto water change suggestions

Defiant Arms

Defiant Arms

New member
thinking of setting up a auto water change when i set my tank up.

ghl profilux controller on tank with a hl doser2

have a 50 gallon pre mixed salt water tank and a 50 gallon waste tank.

1.5 gallons a day

is it best to pull 1.5 gallons out in the morning than slowly add the 1.5 back throughout the day or back to back?
 
ATO water should be fresh water as the salt does not evaporate..

Best to not have a large ATO storage container in case the pump gets stuck on then it can't flood too much of the tank..

Not sure what you are saying about pulling some out in the morning and then adding it back..
 
mcgyvr said:
ATO water should be fresh water as the salt does not evaporate..

Best to not have a large ATO storage container in case the pump gets stuck on then it can't flood too much of the tank..

Not sure what you are saying about pulling some out in the morning and then adding it back..
Click to expand...

not auto top off but a continuous water change 1.5 gallons a day is almost 10% weekly
 
He wants to run one of those flow through systems like what they use on very large aquariums. You over flow the tank continuously.
 
mcgyvr said:
Oops.. Since this is the newbie forum I read ATO instead of AWC..

"IF" I was to run a system like that I would not even attempt dual head pumps,etc...
I would setup the system to have a controlled overflow
Like this.. So you just need to pump water into it and it will drain by itself..
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/930441187/noclean-aquariumstm-self-cleaning-aquarium-for-bet
Click to expand...

There are a couple of high dollar lab grade pumps a few on here have had good success with. They are worth a look.
 
SFish said:
I would think this would be the better way to do it.
Click to expand...

That's a neat concept, I wonder how it would translate to saltwater? Also what happens when the overflow if it stops up? Has anyone used that system here on RC that you know of?
 
I would think adding the water back ASAP is the best bet. If you slowly add it over the day I would think there is a chance of your ATO kicking on and adding more fresh water than would be needed and dropping salinity over time.
 
Defiant Arms said:
not auto top off but a continuous water change 1.5 gallons a day is almost 10% weekly
Click to expand...

For a continuous water change you'll need a dual head pump and a controller or some real reliable timers. You can do the water change at any time of the day but if you are dosing mag, calc, or other elements then I would have the water change take place about 12 hours after the last one was dosed. Just my two cents.
 
Since it's a planning thing, I thought I'd mention that this is not really a substitute for regular water changes IMO. People who set up an awc seem to really like them, and I don't doubt that they have all those benefits especially for keeping trace elements in a steady range. But while they are no doubt a help to the system, I don't think it is a replacement for regular maintenance. Like, for nutrient reduction, the math for a few gallons every day vs. 10% every week is a significant difference over time. And that's if you're just changing the water, and not blowing detritus off the rocks or vacuuming the sand, both of which are extremely helpful in new tanks as the denitrifying bacteria settle in and the algae uglies run their course.

So I would say go for it if you like to tinker, with realistic expectations. Good luck!
 
texdoc77 said:
That's a neat concept, I wonder how it would translate to saltwater? Also what happens when the overflow if it stops up? Has anyone used that system here on RC that you know of?
Click to expand...

The systems I've seen use an overflow not two pumps. Just like the overflow to get water to the sump. I think two pumps can work but would add more things that can go wrong. I don't know anyone that runs this type of system on a small salt water tank. I've only seen it used on public aquariums where it isn't realistic to do a water change or on fresh water tanks. Also the systems i've seen run water all the time they don't stop. I'm sure something along these lines could be set up small scale.
 
I'm using 3 DOS heads to go from new to DT, DT to QT, and QT to waste, though I will probably set up a Masterflex with 3 heads at some point in the future.
 
SFish said:
How do you deal with water evaporation?
Click to expand...



The new water is in a covered Brute and my ATO's keep the salinity constant. I'm sure there's some variation in each run cycle, but it seems to average out because I haven't seen any drift. Mind you, the DOS are all running at the same time.
 
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