Episode II of "The Lazy Reefkeeper" series (The 2-minute water change)

[ReefMeister2]

Howdy Folks,
As promised, here is Episode II of "The Lazy Reefkeeper" series: "The 2-minute Water Change"

As a "self-proclaimed-official-honest-to-goodness-one-heck-of-a-lazy-bastard" I would like to share some of my crazy creations that I have thought-up to help make this rediculously-complicated hobby just a wee-bit less labor intensive.
(Hey! I NEVER said "cheap" so don't hang me!)

I am the official-fully-certified-honest-to-goodness Lazy Reefkeeper...so don't be fooled by imitations!

I WELCOME ALL comments, questions, suggestions, critisizms, condemnations, flames, hate-male, curses, etc. etc.....whatever you have....Lay it on me, Mannnnnn!

For those of you who missed Episode I, here it is:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=575416&perpage=&pagenumber=1

Episode III is already in the works...so stay tuned!

Thank you for your interest !



Sooooo, here we go......

Here is my sump. As you can see, it has a top quality skimmer and return pump, and my macro algae is absolutely flourishing!

And here is the easy 2-minute water change that is easy AND quick. In fact, look how nifty everything works together...such harmony!

Chaaaaa!!! Psych!!! I gottcha goin' there for awhile! :lol:





Ok, Ok, Ok, enough amusement for His Laziness....(such a kidder I am!) Now if I may present my REAL sump to those of you who were brave enough to scroll through all the silliness. Here is a wideshot of my 55 gallon sump that is plumbed into the garage and mounted on a special water-proof shelf above the clotheswasher and sink:

Here is a closeup of the sump showing its components. It has 3 equal-sized compartments. The configuration is: Filtersock/Skimmer --> Return Pump compartment <-- Refugium / DSB

And, Sooooooo, Here are the 3 steps necessary to make a complete water change of about 40 gallons. The entire process takes about 2 minutes to complete

Ummm, that should say "push" this button...not "put" this button.
(sigh) you'd think people would know how to spell in graduate school!

And...That's It!!!




Ok, Ok, you're right...that was too easy. If you absolutely HAVE to get technical, there are still a couple steps to do afterwards....
Sheeez! tough crowd to please:

Now...Any Questions???

 

[Bryan89]

You are so lazy. Just kidding, excellent idea and outstanding setup. Is that switch is power for the pump (I figured you might have some powered valve arrangement)? I take it because you are so lazy in not doing other things around the house that you have time to make perfect plumbing and electrical setups for the tanks?

Bryan

 

[steve68]

man u got me beat by 3 minutes & 20 sec !!!!
i do 35 gallons in 6 minutes & 20 sec & i thought that was fast.

35 gallon

i used 1 inch pvc i knew i should have used 1.5
good job
:beer:

 

[Versus]

Oh how i wish we had one of these "utility sink" things in our house.

 

[corb66]

very nice setup and well thought out. Where did you buy the box w/ all the buttons or did you make it? What does the other buttons control?

Thanks

 

[TANGBOY5000]

I also would like more info on that button panel.

 

[tekknoschtev]

It seems to me, that you may very well be an engineer. The glass is never half full, nor half empty, simply twice as big as it needs to be. Anyways, I congratulate you in your engineering of this system. Obviously, a good amount of time went into thinking this through, and it pays off with a "2 minute water change". I can only hope that more people continue this idea BEFORE we set up our 150 which may or may not be plumbed to the laundry room. Things like this want me to convince my parents to let us plumb it there.

 

[RobinsonFam1]

frickin slick!
another reason as to why on should not install all plumbing under the cabinet.
i hope to have a similar when i plumb to the basement with my main line next to the sump.

 

[aztbs]

I love the set up. Obviously well thought out and well executed. Have you posted pics of your tank? I didn't see any in your gallery.

 

[Drewpy]

he's too lazy to have a tank...let alone take pictures...jk

 

[bergzy]

hey,

nice wc set up! i wish i could do that with my 100g sump that has about 150 lb to 200 lb live rock in there.

i would need a really strong shelf!

i do a 30g the slow way...i use a left over mj1200 and pump water out of the sump that is at ground level into the garage sink (i live in a one story house) and then use the same pump to pump the new sw back in from its container. dunno know how long it takes but at least i dont get my hands wet from it anymore...they get wet while i am waiting for the water change so i end up doing other things to the tank!

 

[Phildirt]

Come and set up my system.............please.


Really nice!! Great job.

 

[kewliz]

you suck

no, really

 

[ReefMeister2]

You are so lazy. Just kidding, excellent idea and outstanding setup. Is that switch is power for the pump (I figured you might have some powered valve arrangement)? I take it because you are so lazy in not doing other things around the house that you have time to make perfect plumbing and electrical setups for the tanks?

Bryan

All my electrical is in grey; The "head unit" controls the "satellite" power station shown near the top of the photo. That particular button controls the saltwater transfer pump that was illustrated in Episode I.
Powered valves are a bit expensive for my taste and are certainly not necessary considering how accessible everything is for me.

man u got me beat by 3 minutes & 20 sec !!!!

admittedly, I haven't timed it exactly, but 2-3 minutes is pretty darn close. More importantly, 99% of that time is spent just watching it all happen.

Remember young Jedi, TRUE laziness is not a function of time but a deliberate avoidance of all physical labor. LRK

Oh how i wish we had one of these "utility sink" things in our house.

I will NEVER own a house that doesn't have one again...so unbelievably useful! I even have one in my backyard and sideyard.

very nice setup and well thought out. Where did you buy the box w/ all the buttons or did you make it? What does the other buttons control?

No one manufactures what I wanted, so I made it myself. The other buttons contol the pump, skimmers, heater, Calc reactor, etc, etc. I think Episode III will be dedicated to my electical control system.

It seems to me, that you may very well be an engineer. The glass is never half full, nor half empty, simply twice as big as it needs to be. Anyways, I congratulate you in your engineering of this system.

You hit the nail on the head as to what my ambitions have always been...but alas, had the LRK followed this instinct back in '82, he wouldn't be going back to school now at 40 years old!

Have you posted pics of your tank? I didn't see any in your gallery.

'tis only a "softies" tank (90 gal reef)...nothing that would impress many people I reckon. But, I will post a few photos of it in future Episodes. It just hasn't been relevant enough yet.

Come and set up my system.............please.

Flattery and first-class plane tickets do wonders for the LRK!

you suck.....no, really

I DO make a conscious effort to annoy, whereever and whenever possible!

 

[raskal311]

you guys are trying take all the fun out of doing a water change..... hahahahh Nice job man, if i could plum my tank to my garage I'd do the same thing.

 

[ReefMeister2]

you guys are trying take all the fun out of doing a water change..... hahahahh Nice job man, if i could plum my tank to my garage I'd do the same thing.

Next time you need to come over for filter socks...we'll talk.

 

[Johnsteph10]

Very impressive.

Did the car wash/soap barrels already have holes/bulkheads in place on the side or did you have to drill/cut a hole and then put in a bulkhead? Did you use a uni-seal to make it water tight or was the bulkhead enough?

You have a very nice setup and are an inspiration to the rest of us! Keep it up and I definately vote for some info on that switch box for episode III.

You can even call it: Episode III: Revenge of the Switch(box). I know, I know. I'm a dork.

John

 

[ReefMeister2]

Very impressive.

Did the car wash/soap barrels already have holes/bulkheads in place on the side or did you have to drill/cut a hole and then put in a bulkhead? Did you use a uni-seal to make it water tight or was the bulkhead enough?

You have a very nice setup and are an inspiration to the rest of us! Keep it up and I definately vote for some info on that switch box for episode III.

You can even call it: Episode III: Revenge of the Switch(box). I know, I know. I'm a dork.

John

As long as you keep at least a 1" clearance from the bottom, the bulkhead gasket does fine without any other modifications.
I drilled the hole with a standard holesaw (2" on center from the bottom) similar to what you'd use to install a door knob.
The sides of the barrel have enough flexibility to conform to the bulkhead fitting...you just have to avoid the really thick radius transition on the bottom corner; which is why the hole needs to sit a bit higher.

 

[aztbs]

'tis only a "softies" tank (90 gal reef)...nothing that would impress many people I reckon. But, I will post a few photos of it in future Episodes. It just hasn't been relevant enough yet.

hey now. . . I have a softies tank and it is only a 55gal, so watch whose toes you step on!
Thanks for sharing the info on the awesome setup. I wish I had room in my house somewhere for that!

 

[Angelofish]

If you truly was the official-fully-certified-honest-to-goodness Lazy Reefkeeper you be getting someone else to do the turning and pushing for you. LOL!!! :strooper: KOOL SET UP!!!!