Water change equipment

[Daddyrawg]

What is the most effective and dry method to remove water from your DT
for a water change? I was thinking of having a pump and tube solely for this purpose. Maybe drop the pump halfway into tank hold the tube and turn on the pump? Sound reasonable method? Not sure I wanna use the python syphon stuff

 

[ajoe]

I would lean toward the syphon which allows you to vacuum as much or as little of the sand bed (unless your sand-less) depending on the necessity. Take the necessary precautions to protect your floors etc and have towels on hand designated for this use only. Some don't vacuum at all and if you have high water flow in your tank you may very well manage without touching your sand band. I think most people vacuum that pretty regularly however. Just a lot of detritus and such building up over time which leads to other issues entirely. Others will chime it. My two cents.

 

[Drewbe147]

I like the syphon method for the exact reason ajoe said so you can vac the sand etc. its simple and the python you can hook to your sink have it create the suction for you and drain right into the sink. As far as a pump and tube I’d use that to take ur new SW and pump back into the tank so no lifting of buckets etc

 

[homer1475]

When I do vacuum the sandbed(once in great while). I like the python method.

Normal WC's are done with a pump in the sump, direct to a house drain.

 

[Daddyrawg]

do you turn off your return pump in the sump when you do a water change?

 

[Daddyrawg]

If i do a 5% water change, then wait 5-10 minutes and do another 5 % water change, does this yield the same result as doing 1 10% water change?

 

[Drewbe147]

If i do a 5% water change, then wait 5-10 minutes and do another 5 % water change, does this yield the same result as doing 1 10% water change?

Yes turn your return pump off so you don't run it dry. (2) 5% WCs don't exactly equal to a 10% as the water gets mixed around. Like if u were to do a series of 4 25% water changes over a few days it wouldnt equal 100% of original old water changed as you will be changing some old and some new water. Smaller more frequent WCs do seem more beneficial to an extent due to not drastically changing parameters at a rapid rate however i think 15-20% is the sweet spot every 2 weeks. Some do larger monthly changes instead. Just my opinion.

 

[Cancun]

Yes turn your return pump off so you don't run it dry. (2) 5% WCs don't exactly equal to a 10% as the water gets mixed around. Like if u were to do a series of 4 25% water changes over a few days it wouldnt equal 100% of original old water changed as you will be changing some old and some new water. Smaller more frequent WCs do seem more beneficial to an extent due to not drastically changing parameters at a rapid rate however i think 15-20% is the sweet spot every 2 weeks. Some do larger monthly changes instead. Just my opinion.

+1....I do a 10% once a week....I just throw a towel on the floor....and siphon out the water into 5 gallon containers....then pour the new water into to the tank...

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[manilaboy1vic]

heres my tools for a w/c:

mj1200 pump + tubing + i got this sweet tube hold that i can clip onto the tank.. thats the best tool i have for a wc.. clip the thing on the rim of tank and take care of other crap (clean up)
2 rubbermaid garbage cans with lids
1 set of wheels for the garbage can
siphon for removing water from display tank..

so i have a fish closet..

i have the wheels on the garbage can on the bottom, they are stacked.. they fit into each other..

wc day:

open closet, roll out the cans.
lay down towels
put my rodi water in the mix can, mix it up, heat it up, etc..
siphon out tank into can with the wheels
use pump to pump water into the tank
wheel your dirty water to wherever you dispose of it.

i use the can lids for when i pull my skimmer out or return pump..
i also use the lid for when i change out my media.. dont need that mess anywhere but on the garbage can lid.. then whatever falls onto the lid, can be dumped into you dirty water can, wheel it away..

i used 5g jugs for a little bit.. but my W/C are 10g, that got old quick.. one garbage can for 10g and then wheel out to the alley and away it goes.. done and done.


heres the tube holder thing, 5 bucks on amazon.. it got bad review, but i love this thing. i use zip ties to make sure that tube doenst move either:

 

[Tastee]

I change 10% of my 65g system so only need to manage 6.5g/27l. I have a furniture removal dolly on good quality castors, on which are two barrels. One is full of RODI (27l) and has a wide lid, the other has a small lid (3”) in which is drilled a 3/4” hole. I add salt, a small pump (bare) and a heater to the RODI and turn them both on to mix my SW, stir, and after a while test and adjust salt if needed (~1.1 Kg gets to my 1.024 level).

I unplug the heater and pump, wheel the dolly over to the tank, put the empty barrel with the small lid on a chair, pop the outlet hose from a gravel cleaner into the small hole and are ready to go. Turn on maintenance mode on the Apex to stop return pumps etc. Vaccuum the gravel as much or as little as needed, remove 27l water. I then put a 1/2” hose with a fitting into the pump in the SW, turn the pump back on and pump all that into my sump. I usually turn the return pump on twice during this process to stop the sump level getting too high (although in my setup I can accomodate the entire 27l). I then take the full barrel of dirty water and currently carry it to the bath to drain through the spigot. When we convert our bathroom to a shower only I will probably put it back on the dolly, wheel that to the shower and empty it that way.

Simple and effective, minimises the manual handling.

 

[ajoe]

+1....I do a 10% once a week....I just throw a towel on the floor....and siphon out the water into 5 gallon containers....then pour the new water into to the tank...

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There you go. Simple. I like simple.

 

[Cancun]

There you go. Simple. I like simple.

Me too!!!! [emoji16]

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