water changes - how easy is yours?

[ben&bobbi]

OK, last night it took well over 1-1/2 hrs to change 40g. I mean from starting to get the hose, pump cords, etc out, gravity syphon the water, pump it back in from 44g container, then clean everything back up.

The gravity syphon isn't too bad - just SLOW. i run the hose into the bathtub. But i switched to a garden hose because the clear ones ALWAYs twist and kink on me. BUT the grarden hose, i can't see where the water is - tastes awful!! The clear hose got moldy from not rinsing it i guess.

then i tried to pump it out, and the pump wouldn't pull it out of the tank (mag3 i think). Pumps back in from the container on the porch. probably 10' to tub, 15' to new water. Again with the problem of getting the water started to the pump. I am switching to a quiet one 5000.

so this whole mess cleaned up taking a good while - i need to fix this!

i seen a valve setup on here that i will try to make, this will eliminate switching the hoses on the pump, but still need better ideas! I plan on putting a switch in the new power center, and leave the water change pump hooked up.

somewhere on here i read one guy says his takes 15 minutes on a big tank (can't remember how big, but atleast 180g)!

so,
how do you change your water?
what do you use?
how do you get the water started?
how long does it take?
where do you store the hoses?
do you rinse them out?

 

[cham]

30 to 60 gallon water change can be done in 10 to 15 minutes.

Gravity fed, I have another brute 44g container on wheels that I take inside to my tank. Drain as much water as I want to change & then bring in the hose and refill tank.

 

[ben&bobbi]

cham - this is one of the images i remembered. i recall the comments about the shelf unit falling over with all the weight up there and that you pump it up into the containers right? So i am assuming your hoses always stay full of water. what size are they?

don't take this worng, but how do you syphon 30-60g out and back in, in 15 minutes. it took me way longer than that through 5/8 garden hose just to drain the tank!

then you still have to take the wheeled drum somewhere and dump it right and finish cleaning up?

 

[sttaylor]

Have you thought of running a "T" off of your main return from yours sump to drain your water? I don't know how tight things are in your stand but you would just need the T and two ball valves and you should be able to drain all the water you need in in just a few minutes (and it is always ready...just turn the valves).

Scott

Scott

 

[ben&bobbi]

Scott, yes i did think about that in the original planning. however, my return area in my sump does not hold 40 gallons of water, so i have to take the water from the display tank.

When you close the return water from the display, the drains will shut down. Once the drains stop flowing, no more water goes into the sump.

did i over look something?

Marcye told me she does all her's with the valves under the stands, but i am assuming she can't do 25% total volume in one shot. I am not sure if her sumps hold 50+ gallons able to be pumped out.

 

[cootiebugg]

I do mine in 15-20mins. also. I use a mag 7 pump and garden hose and pump into an empty salt bucket out through the back door. I use the bucket to monitor the amound I drain. I have the new water in a brute trash can in the garage, place the pump in the new water, hose into tank and turn it off as soon as the water level reaches the overflow. I store the hose and pump in an extra trash can. I've only ever had 2 problems. I forgot to drain the water in the hose before pulling it through the house and the hose came out of the tank once, now I use a clamp to hold the hose in place.

 

[Fuzzy]

How do you store your new salt water?
After losing all my Caps and Montis due to a bad batch of Instant Ocean I always let my water mis/circulate for at least 24 hours.
I heard somewhere that the new mix water has a shelf life before it goes bad?? Not sure if they mean stagnant or what.......

p.s. I use a MJ1200 on a footswitch to drain water from my main tank.

 

[Bacchus_fl]

I have a 125 and do a water change in 15 or 20 minutes but am only standing at the tank for less than 5.

To siphon out I use a 5/8" hose which has a ball valve about 4' from the end of the hose that goes into the tank. I also purchased a rigid spinkler extension hose which allows the drain hose to hook onto the side of the tank. It also has a section of rigid hose that can be cut to length. This way you can pre-set how much water is removed from the tank before it loses siphon.

I put the ball valve on there so that I don't have to suck on the hose. I leave the ball valve open and place the end of the hose near a return outlet which fills the hose. I close the valve to trap the water in the hose. When I open the valve it creates its own siphon. The hose is about 30' long so I just run it out into the yard.

As for filling it back up. I have one of those Brute trash cans one wheels with a float valve hooked up to the RO unit with a coupling and vavle. I leave a circulating pump in it. When I'm ready I just roll the can to where I need it and attach a short hose to the circulating pump for the return.

The really isn't anything to clean up other than making sure as much water as possible is removed from the hose. It doesn't matter is the drain hose gets a little mildew and the return hose cost about $1.50 so if it goes bad I just get another one.

If this interest you let me know and I will try to post a pic of the sprinkler extension I'm talking about.

Good Luck!

Jason

 

[ben&bobbi]

new water is one the backporch in the 44g brute. the brute isn't drilled or anything. i stick the hose in the top with a rock on the end to sink it! no wheels and there's a step into the house anyway. so i have to pull the water from outside.

I emailed Tropic Marin on here about the salt mix life, they said it is fine, it will create a crust on the top, but not an issue. I put the current change pump in to mix the stuff up good.

 

[cham]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9898910#post9898910 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ben&bobbi
cham - this is one of the images i remembered. i recall the comments about the shelf unit falling over with all the weight up there and that you pump it up into the containers right? So i am assuming your hoses always stay full of water. what size are they?

don't take this worng, but how do you syphon 30-60g out and back in, in 15 minutes. it took me way longer than that through 5/8 garden hose just to drain the tank!

then you still have to take the wheeled drum somewhere and dump it right and finish cleaning up?

Ben, I've had the shelving up since September and have not had any issues. I did replace the particle board with 1/4 plywood just to be on the safe side but I just did that this past weekend. The shelving is rated by the manufacturer to hold up to 1,500 lbs so I took their word for it.

I use the more expensive braided hose that is 3/4" inside diameter for both draining the tank and filling it back up. Its drians in just a few minutes and refilling is a little slower but it really doesn't take more than 15 minutes total.

I have a length of 3/4 braided that I drain the tank with into a brute 44 gallon garbage can on wheels. Once I am done I refill with fresh water and wheel the brute can that is full of old water over to the sink. I have a pump with a 3/4 nipple on it that I plug in and empty the trash can into the kitchen sink.

15 to 20 mintues and I am good to go. I am currently setting up a second shelf and two more Brute cans to double my available water. Having premade salt water has come in handy a number of times (spills, overflows, overdose etc) and the more fresh salt I have on hand the better I sleep at night (and longer I can go between needing to refill).

Good luck with yours.

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

ben go to lowes and buy 2 of the brute cans like cham has and then before the water change is coming up make the water and mix the salt ahead them bring both can in and use 1 1/2" hose clear, jay has some he can sell you. he just bought a crap load for george and i to plumb his new system up and shut the main pump of and siphon in to one brute cans and this hose will siphon 40 gallon in a matter of 5 mintues. after about 20 gallons turn the main pump back on and fill the tank just before you start sucking air into the pump and finish the other 20 gallons. then use that mag 3 to fill the sump back up and the turn the main pump back on. the mag 3 with a short hose should be alright if not i beleive george has a mag 5. once the water i gone, switch the pump over to the other container and then pump into the tub or where ever and why that going on you can clean all the stuff and your done. i know george's doesn't take long on his 120 but he fills his drum next to his tank thru his ro feed from the tank's auto top off and he actually drains and feeds new water at the same time. hope this helps

 

[gwrench]

Water Changes

Water Changes

Hey Ben,
Next tiemyou get a chance stop by and I will show how I do approximately a 50g water change, pre filter sock and clean-up within about 30-40 minutes on my system.
I always make my new water about 1.5-2 degrees cooler than the display tank for a reason, cooler water is more dense and will settle to the bottom of the display tank, actually helps when you pump it in lower as well. I use, lets say an IV method maybe not as efficient as some people think but my results seem to be working and I never really lower the main display tank level at all.
How's that 14K Hamilton bulb looking.
Regads
George

 

[gwrench]

Aged Salt Water

Aged Salt Water

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9900101#post9900101 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fuzzy
How do you store your new salt water?
After losing all my Caps and Montis due to a bad batch of Instant Ocean I always let my water mis/circulate for at least 24 hours.
I heard somewhere that the new mix water has a shelf life before it goes bad?? Not sure if they mean stagnant or what.......

p.s. I use a MJ1200 on a footswitch to drain water from my main tank.

 

[gwrench]

Re: Aged Salt Water

Re: Aged Salt Water

From what I understand ,
If properly stored slatwater can lst for a very long time, proper storage as I understand it is in a sealed container protected from direct light. I use aged saltwater to approximatley 7-12 days old for culturing phytoplankton. I believe that in Julian SPrungs Reef Aquuarium Encyclopedia there is some more good information about this, don't remember which volume.
Regards
George

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9906358#post9906358 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gwrench

 

[ben&bobbi]

joe, i have one brute that i keep the change water in on the back porch. i add the salt about a week before a planned water change and stir it up for a few days. One on wheels would not be the best idea - remember, my livingroom is stepped down and the bathroom is just around the corner. Maybe a larger hose will help. the pump i am going to use has 1" In/Out, i was thinking going to 3/4" maybe 1". don't want $100 in hose!

george, i seen your IV method while back. part of my fear of not watching the water flowing out and back in is what happened to the tank you were changing - some water on the counter, the floor!

refilling goes pretty quick, once i get the water to the pump to prime it. This part i need to work out. I think cham's idea with the valve on the end to hold water in the hose would work for this. I can shut it off while draining, then move the hose to the in side of the pump and put the valve in the container and it will be full of water! just the first water going back in will be original tank water.

 

[gwrench]

No Ben,
No water on the floor or counter. Just a simple method of IV transfer from a 40 gallon drum into the tank via a rio2100 thru a clear hose with 1/2" coldwater pipe and pumped out of a union fitting via garden hose to either the outside rock garden or tub depending on the weather and the cooperation of my dogs!! I Love My Wiener Dogs .....LOL
Really easy to do based on the fact my RODI line is plumbed thru the wall at the back of the tank with a t to fill my drum. Simple as that.
Regards,
George

 

[markandkristen]

check out the tank of the month for how to do water changes LOL

 

[mwdennis]

I've got a salt mixing station that I use to do my 10 gallon weekly water changes (or 20 every other week if I am being lazy). Either way it only takes me like 10 minutes to do it from start to finish. Here is a pic of it:

Basically I use a short 3/4" diameter hose to syphon out the water from tank into 5 gallon buckets and when that is done I attach the long clear hose to the end of the "T" connection you see in the pic. I run the hose to the sump in my tank, turn the balve valves, and let the pump do the action. That bottom storage drum holds 50 gallons of premade saltwater, so I have 5 weeks of water changes already set to go. The upper drum holds my RO/DI water which I use to make new saltwater or to fill up my auto topoff reservoir.

 

[ben&bobbi]

Ok, after a little bit of trials, this is what i have come up with.

my first plumbing was the opposite of picture below. I had a single tube up and over, then the "T" was in the tank. Problem was it wanted to swing inside the tank and knock into my corals!

So i came up with this. I am using 3/4" ID reinforced clear hose. It connects to the bottom barb fitting and i drain it into the tub - hope i am not ruining our plumbing!

then i take the same hose out to the porch and connect to a quietone 5000 and pump the new water in. I run an extension cord from the tank to the back porch to activate the pump. I have a switched outlet just for the water change pump.

Last issue to get through is; once done filling, how to get the water out of the hose and not on the floor! Almost need the pump to pull it back, but just from the tube.

total time, from not having anything out to everything cleaned up is @ 25 minutes for @ 40g.


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[AquaKnight]

Interesting!


How large are everyones return area in there sump? Or do just drain the 30gals or so straight from the main tank and expose the corals for a bit?