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Best way to water change?


ChaosFyre

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Hey guys,


I'm sick of hauling my 20g laundry bucket from the tank to the yard, then from the bathtub to the tank. I have to have my fiancee help me lift it, and he is not as excited about water changes as I am. Sometimes it gets put off for days because I simply can't do it alone.

I don't want to pre-mix the water because A) I don't have enough air stones to keep it bacteria free, and B) I only have 2-3 spare 5 gallon buckets with lids to keep pet hair out of the water, and C) I don't have any good spare heaters to keep the water warm for when its time to add it to the tank. My tank is 90 gallons so I have to move quite a bit of water at once and I don't like the added water to be cold.

I'm going to get a longer hose for my gravel vacuum so the water can go straight out into the yard. That fixes the first half of the problem.

I'm thinking I can put my laundry bucket in front of the tank, fill it with warm water, mix the salt in, then use a smaller 3 gallon bucket to move the water into the sump to be pumped back up into the tank. (This is what we usually do, except for filling up the bucket at the tank).

1) Its a rental house. Our sink doesn't have the proper faucet.. its a hose faucet, so no connections there. Plus the water pressure is bad there. Our bathroom is on the other side of the house, and the tub faucet doesn't have a good connection, bathroom sink is too weak.

****I'm thinking the showerhead could be of use, but we'd need a really really long hose...

2) I could use the water hose. It reaches all the way to the tank where I could fill up the bucket. But the outdoor hose is not temperature controlled. I wouldn't want to introduce that much cold water at once.

3) The tank is probably 8 feet from a washer connection with hot and cold water... I'm thinking this is the best bet.

For the shower-head idea, I drew up these two diagrams:

post-3249-0-13493800-1369658143_thumb.jp

For the washer water hook-ups, I drew up these two diagrams:

post-3249-0-25808300-1369658119_thumb.jp

Sorry if its hard to read.. I took it with a cell phone. Just ask if you need me to read something off for you or explain the pictures.

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How long do you let your salt mix? Most say to wait 24 hours befor adding it to the tank. If you need a faucet adapter for your kitchen sink, I have one.

I assume you are not using tap water (although there are some here who are successful using straight tap water, RO is recommended, and RO/DI preferred)

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Not going to lie, it sounds like you're going to end up going through a lot of extra trouble. My suggestion would be to buy a spare heater (plus you never know when you'll need an extra in case of an emergency), and a spare pump. And mix up the amount you need in front of your tank, then siphon out about 5 gallons at a time (which is a manageable amount to carry) with the pumps turned off so they never run dry, and dispose of it. Then, when you have your full amount taken out, hold clear tubing to the pump mixing the salt water in your reservoir, and run it to your sump. Then watch water zoom out of your reservoir into the tank. voila.

Plus, the degree of "warm" that your tank feels, VS hot water from a tap, VS the true temperature is insanely different. By using what "feels" to be warm water, you may actually be adding 90 degree water to your tank. Heater, with a set temperature is the best way to go :)

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I mix my water in a Rubbermaid 20g tub right next to the tank. I set it out a day or two before I want to do my water change, fill it full of RODI, add salt, and mix. If you can get a RODI unit you can attach it to washer water supply, and get a piece of tubing long enough to get to your mixing area. The dirty water drain tubing right into the washer drain line.

I use a Maxijet 1200 for mixing. The pump heats the water enough on its own. I use some clear tubing attached to the output end of the pump to add the water into the main tank.

For draining the tank, I picked up a 25ft length of tubing at Home Depot that fit the gravel vac perfectly. I drain into the tub.

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Anyone who has ever been to my apt knows I do all my mixing/top off in 5gal jugs.

For my 55gal I usually mix up 15-20 gallons in 5gal jugs. I have a few different random pumps that will fit in the jugs opening. I mix the night before and leave an airstone in each one as well.

When it comes time, I turn off all the pumps in the tank and drain dirty water into 5gal buckets that I pour down either the toilet or bathtub. One or two at a time usually. Once I get out what I want out, I re-fill the tank from the water I mixed 5gal jug at a time.

While it may not be the "BEST" way, it works for me being in an apartment on the second floor.

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Definitely don't use hot tap water; passing through a hot water heater increases the concentration of heavy metals and contaminants in the wafter. You don't want to be putting that in your tank!

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I've been maintaining reef systems with tap, RO and RO/DI and haven't noticed a difference but most of my tanks I use RO. I also don't mix salt until immediately before a water change just using my hand to quickly stir it in. Typically I usually do about a 5% - 10%. One system that gets tap also gets about 15 gallons first to replace evaporation then a 10% water change and even in winter the temperature of tap water is no low enough to cause the tank tekperature to drop to low. I always use buckets and prefer to mix up salt in 3 gallon buckets however I have quite a mix of 5 and 6 gallon buckets I use. As far as temperature I only worry about that in the winter with my tanks I use RO as the barrels are in unheated areas. Even doing a 20% water change if the new water is 10 degress colder than the tank water it will only drop the tank temp about 2 degrees. If the aquarium is at 78 - 82 a couple of degrees is not enough to bother the corals in my experience.

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For fresh water, I used to use distilled; but got tired of needing to run to the store for water so I bought an RODI unit.

I mix my saltwater in a brute trashcan with a Maxijet in the garage, usually a few days before, but honestly I'm lazy so some times it sits for a week or more. For water changes, I dip 5g buckets into the Brute can and haul them in as needed. (Typically, I do water changes every 6-8 weeks and mix up 20g for all my little tanks in total.)

If it is a very different temp in the garage vs. the house, I may haul the water in the night before and let it sit in the room overnight to get a more reasonable temp. I don't worry about heaters unless it is the dead of winter.

I have a couple of buckets for siphoning water into from the tanks and a few to hold the replacement water. Even though right now my tanks are stuck in my bathroom temporarily during the remodel. That makes it SUPER easy, just siphon it down the drain tongue.png

Summary: I'd definitely recommend mixing beforehand and let it mix for a day or so. You can skip the heater, its hot enough at room temp IMO. Use a powerhead for mixing. Rob's comment is true, powerhead will add heat too, sometimes too much. Use buckets or a Rubbermaid tote for mixing. Buckets are good because you can stack them and they are not too heavy when full.

All of the gear mentioned here is on the low cost side of the hobby and on most days you can find any of this stuff used, and at a decent price, in the classifieds forums. smile.png

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Not going to lie, it sounds like you're going to end up going through a lot of extra trouble. My suggestion would be to buy a spare heater (plus you never know when you'll need an extra in case of an emergency), and a spare pump. And mix up the amount you need in front of your tank, then siphon out about 5 gallons at a time (which is a manageable amount to carry) with the pumps turned off so they never run dry, and dispose of it. Then, when you have your full amount taken out, hold clear tubing to the pump mixing the salt water in your reservoir, and run it to your sump. Then watch water zoom out of your reservoir into the tank. voila.

Plus, the degree of "warm" that your tank feels, VS hot water from a tap, VS the true temperature is insanely different. By using what "feels" to be warm water, you may actually be adding 90 degree water to your tank. Heater, with a set temperature is the best way to go smile.png

I just meant heated water as opposed to cold, in general. I have a thermometer I check it with, but some of my water sources physically can't heat water at all.

Also, its not getting the water into the sump that's the problem, its getting the water in front of the tank in the first place. We have to carry it from the bathtub on the other side of the house. :( I had a few spare heaters and they all died on me. I bought a couple good ones and I'm using one in my freshwater tank right now though usually I just let it be room temp before. So I could use it as a spare, but not for mixing salt, more like for my DT or QT in case the ones in there break.

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Anyone who has ever been to my apt knows I do all my mixing/top off in 5gal jugs.

For my 55gal I usually mix up 15-20 gallons in 5gal jugs. I have a few different random pumps that will fit in the jugs opening. I mix the night before and leave an airstone in each one as well.

When it comes time, I turn off all the pumps in the tank and drain dirty water into 5gal buckets that I pour down either the toilet or bathtub. One or two at a time usually. Once I get out what I want out, I re-fill the tank from the water I mixed 5gal jug at a time.

While it may not be the "BEST" way, it works for me being in an apartment on the second floor.

Sometimes my nitrates are 20-40 ppm and I do 1/3 or 50% water changes. Most times I only do 20% changes, but still, that's 20 gal minimum that needs to be moved because my sump holds 10 gal and my tank is 90 gal. If I used 5 gal buckets I'd have to have more than 4 of them and they'd all have to be mixed individually. I've kept all my spare buckets, but have only collected 2 so far from buying salt, if you don't count the one thats full of salt right now. I only have one air stone and its in my DT.

So... I'd have to get a few more 5 gal buckets, a few more air stones and pumps to pump them, a heater to keep it tank temp...and some power heads to mix the salt over night, or would it be okay to just let it sit? I didn't know that you shouldn't add the mixed water until 24 hrs after you mix it. Usually I mix it, wait for it to become clear, test the salinity, then add it to the tank.

I don't have that much storage space, but I could make this work by myself. It wouldn't be pretty... Maybe I could use just one 20 gallon, but bring water to it from the bathroom using the 5 gal buckets.

I don't pour dirty salt water down any of the house's drains. I heard that the salt can ruin the pipes, and this is a rental house, so it all goes into the back yard.

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I've been maintaining reef systems with tap, RO and RO/DI and haven't noticed a difference but most of my tanks I use RO. I also don't mix salt until immediately before a water change just using my hand to quickly stir it in. Typically I usually do about a 5% - 10%. One system that gets tap also gets about 15 gallons first to replace evaporation then a 10% water change and even in winter the temperature of tap water is no low enough to cause the tank tekperature to drop to low. I always use buckets and prefer to mix up salt in 3 gallon buckets however I have quite a mix of 5 and 6 gallon buckets I use. As far as temperature I only worry about that in the winter with my tanks I use RO as the barrels are in unheated areas. Even doing a 20% water change if the new water is 10 degress colder than the tank water it will only drop the tank temp about 2 degrees. If the aquarium is at 78 - 82 a couple of degrees is not enough to bother the corals in my experience.

Tim, I like the way you think lol. Waiting overnight sounds like a lot of trouble. I mix just before I add it in as well. I also use tap water with conditioner, and haven't been seeing the problems people swore I would have (algae). I don't have an RO system yet, but a protein skimmer is next on the list. If I don't need to heat the water then I could use it straight from the water-hose in the yard, and that reaches all the way to the tank, so I could just mix the bucket right there. You just made me a very happy woman! smile.png

I don't have much money, and with all I've been investing in the tank I have even less. This is a great solution for me...

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Home Depot and lowes has super cheap buckets that are safe to use. They're only a couple bucks and are at the end of every other aisle. Or for convenience sake you could just buy a brute 35 gallon trash can and lid and just have that always right next to the tank. One friend of mine had a full trash can of mixing saltwater on wheels that he just rolled over to the tank when he needed to water change.

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Chaos,

How often are you doing a 20% water change? Considering your large fish load, get used to it. As soon as you can, add a protein skimmer. It will perform 10% water change each week. If you are performing 20% water change each week to maintain less than 40 ppm nitrate, you have too much livestock or you have insufficient bio filtration. From your tank thread, I see your tank as overstocked with fish. Fish exert much biological load on a system.

Regards,

Patrick

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Maybe it's just me, but with timfish's comment about the temp of the change water having so little effect on the tank, I don't think I'll be using a heater. Room temp is not that much different than the tank's anyway. I'd be a little worried about the hose though. When I do more than 30% in my FW tanks with a hose the temp drops noticeably. my hose water is cold.

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My powerheads actually heat the water way way above my tank temperature. I have to take the powerhead out of the mixing bucket and let it sit in the house for an hour or so, so I'm not dumping 95 degree water into a 80 degree tank.

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Home Depot and lowes has super cheap buckets that are safe to use. They're only a couple bucks and are at the end of every other aisle. Or for convenience sake you could just buy a brute 35 gallon trash can and lid and just have that always right next to the tank. One friend of mine had a full trash can of mixing saltwater on wheels that he just rolled over to the tank when he needed to water change.

I saw that trash can on wheels! Is he the one that did an online "how to do water changes guide"? Anyway, I was tempted by that, believe me! But my house has steps, especially from the kitchen to the dining area where the tank is. You wouldn't believe how many times I wished I could use a dolly...

Well today bought a longer hose for the gravel vacuum. It just barely reaches the yard.. yay! Then I put my 20 gal plastic laundry bucket infront of the tank, filled it up with the water hose. The water looked clear. I added some salt and when I went to test the salinity, I noticed white specks floating around!!! I freaked out. The stuff wouldn't dissolve. I have no idea what it is, if its from the water, or from the salt. :( I read not to pour water onto salt because some of the stuff won't dissolve and you'll get white flakes of lime? or something like that. Well... I poured salt into water, but I'm still hoping that's all it was. =/ I couldn't afford to lose 16 scoops of salt if I threw the water out. I added it to the tank anyway... didn't see anything floating in the DT afterwards so I'm stumped.

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Chaos,

How often are you doing a 20% water change? Considering your large fish load, get used to it. As soon as you can, add a protein skimmer. It will perform 10% water change each week. If you are performing 20% water change each week to maintain less than 40 ppm nitrate, you have too much livestock or you have insufficient bio filtration. From your tank thread, I see your tank as overstocked with fish. Fish exert much biological load on a system.

Regards,

Patrick

I'm used to it, and I do it at least every two weeks. I prefer to change more than 10% if I'm going to change. Might as well. Not much difference to me whether its 20 gal or 40 gal. I don't mind the water changes, but sometimes its hard to convince my fiancee to help me. He hates carrying the buckets. I physically can't lift 20 gallons of water by myself. Even if I could, the bucket is too big for me to pick up alone. Not possible to use a dolly since there are stairs in the house. So that's why this thread :) I was concerned about the nitrates, wanted to do more water changes, and needed a way to do it myself.

I have a 90 gallon tank plus a 10 gallon wet-dry. I have 2 tangs, 2 clowns, 1 flame and 1 blenny. I didn't think that was overstocked? Its about 20 inches of fish. As for bio filtration, we have the wet-dry with all the bioballs, and I'm also using active carbon and a AC 110 hang on back filter.

I had my nitrates at 0 for the longest time, but I added 20 lbs of live rock, and also rearranged the tank and stirred up the gravel when I did it... I think I triggered a mini-cycle...The nitrates are within range, but I want them at 0 because of the corals. Even though I have soft corals, which don't mind (right?), I think its a good habit to keep nitrates less than 5 ppm.

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I think Patrick hit on something with the lack of filtration. Those landscape rocks are very dense and as a result have low surface area for bacteria to colonize. I'd get more real ocean rock as soon as possible.

Already done. :) Been adding live rock slowly ever since. I think the nitrate problem started when I added more live rock. The landscape rock I got is very porous, but hard to see in the pictures. There are tiny holes all over. Total, we have over 300 lbs of rock in that tank and 95 lbs of aragonite and live sand.

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Maybe it's just me, but with timfish's comment about the temp of the change water having so little effect on the tank, I don't think I'll be using a heater. Room temp is not that much different than the tank's anyway. I'd be a little worried about the hose though. When I do more than 30% in my FW tanks with a hose the temp drops noticeably. my hose water is cold.

I'll make sure to keep an eye on it. That is what I was worried about. But today the water was luke-warm from it being so hot outside.

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Sara...i can come over and help yall hook something up inside the house if you'd like...you can put a splitter on your washing machine hose...ive also got a spare heater and the skimmer still available

Thanks Dustin. I'll see how the water hose thing goes first. I tried it today, so I just need to test the parameters of the tank tomorrow. Hopefully all is well. I think I won't need a spare heater until winter time but I'll keep yours in mind. Also, I found a reef octopus OTP-2000 on craigslist for $175. Its rated for 150gal and can be used in sump. That's a good brand, right?

I think this is the same thing as Reef Octopus DNWB-150 6 Recirculating Protein Skimmer.

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Sara...i can come over and help yall hook something up inside the house if you'd like...you can put a splitter on your washing machine hose...ive also got a spare heater and the skimmer still available

Thanks Dustin. I'll see how the water hose thing goes first. I tried it today, so I just need to test the parameters of the tank tomorrow. Hopefully all is well. I think I won't need a spare heater until winter time but I'll keep yours in mind. Also, I found a reef octopus OTP-2000 on craigslist for $175. Its rated for 150gal and can be used in sump. That's a good brand, right?

I think this is the same thing as Reef Octopus DNWB-150 6 Recirculating Protein Skimmer.

yeah...reef oct. is one of the best... id really like to get one but havent had the bio load to rationalize a upgrade from what i've got until now

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Chaos,

How often are you doing a 20% water change? Considering your large fish load, get used to it. As soon as you can, add a protein skimmer. It will perform 10% water change each week. If you are performing 20% water change each week to maintain less than 40 ppm nitrate, you have too much livestock or you have insufficient bio filtration. From your tank thread, I see your tank as overstocked with fish. Fish exert much biological load on a system.

Regards,

Patrick

I'm used to it, and I do it at least every two weeks. I prefer to change more than 10% if I'm going to change. Might as well. Not much difference to me whether its 20 gal or 40 gal. I don't mind the water changes, but sometimes its hard to convince my fiancee to help me. He hates carrying the buckets. I physically can't lift 20 gallons of water by myself. Even if I could, the bucket is too big for me to pick up alone. Not possible to use a dolly since there are stairs in the house. So that's why this thread :) I was concerned about the nitrates, wanted to do more water changes, and needed a way to do it myself.

I have a 90 gallon tank plus a 10 gallon wet-dry. I have 2 tangs, 2 clowns, 1 flame and 1 blenny. I didn't think that was overstocked? Its about 20 inches of fish. As for bio filtration, we have the wet-dry with all the bioballs, and I'm also using active carbon and a AC 110 hang on back filter.

I had my nitrates at 0 for the longest time, but I added 20 lbs of live rock, and also rearranged the tank and stirred up the gravel when I did it... I think I triggered a mini-cycle...The nitrates are within range, but I want them at 0 because of the corals. Even though I have soft corals, which don't mind (right?), I think its a good habit to keep nitrates less than 5 ppm.

All corals need nitrate to grow. Less than 5% would be a worthy goal. Zero nitrate would be detrimental for soft coral. Patrick

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