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How do you do your water changes? (1 Viewer)

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Tstew32

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Just trying to seek everyone’s thoughts and ways. I currently have a RO holding tank, but not a mixing station.

I mix my water with an old pump in a plastic storage bin, heat and mix for a couple hours until temp is right.

I made a PVC piece that screws into my mixing pump and perfect height to hang onto rim of tank to fill new water. I syphon out amount of water going in and call it a day.

Would love to hear how everyone else does theirs!


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Cody

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At the moment, some salt buckets and a can-do attitude. However, I have a stenner pump that automates water changes and will be putting it into action once my main system is up and running.
 
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Tstew32

Tstew32

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At the moment, some salt buckets and a can-do attitude. However, I have a stenner pump that automates water changes and will be putting it into action once my main system is up and running.

Thanks for your reply Cody. I like to hear how others do stuff so I can incorporate and make love easier!


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For regular changes I use a pair of 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot, a length of vinyl hose and a maxi-jet 1200 pump. I shut the system pumps down and drop the maxi-jet into the tank and fill up the 5 gallon buckets and dump em on the weeds growing on the expansion joints on the driveway.

To fill it I put the pump in a 5 gallon bucket and have my kid hold the hose in the tank while I keep the bucket filled.

Only takes about 10 mins to change 20+ gallons that includes lugging everything in, and dumping the filled dirty water.

If I'm vacuuming the sand bed I use a standard gravel cleaner tool that has one of those squeeze bulbs to start the siphon.
 
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Tstew32

Tstew32

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For regular changes I use a pair of 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot, a length of vinyl hose and a maxi-jet 1200 pump. I shut the system pumps down and drop the maxi-jet into the tank and fill up the 5 gallon buckets and dump em on the weeds growing on the expansion joints on the driveway.

To fill it I put the pump in a 5 gallon bucket and have my kid hold the hose in the tank while I keep the bucket filled.

Only takes about 10 mins to change 20+ gallons that includes lugging everything in, and dumping the filled dirty water.

If I'm vacuuming the sand bed I use a standard gravel cleaner tool that has one of those squeeze bulbs to start the siphon.

How much water volume do you have?


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gregg

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I have an automatic water change system thanks to "Mint Reef". In my back yard I have 2 - 100gallon storage containers, 1 has sa;twater in it and a mixing pump, the other is rodi water. Then there is a stenner pump inside that pulls the saltwater into the tank and removes the old water at the same rate. I have it plugged into my apex and have it set to swap out 3% per day... The rodi is connected to my ATO directly. When I start running out of saltwater an alarm goes off on my phone and then i have a few days before i need to go outside and add salt and transfer rodi to the salt storage tank.

The same system can be setup on a smaller scale and really does save a ton of time! ... ask cody if your interested, he can hook you up with a complete package to get it done.
 
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Tstew32

Tstew32

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I have an automatic water change system thanks to "Mint Reef". In my back yard I have 2 - 100gallon storage containers, 1 has saltwater in it and a mixing pump, the other is rodi water. Then there is a stenner pump inside that pulls the saltwater into the tank and removes the old water at the same rate. I have it plugged into my apex and have it set to swap out 3% per day... The rodi is connected to my ATO directly. When I start running out of saltwater an alarm goes off on my phone and then i have a few days before i need to go outside and add salt and transfer rodi to the salt storage tank.

The same system can be setup on a smaller scale and really does save a ton of time! ... ask cody if your interested, he can hook you up with a complete package to get it done.

Sounds awesome!


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Bigfishy

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I have two 65 gallon containers. One for mixing salt and the other connected to my sterner pump for auto water changes. I have the tanks plump to a Pan World and can move the water between the two tanks and use to mix the salt water. Inside the tank is two power heads and two heaters. When it comes to cleaning the tank I use a vinyl hose to vacuum the debris from sump/tank. I have a line plumped between the two containers and ran to the tank to allow me to replace the water after done cleaning. I open a valve and turn on the pump and Im a short time I am good to go. Everything is controlled by my Apex,
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I have a 35 gallon container for RODI water that is connected to my auto top-off.

Not the best pictures and I need to cleanup the wire and tubes.


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Tstew32

Tstew32

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So in order to make this work, are you guys putting the tank to where it can hug the wall to the garage?


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Cody

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So in order to make this work, are you guys putting the tank to where it can hug the wall to the garage?


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Bigfishy has a building outside of his house. I built a similar structure for Gregg at his house. I previously had my storage container on the patio, but will have it in the garage this time around. I think most folks use their garage.
 

Matyas

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I have been having trouble mounting my RODI system at our new house, how do yall do it? I cant find a good connection to the washing machine source.
 

steveb

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I used one of these coming off a bathroom sink next to the garage

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I'm lazy I only do water changes when the corals or fish tell me to.

I have 3 containers. One is rodi the other two are saltwater along with a mixing pump. Also have a poly faucet adapter plumbed in.

So I just turn one of 3 suction valves on and open the faucet valve. I have a 1/2” NSF approved garden hose that I cut the aluminum fittings off of and added plastic ones to that I attach to the faucet fitting.

Then I swipe the pump control on my apex and tada salt water pumped to wherever I want.
 
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TooSalty

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Matyas, Visit Air water and Ice.com. They have everything you need to make the connection.

I use an inline pump connected to a bulkhead that drains the aquarium water into my kitchen sink. I use a brute trash can to refill.
 
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Tstew32

Tstew32

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I have been having trouble mounting my RODI system at our new house, how do yall do it? I cant find a good connection to the washing machine source.

I mounted mine in garage and ran hose to my outside water faucet where hose connects.


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How much water volume do you have?


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Total with sump is 85ish gallons.

And I do my mixing in a 5g bucket with a Jebao PP 15 stuck to the side. I run it on constant at 50% for 24 hours once salt is added. Then pump the mixed water into 5 gallon storage jugs.


Sigh....


One day I'll have a grown up mixing station setup.
 
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fire123

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I have a 125 G with a 30 G sump, sump is half full.
1) I have a 29G sitting next to the 125G. I fill the 29G the day before with RO-DI water and mix salt, remove the water in the 125 and use a small pump to pump new water in.
2) Lately, I've been lazy, I turn off the return pump in the 125, use a bucket head vacuum to suck out the water from the sump. I mix salt water in the sump, this takes longer because I make RO-DI water the same day but I use the time to clean the glasses and equipment... Once I have 30G of new salt water in the sump, I turn on the return pump and the system goes back into operations.
 

Cody

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I have been having trouble mounting my RODI system at our new house, how do yall do it? I cant find a good connection to the washing machine source.

I use one of the brass Y fittings on the cold water supply. One of the outlets goes to the washing machine. The other one has a series of adapters to eventually connect to the 1/4" RO tubing. I also put in a ball valve so that I can easily turn on/off the water supply to my system.
 

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I use 5 gallon buckets. My normal 20 gallon water change is kind of a pain. Eventually I hope to get a pair of 20 gallon tanks to make it a bit easier.

The black HDX totes with yellow lids are reef safe. I've used them for everything from water storage to housing fish and corals. You can pick up a 27 gallon tote for maybe $12. They're also amazing for transporting water as well. There are six holes on the lid and lip that line up. Use zip ties to fasten them together and it does a great job of preventing spills. That's the easiest way to move a tank.
 
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