Auto Water Change Pump Suggestions

[Maverick10gk]

Hello All,

I finally have my tank setup and have a few fish and corals in it. I'd like to build my own Auto Water Changing system, but I am not sure what pumps I would need. I plan to change about 10 gallons a week.

Below is the schematic of my plan. Can anyone recommend which pump I can use for mixing the fresh and saltwater? I was looking at the Sicce Syncra 9.0 Wifi enabled Pump but I think I don't need that much power. I have a leftover Octo Reef Varios 4 but I don't think its certified for inline use.

Secondly what heater can anyone recommend to keep the tanks warm when it freezes outside? The tanks would be in the garage against my laundry room wall and the Murdock tubing will run through unconditioned wall space for about 23 feet before entering a climate controlled attic.

Finally, what heavy duty dosing pumps could handle a 23foot rise foll0wed by 70 feet of 1/4" tubing running across the attic and then down to the aquarium? This is a one story home but the run across the attic is long. The rise coming from the aquarium will be about 20 feet or less to remove the saltwater. I want to be sure I have the right pumps to handle the associated head pressure. When I pull from the tanks, do I just run the 1/4" tubing down to the bottom of the holding tanks and use a pump to pull it out?

Thanks all for your help. For the through wall plumbing, I plan to use blank plates that I will drill into and install a 1/4" grommet to make things as airtight as I can.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Mine has been a workhorse. At the price, if it finally breaks I'll buy another one.

 

[Maverick10gk]

Just a cursory bit of detail of the problem I am trying to solve for:

My challenge is a very long run of three lines:

1. 95 foot run from my RODI holding tank:
up a 24 feet over 50 feet, and down 11 feet to bring RODI water to my ATO

2. 95 foot run from my Saltwater holding tank:
up a 24 feet: over 50 feet, and down 11 feet to bring RODI water to my Tank

3. 85 foot run from my Tank to a drain to remove wastewater:
up a 24 feet, over 50 feet, and down 11 feet to bring RODI water to my ATO


I like the idea of the Hydros SOLE because I can use Hydros to monitor things like my ATO and Tank levels to shut things off etc.

I was looking at the Stenners but I am not sure how I could control them in the same way.

The plan is to do 10-30 gallon water changes once a week.

Thanks!,
Kenneth

 

[reefingtexas]

Just a cursory bit of detail of the problem I am trying to solve for:

My challenge is a very long run of three lines:

1. 95 foot run from my RODI holding tank:
up a 24 feet over 50 feet, and down 11 feet to bring RODI water to my ATO

2. 95 foot run from my Saltwater holding tank:
up a 24 feet: over 50 feet, and down 11 feet to bring RODI water to my Tank

3. 85 foot run from my Tank to a drain to remove wastewater:
up a 24 feet, over 50 feet, and down 11 feet to bring RODI water to my ATO


I like the idea of the Hydros SOLE because I can use Hydros to monitor things like my ATO and Tank levels to shut things off etc.

I was looking at the Stenners but I am not sure how I could control them in the same way.

The plan is to do 10-30 gallon water changes once a week.

Thanks!,
Kenneth

What did you end up doing? I am about to do this exact application and having a hard time know what pumps to use in regards to the head heights and push/pull scenarios to get from my outdoor water closet up through the attic and to the tank. Also running the waste water up through the attic to drain down into a sink drain

 

[Zachary Roy]

I have the exact same setup and just spoke with Coralvue. I’m most likely going with two Sole’s connected via a jumper cable.

I recommend giving them a call and they’re happy to discuss some different options with you.

 

[Stevorino]

I've done auto-water changes for 7(?) years now. My setup for most of those years was a similar run up and over as yours.

As for in-line pumps, I'm a big fan of PanWorld and Iwaki. Both never let me down after many years of use. I tried a Jebao once and when it failed it almost set my house on fire.

My current AWC setup is an Apex DOS pump. They can go long distances and be very exact. I change out about 20 gallons/week gradually over time. One goes in and one drains to sink drain under cabinet.

For mixing salt, I've had success with powerheads in the actual reserve tank, as well as just having it so that it circulates around using the in-line pump.

Happy to answer any other questions you have