Auto Water Changes worth the cost?

[mak5487]

I have a 120 gallon tank I perform ~30 gallon water changes weekly. I am thinking about switching to a daily auto water change with Versa pumps. I am wondering if it is worth the extra cost of the pumps to perform the daily water changes? I would perform a larger water change monthly if I start using a daily water change.

 

[jsmkmavity]

I can only say that mathematically it reduces contaminants better. I dont know the cost but many who do it have great results in coral growth. If everything is mixed properly parameters will be more stable. I like the idea of it for convenience too.

 

[BriDroid]

I do it, but on a much smaller scale sine I have an 11 cube with about 8 gallons total volume. I do 600ml a day and I can tell you that nothing has helped growth and health more than when I started the AWC! No magic bottle or additive did much of anything, but auto water changes made a huge difference.

 

[exnisstech]

Is it worth it is something only you can answer. I'd love to have an auto WC system on my 330g but the cost is not worth it to me.

 

[X-37B]

I have a 120 gallon tank I perform ~30 gallon water changes weekly. I am thinking about switching to a daily auto water change with Versa pumps. I am wondering if it is worth the extra cost of the pumps to perform the daily water changes? I would perform a larger water change monthly if I start using a daily water change.

After 30+ doing weekly WC I now do 5% a month on all systems except my 15g nano that I do 20% a month due to no type of filtration other than floss and carbon.
5 systems of 250g's equal 16g's a month.
Current 1.5 year 150.

 

[Wonkabar]

Following, I currently do 10% weekly but have seriously thought about setting up AWC. I have all the components but its a loooooong run and i dont really wanna run more ro tube through my cieling. Maybe someone here says something that pushes me to do it.

 

[bushdoc]

Unless RODI water source is nearby your tank area, you would still need to haul water containers in and out, possibly on weekly or biweekly basis. I had setup with RODI source and containers and sink behind my tank in aquarium room, so I was doing AWC, now I moved tank into different area and do my WC manually.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have a 120 gallon tank I perform ~30 gallon water changes weekly. I am thinking about switching to a daily auto water change with Versa pumps. I am wondering if it is worth the extra cost of the pumps to perform the daily water changes? I would perform a larger water change monthly if I start using a daily water change.

It’s mostly a matter of convenience. I have AWC, but if money is tight, it’s a fine place to cut.

I’m not sure there’s any reason for the large monthly change Unless it does other functions, such as cleaning off rocks.

 

[bobnicaragua]

I used to do daily 1 gal water changes in my 135 with versas.

I ran a long drain line along the baseboard, under cabinets, and through walls to the washing machine drain.

I added crushed coral substrate years ago and went to the moonshiner’s method (no water changes).

I am now back to vacuuming the gravel using buckets. Automated water changes makes more sense to me if you run bare bottom.

I still have the drain lines set up.

 

[slingfox]

I would love to do AWC. The issue for me is not the cost (you can find used Versa or other high quality dosers for decent price) but the logistics of running the piping to and from my barrels and drain line. I prefer not to drill into my walls and ceilings so I will do the traditional WC for now.

Why do you do 25% WC a week? That is on the very high end. If cost is an issue you could very easily reduce that to 10% a week and reallocate salt savings to the pumps needed for AWC.

 

[bushdoc]

BTW, AWT are not full proof, I had some mishaps when one of the line got disconnected and flooded the flor when I was away for the weekend.

 

[TheNative192]

I have a 120 gallon tank I perform ~30 gallon water changes weekly. I am thinking about switching to a daily auto water change with Versa pumps. I am wondering if it is worth the extra cost of the pumps to perform the daily water changes? I would perform a larger water change monthly if I start using a daily water change.

In my opinion it is definitely worth the cost if you can afford it. The time I spend on doing water changes in a couple of months, if I equated that time saved to working, it would pay for itself multiple times over. Also doing daily water changes vs one large water change I think is much better for stability. Some people also enjoy the process of the water change so it really all depends on your preference. The important part though is to set up safeguards so it does not fail.

 

[mak5487]

To answer a few of the questions.

I do a 30 gallon water change now because I have a 40 gallon trashcan I mix my water in and I have had an algae problem for a couple years. Contribute that to feeding, refugium not working properly, water changes closer to monthly instead of weekly. Now I am running a skimmer which has helped significantly. I setup a pump in my basement with a 1 inch hose to do weekly water changes. The water changing hose has a couple PVC 90s to hook on to the edge of the aquarium. I open/close some valves and the water drains to an old washer drain. It works via siphon or I can turn on the pump to drain it faster. Once the PVC is exposed to air I open/close valves and pump fresh mixed water to the tank. 20 minute process if I don't do other cleaning. This has significantly helped my algae problem, but still have a ways to go. Even with the auto change, I think the larger monthly change is needed to continue reducing the algae in the tank.

My top off is a 5 gallon bucket I fill once or twice a week. Depending on how much my heater/ac runs, my top off runs dry before the normal Saturday/Sunday maintenance. My initial thought was to run RO tubing from my basement to the aquarium by going through a vent. The run from the fresh RO water to the tank is pretty much a straight shot up through the vent. The only hole I would drill is in the ventilation duct in my unfinished basement. Upstairs I can use the vent to squeeze the ro tubing through.

The top off got me thinking, why not set up 3 lines to do auto water changes and top off. The difference is $800 vs $200 if I got with Versa pumps. It is not going to hurt me to spend the money, but I don't want to waste the money either. The question becomes will my aquarium look/be healthier with the extra $600?

 

[bobnicaragua]

To answer a few of the questions.

I do a 30 gallon water change now because I have a 40 gallon trashcan I mix my water in and I have had an algae problem for a couple years. Contribute that to feeding, refugium not working properly, water changes closer to monthly instead of weekly. Now I am running a skimmer which has helped significantly. I setup a pump in my basement with a 1 inch hose to do weekly water changes. The water changing hose has a couple PVC 90s to hook on to the edge of the aquarium. I open/close some valves and the water drains to an old washer drain. It works via siphon or I can turn on the pump to drain it faster. Once the PVC is exposed to air I open/close valves and pump fresh mixed water to the tank. 20 minute process if I don't do other cleaning. This has significantly helped my algae problem, but still have a ways to go. Even with the auto change, I think the larger monthly change is needed to continue reducing the algae in the tank.

My top off is a 5 gallon bucket I fill once or twice a week. Depending on how much my heater/ac runs, my top off runs dry before the normal Saturday/Sunday maintenance. My initial thought was to run RO tubing from my basement to the aquarium by going through a vent. The run from the fresh RO water to the tank is pretty much a straight shot up through the vent. The only hole I would drill is in the ventilation duct in my unfinished basement. Upstairs I can use the vent to squeeze the ro tubing through.

The top off got me thinking, why not set up 3 lines to do auto water changes and top off. The difference is $800 vs $200 if I got with Versa pumps. It is not going to hurt me to spend the money, but I don't want to waste the money either. The question becomes will my aquarium look/be healthier with the extra $600?

I have always addressed algae problems with cuc.

I don’t think auto water changes will make much difference in the way your tank looks if you are already keeping up with water changes.

It’s more about convenience and it’s a cool way to run your tank. I wouldn’t hesitate to further automate if that’s how you want to run your tank.

 

[allenk4]

Is it worth it is something only you can answer. I'd love to have an auto WC system on my 330g but the cost is not worth it to me.

What have you determined the cost to be in your case?

 

[allenk4]

Unless RODI water source is nearby your tank area, you would still need to haul water containers in and out, possibly on weekly or biweekly basis. I had setup with RODI source and containers and sink behind my tank in aquarium room, so I was doing AWC, now I moved tank into different area and do my WC manually.

Why would the RODI source need to be “nearby your tank area”? It seems many people have made long runs from the garage, attic, outside shed, etc.

Seems that with an osmolator or Versa pump, the unit can be just about anywhere.

 

[allenk4]

In my opinion it is definitely worth the cost if you can afford it. The time I spend on doing water changes in a couple of months, if I equated that time saved to working, it would pay for itself multiple times over. Also doing daily water changes vs one large water change I think is much better for stability. Some people also enjoy the process of the water change so it really all depends on your preference. The important part though is to set up safeguards so it does not fail.

By definition, isn’t it always, “worth the cost, if you can afford it” ?

 

[exnisstech]

What have you determined the cost to be in your case

For me it's cost. I can afford to do it but I don't mind doing WCs enough to be willing to spend the money to automate them.

 

[NeedAReef]

the more i change the worse things get so i do not do them often anymore maybe 5 gallons every month on a 70 with a sump

 

[mak5487]

Is it worth the cost: is the aquarium going to be better off spending the money to automate the water change or would the $600 be better spent on other items.