Let's talk about a 24/7 continuous drip water change

[Triggreef]

It is:

"Need to have a way for water to exit the system also to avoid the obvious problem of overflowing your system."

I personally used the same pump (dual head). Not sure what the OP uses.

I have an overflow outlet at the top of my sump so no matter what it can never overflow. I pump in the new water in to the sump past where that overflow is located so any water exiting the system has already gone through the entire system at least once.

Also anytime i do actual maintenence and vacuum out Detritis etc I have about 60g I can remove and just leave it running this way. Then it can refill on its own for a few days.

 

[CHSUB]

Yes i guess just more constant. As stated I mix slightly lower to account for evap and this has not been an issue at all.

Yes, I understand; might be a little tricky some times with different rates of evaporation? I ran a 10 gal daily WC on a 360 gal system which took 6 hours to complete. However, still used a full reef system including: calcium reactor, sulfur deNO3, skimmer, etc. If your reef is fully stocked, imo more than WC is needed?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have an overflow outlet at the top of my sump so no matter what it can never overflow. I pump in the new water in to the sump past where that overflow is located so any water exiting the system has already gone through the entire system at least once.

Also anytime i do actual maintenence and vacuum out Detritis etc I have about 60g I can remove and just leave it running this way. Then it can refill on its own for a few days.

Ok, I understand. I would not pick to do it this way as opposed to dual pumps, but with monitoring and adjusting salinity as needed, I can see it working fine.

 

[twentyleagues]

I have an overflow in my sump directly to outside. I mix my new water slightly lower to account for evap. No real science behind it just guesstimate on this aspect by trial and error.

Well that explains it. Nice! I had an overflow in my settling chamber that led right to my basement sump, an electric sprinkler valve and a pvc pipe with an emitter allowed about 40g of freshwater into the system sump which was the last place before going to the tanks upstairs. Kept a couple heavy stocked tanks with messy eaters almost nitrate free. I think quite a bit of filtration was done in the bog filter also but basically kept me from having to do much other then clean the glass, trim some plants and open a valve at the bottom of the settling chamber every two weeks.

 

[WetReef]

Hi, I have a daily auto water change set up using the Apex Dos, I change 9.2L a day over a 24 hour period. I have the Red Sea S Max 650.

My tank is mixed reef but I’m slowly moving more towards SPS, my tanks demand for KH is going up, I test my water a few times a week but I will need to dose soon to keep up with KH demands.

I ordered the Fauna Marin Dosing system but still waiting for delivery.

The pain points, having a large amount of salt water mixed, I have got this down to a smooth operation now, I have 2 brute bins, one for making the new salt mix and one with the salt mix to be used.

I run a line from my garden tap to my garage (ro tube hidden) this makes my RO water for evaporation replacement and also my ro water for mixing new salt water.

I run a line from my garage to my drain to take away old water via the apex dos.

New water from the brute bin via the apex dos.

I have been using Red Sea Coral Pro salt but with precipitation taking place in the salt water storage tank, I have just moved over to Fauna Marin Professional salt, it’s apparently the cleanest salt. It’s mined salt as apposed to salt taken from the reef, I always use natural salt and not synthetic. I tried synthetic years ago but it makes my Deltec Skimmer go crazy due ti a change in water surface tension.

My set up is in my garage, I can hyper focus on the hobby (my wife had enough of the hobby when I flooded the living room with RO water a few years back).

One thing I have noticed since doing the daily continuous water change, my corals are growing faster and everything seems more stable and healthier. I have been doing the daily auto water change for about 18 months. I have been reefing since 2012.

 

[Triggreef]

Yes, I understand; might be a little tricky some times with different rates of evaporation? I ran a 10 gal daily WC on a 360 gal system which took 6 hours to complete. However, still used a full reef system including: calcium reactor, sulfur deNO3, skimmer, etc. If your reef is fully stocked, imo more than WC is needed?

Depends on amount i guess. Or maybe that is why i also have to add alk and ca to my newly mixed water. It took a while to figure out what I needed to do but it's been working great for over a year now in both systems.

The next best, most stable method I had going was my calcium reactor. But as easy as that was to maintain it still had its own issues. And finding media, changing media, refilling co2, readjusting co2... these were not fun for me.

The biggest problem I have with this continuous drip is the small line getting crystallization and getting blocked up now and then. I'm hoping it gets better now that i changed my longer run to 3/8 tubing. I can't see that happening anymore. Part of it i think it's because it's a 30 foot span of tubing going across my garage to get to the sump but there's nothing i can do about that. Only so many places you can put a 8 foot tall 250g cylinder holding tank.

 

[Triggreef]

Well that explains it. Nice! I had an overflow in my settling chamber that led right to my basement sump, an electric sprinkler valve and a pvc pipe with an emitter allowed about 40g of freshwater into the system sump which was the last place before going to the tanks upstairs. Kept a couple heavy stocked tanks with messy eaters almost nitrate free. I think quite a bit of filtration was done in the bog filter also but basically kept me from having to do much other then clean the glass, trim some plants and open a valve at the bottom of the settling chamber every two weeks.

That actually sounds like a great idea for filtration. I've played with similar ideas but none really work great for me. I plan to perfect it when I move south after i retire.

 

[Triggreef]

Hi, I have a daily auto water change set up using the Apex Dos, I change 9.2L a day over a 24 hour period. I have the Red Sea S Max 650.

My tank is mixed reef but I’m slowly moving more towards SPS, my tanks demand for KH is going up, I test my water a few times a week but I will need to dose soon to keep up with KH demands.

I ordered the Fauna Marin Dosing system but still waiting for delivery.

The pain points, having a large amount of salt water mixed, I have got this down to a smooth operation now, I have 2 brute bins, one for making the new salt mix and one with the salt mix to be used.

I run a line from my garden tap to my garage (ro tube hidden) this makes my RO water for evaporation replacement and also my ro water for mixing new salt water.

I run a line from my garage to my drain to take away old water via the apex dos.

New water from the brute bin via the apex dos.

I have been using Red Sea Coral Pro salt but with precipitation taking place in the salt water storage tank, I have just moved over to Fauna Marin Professional salt, it’s apparently the cleanest salt. It’s mined salt as apposed to salt taken from the reef, I always use natural salt and not synthetic. I tried synthetic years ago but it makes my Deltec Skimmer go crazy due ti a change in water surface tension.

My set up is in my garage, I can hyper focus on the hobby (my wife had enough of the hobby when I flooded the living room with RO water a few years back).

One thing I have noticed since doing the daily continuous water change, my corals are growing faster and everything seems more stable and healthier. I have been doing the daily auto water change for about 18 months. I have been reefing since 2012.

Awesome. Might just need to go a little more water per day to help keep up with demands. Or if you know what the salt mixes at you can find what your demand per day is. Although I'm not sure how you would equate your usage with figuring out how many gallons you need to change. I pretty much went total and error on that. But found pretty quick that i would need to add alk and calcium. What i like best about this method is that trace elements are always being supplied to the system.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Awesome. Might just need to go a little more water per day to help keep up with demands. Or if you know what the salt mixes at you can find what your demand per day is. Although I'm not sure how you would equate your usage with figuring out how many gallons you need to change. I pretty much went total and error on that. But found pretty quick that i would need to add alk and calcium. What i like best about this method is that trace elements are always being supplied to the system.

One can easily calculate such things, but water changes can never maintain alk and calcium at levels in the salt mix, and trying to maintain alk and calcium by water change is far more expensive than dosing.

 

[Triggreef]

One can easily calculate such things, but water changes can never maintain alk and calcium at levels in the salt mix, and trying to maintain alk and calcium by water change is far more expensive than dosing.

I wouldn't say never. Far more cost effective options I'm sure. But if you change enough it's going to maintain.

But that was my point about needing to add ca and alk to the mix.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I wouldn't say never. Far more cost effective options I'm sure. But if you change enough it's going to maintain.

But that was my point about needing to add ca and alk to the mix.

Definitely a never. It’s a mathematical impossibility to do what I wrote. Even 100% daily means the values are dropping later in the day.

However, if the alk and calcium demand is very low, it may take a long time to notice it.

Likewise, if the salt mix has alk and calcium higher than your tank target, then water changes can maintain your targets if they are sufficiently large.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Assuming consistency in evaporation, nearly impossible imo.

I have an ATO on a float valve. It simply allows RO/DI in as water evaporates.

I have a skimmer - sometimes - fairly dry, but gets wet when feeding frozen once a day.

I have a KH director and sometimes ReefBot Lab that waste water to drain.

I have 30 gallon SSW mixed to about 36ppt (to lazy to adjust)

I have a dosing pump set to dump 500ml of it into the tank once per day.

_______

So to recap:

Water evaporates 24/7 - varies based on humidity and season.
Water is skimmed 24/7 - varies based on food.
Water is wasted to drain at various times in the day by testing - varies by scheduled tests.

Total system volume maybe 125 gallons

Water (RODI) is added by an ATO anytime that the float falls below normal operating level.
Water (SALT) is bulk added one time per day


I maintain a rather steady 1.0260 (35 ppt) salinity, monitored by the GHL Profilux daily which is verified against a TM precision hydrometer about once per month.

Been running like this for over a year. I adjust the bulk 500ml dose down to 250ml if I take the reefbot offline for any extended time, but sometimes forget.

When I "acclimated" new corals or fish I dip water out 1L at a time into the holding bings. The ATO will obv start filling what I took out with RO/DI. At some point during the process, I will tell the makeup water doser to dump an equivalent amount of saltwater back to the tank.


Lets be very clear here:

taking out 1L of water and allowing the TO to fill it back up and THEN adding 1 more liter of SW is not a zero sum if you do the math.

likewise, taking out daily 300ml for testing allows the ATO to add RO/DI for makup and that bulk dose of SW later in the afternoon are also not a zero sum.

So there are a LOT of variables. My salinity really does not drift. In the rare instance that it needs to be corrected UP, I simply dose a liter or more of SW and allow evaporation to slowely raise the level. If salinity needs a downward correction, I just waste a few liters of water to the drain and allow the ATO to replace it.

 

[Triggreef]

So there are a LOT of variables. My salinity really does not drift. In the rare instance that it needs to be corrected UP, I simply dose a liter or more of SW and allow evaporation to slowely raise the level. If salinity needs a downward correction, I just waste a few liters of water to the drain and allow the ATO to replace it.

That's about how i handle the evap. One system that has a canopy over the main tank and is double the volume of the other system stays pretty constant just over the sg of what i mix. The other system that is smaller but has no canopy, probably evaps a little more and sometimes the level rises a little. I check it now and then and just remove water as needed. Refill water brings it down. Not a big deal. Still much less maintainence and checking this and that than any other method I've used.