Making water changes easier! What are some tips and tricks?

[Earl Coleman]

As mentioned before, Brute trash cans on rollers. I keep an empty one for the removed saltwater so I can precisely measure the water change amount. I then move the removed water trash can over about 10 feet where there is a drain in the floor. I could drain the water change straight into the drain if I wanted to, but I like to have absolute control over the water change amount. So basically the same set up as most with brute trash cans, but with the bonus of a close by drain in the floor. Of course using drop in pumps along with way where needed.

 

[glb]

I have a new DOS for AWC’s and it’s been amazing. I also bought a BRS 150gpd Water Saver Plus RODI with a booster pump. I make 10g/week for my 40g breeder. 5 for water changes and 5 for topoff. It used to take me hours to make 10g. Now I can make 10g in about an hour. I have a 5g reservoir and mix up a new batch weekly. I plan to add a circulation pump in the reservoir soon. I change 10%/week by daily changes of about .75g. The DOS and the RODI have made water changes super easy. I’d say my workload has dropped by 75%. Water changes used to be my most hated maintenance. Now it happens with very little work on my part.

 

[Flame2hawk]

The least you use buckets the better. Submersible pump attached to a 50’ hose with double exit “T” pvc piping has greatly advanced ease of water changes.

 

[Greengny]

Water change every 2.5 weeks.
1. Fill 20 gallon container with rodi. (unattended 8 hours)
2. Add pre-measured salt. (mix overnight)
3. Check salinity, adjust Alk if necessary.
4. Heat. (typically 30 minutes)
5. Turn off sump pump
5. Remove water from tank via pump (timed 8 minutes to remove 20 gallons)
6. Refill tank with same pump.
7. Turn sump pump back on.
8. Clean up.

Key Point to success. Have no family members around. Best done in isolation.

 

[jeffrey750750]

2 20 gallon brute containers, pump, roll dolly and a hose. I fill the one brute with rodi, roll the can into the spare bedroom. I mix the salt and turn the pump on and mix in the salt. The next day ill roll the empty brute and mixed water to one of the tanks. Drop the mixing pump into the tank and fill the empty brute. once filled to the same mark ill drop it in the mixed brute and boom, spillage free water change.
No lifting buckets of water which I got sick of

 

[Strangewaterchange]

55gal tank, using 55gal brute container for mixing/storing salt, sicce ultra zero pump with python water changer. brs rodi system wall mounted right above brute container and right across from washtub. Using tropic marin pro so mixes quick and clean and stores well. Everything is stored in the laundry room and the tank is conveniently right outside the door. Cheap and easy, only way I think it could be easier is if I had AWC system.

 

[DaddyFish]

My current WC system...

Advantages are:
Reaches any of five different tanks (sw and fw) on any floor of my house.
No water line sucking.
No bucket brigade for tanks upstairs or downstairs in the basement garage.
Fill line slips over mixing tank barb for sw, or over 1/4" push fitting of pre-filtered water (ahead of RO) for fw.
Easy to clean/purge hoses using fw feed, then simply unhook and allow hoses to drain as you coil them.

Two 50' lengths of 3/8" silicone hose; one slips over the mixing pump barb, one has a clunk and goes out the door for a drain.

Y-valve and Alexa smart plugs control the action.

Hang short third hose with homemade 1/2" hook in tank. Drop drain line out the door. Slip fill line over pump outlet barb. Open valves and tell Alexa to turn on pump. When drain side starts to run tell Alexa to shut off pump and wait for DT to drain.

Shut off drain side of Y-valve and tell Alexa to turn on pump. Tank refills.

* I have a hidden (below fake HVAC vent) 1-1/4" drain line installed just underneath floor of main level, but haven't warmed up to the idea of dumping so much saltwater into my septic tank. Just not sure about that???

Top is DT tank line. Left is fresh. Right is drain.

Here's what I did with the space over my dryer. 28-gal mixing tank. One pump circulates, one pump dumps. Heater in the bottom runs with the circulate/mixing pump.

 

[lapin]

Very simple as posted before some where :
Step one:
load brutes in back of pickup truck in garage.
Step two:
put hose that runs from the water change pump thats in the sump, into the brute cans in back of truck.
Step three:
turn on water change/mixing barrel pump
Step four:
turn on water change pump thats in the sump
Step six:
when brutes have reached a level that i have marked, (60 gallons) turn off water change pump.
Step seven:
turn ball valve so water in mix container no longer recirculates but dumps into the sump.
Step eight:
when water level reaches correct level in sump then turn ball valve so water recirculates and does not dump into the sump, turn off water change/ mixing pump.
Step 9:
dump water on gravel road to control dust.

 

[arob1978]

No matter how easy it is, water changes are still a PITA. I use a float valve to make the exact same amount of RODI each time. Then I bought a kitchen scale to pre-measure salt by weight. (It takes about 10-20 minutes to measure a full 5-gallon bucket of salt) Using waste water bucket of the same size keeps my water changes very consistent.

 

[mcshams]

I put a score of 3. But I am working on getting it a 1. I just haven't found the right pump. This is a 35gallon tank on a roll cart. The cart is quality and can carry 600lbs. Currently the pump sits IN the tank, and I'd like a pump to attach to the drain plug on the bottom of the tank (opposite side not pictured) so that I could mix the salt easier.

If easier I'd keep the tank in the bathroom shower (it's not used) where the RODI unit is and run hose about 40' and up to the tank. If any of you reefers know a pump that would suit this that doesn't break the bank, please let me know

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I do the bucket brigade every 2 weeks. I use tap with prime, (4) 5-gallon buckets. Filling up the tank after vaccuming is easy with my Fluval FX4 canister, it has a hose attachment and sucks the water from the buckets into the DT and fills it up. No spills, no lifting buckets up over the tank. For not having a sump, it's easy peasy.

 

[JTDeLaRosa]

Water changes can be brutal and that's one reason some people rarely do them or don't do them at all. Like anything else in life, the easier things get done more often than the harder things and the same holds true to reefing!

I remember the "bucket brigade" days of water changes where there were many buckets and I was the only brigade!

Let's help others out today and maybe learn something new!

What are some tips and tricks you have learned to make changing out your aquarium water easier?

image via @MonsterReef

I agree. WC’s can present a bit of difficulty however, I have benefitted greatly from doing them. This is my simple routine for a weekly 10% water-change in my Red Sea Max E-170:

1) Mix or buy the necessary amount of salt water (SW).
2) I transfer the SW to an Innovative Marine 5 gallon reservoir in the cabinet. (Hydrofill Ti ATO)
3) I then let my AutoAqua Smart AWC touch, do the rest. It empties old SW into a waste water jug and I empty when done.
4) Nice thing about the AutoAqua is that it also functions as my full time ATO. I house a second Innovative Marine reservoir, filled with RODI water, in the cabinet...as well.

Clean, simple and effortless.

Hope this helps and happy reefing!

 

[ReefLab]

Brute can on a dolly with a cheap pump from amazon to fill the tank.

Not sure if im the only one that does this but the TOILET is the best way to dump old water. Makes a siphon instantly and no salt creep in your bathtub.

 

[MARK M. DAVIS]

I have it easy! I have two 55 gallon brute cans positioned around 20 feet from my tank. I keep those two cans filled with RODI water most of the time. I have another 55 brute on wheels. On water change days, I add salt and mg to one of the RODI brute cans. I mix for 1 hour then test and adjust salinity. I validate alk. I turn off return pump, skimmer pump and in tank re circulation pumps. I leave everything else on. Including: lights, CaRX, etc. I roll up the empty 55 gallon brute and siphon 30 gallons of water, which I dump outside. I turn on the return pump and pump water from New Salt Water from the 55 brute can into the sump. I use the same MAG drive pump used to mix the saltwater. I turn on all in tank re circulation pumps and go plug in the skimmer. I sometimes take the time to clean the glass. Easy Peassy!!!

 

[Auquanut]

I use a python to drain and fill my FW tanks. I love that thing. Absolutely no buckets.

 

[Jax15]

I built a mix station, even before I started my latest build. It's pretty typical design, but was a great project. Here's a video if you want to check it out:



I have AWC set up, which is great. The way it works is I have a 20G brute sitting next to the wall behind my DT, and it feeds the DOS. My mix station, however, is pretty far away in a detached garage. So every week I need to carry containers from the garage to fill the indoor brute container. I've considered pumps and long hoses to fill it, but it would need to be ~130' of tubing. Anyone think that's realistic? Would be pretty great!

 

[Crotalus]

I use a 55 gallon plastic drum that fills itself directly from the filters. I dump in the bag of salt and drop in a cheap pond pump. The next day I use a siphon with a 20' plastic hose to clean the sand and dump 50 gallons down the drain. I reconnect the plastic line to the same pond pump and let it fill the sump while one of the return pumps slowly adds it to the aquarium. No hauling buckets, no mess.

 

[Macey’s Reef]

AWC from the mixing station in the garage with Neptune Apex. Doesn’t get any easier. Also, top up RODI reservoir at the tanks from garage RODI barrel with similar process. I run two large systems.

 

[bromdad]

I live in south Florida. Have 300 gallon storage tank in garage with SW delivery as needed. Have pump and hose connected to storage tank. Add Cacium, Alk and magnesium to equal concentration in my four aquariums. Water temp in garage is very close to aquarium water temps. Siphon tanks down to predetermined levels with Hugh pool hose emptying into toilet and then fill to predetermined level. Process with wife’s help take 30 minutes for four aquariums.

 

[Paul B]

Simple, I back my Jeep up to an ocean. Throw in a bilge pump on a hose and pump water into vats. Then I back my Jeep up to my workshop/man cave and pump the water into a bigger vat to heat up. I siphon water out of the tank into a sink and pump new water in. I may take a swim while I am at it.