POLL: Start to finish, how long of time is your Water Change?

[Jon Fishman]

Where are you guys storing your water? I do quite-large water changes and never warm my water....... It’s made days before, so it’s room-temp., but I have never seen any major decrease in temp during a water change

 

[Straightrazorguy]

I don't heat the water, but I clean the tank while I do my water changes, and I use buckets, so I do it in 5 gallon batches...

 

[Cali-Saltwater-1st-Timer]

From the time I start I'd say 2 hours. That includes waiting for 10 gallons of RO water to be made to syphoning out the sandbed, cleaning the glass, blowing off the rocks, and changing the filter floss. If i just took water out and put fresh water back in I'd say maybe an hour.

 

[LesPoissons]

Are you factoring in running the rodi? It takes me 13 hours to make 45 gal of rodi, so I start the day before. Then an hour to mix the salt. Setting up to clean the tank, cleaning it, and clean up is about 3 hours.

 

[biecacka]

Need an auto water change option. Takes me no time after programming my DOS. Does 50 gallons a month without my help.

corey

 

[S2G]

I have a brute can probably 10ft away. Throw my pump in the tank remove 10-20% throw my pump in the can add 10-20%. I'm done in roughly 10min with a 500gph pump on a 180. My fw 29g takes like 30min for 75% lol

 

[jd371]

Two tanks to do so it's 30 - 45 minutes. Main tank is near the laundry room and I hook up the Python to the utility sink and remove 20g and then replace 20g from the brute next to the sink... about 20 minutes. The other tank is a 20g anemone tank in my workshop and that's done with buckets, changing 3g takes about another 20 minutes.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I keep ASW mixed in a Brute. It only takes a few minutes to siphon out 10 to 20 gallons of tank water and pump in new. That doesn't count the time filling the Brute & mixing ASW every 2-4 weeks. Added all together and averaged, I spend maybe 20 minutes/week on water changes.

 

[brandon429]

Here's my water change, 150%

Duration, 33 mins. duration=air exposure time for drained system

a demo of live rock cycle control. All systems can do this...fish are an obvious exception but I've not seen a coral that can't endure it.
Winner of the toughest water change contest, the fishbowl

don't spoil my fun with Simon Garrat's three hour drain that's not fair lol

how tough are cycling bacteria? Stallone tough

13 yrs worth of coral. Ff the video to see air contact time


12 hours later, no recycle. Pods, micro brittles. Asterina. Coral, coralline all good it's been done tons of times

 

[Reefs and Geeks]

I put 90 minutes because I use a set of peristaltic pumps that work slowly. I do about 750ml/minute for 60-200 minutes. Hands-on time is only about 5 minutes through, assuming the saltwater is already mixed and ready to go. This flow rate allows my heaters to keep up with the incoming water, so no need to pre-heat water. I just plug the pump in and turn on a timer for however long I want it to run, then unplug when It's done. I will eventually take the time to make a timed outlet so I don't have to manually shut it off. Haven't had the motivation for that yet though.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

I never do it in less than a day. But I want to make sure the salt is well mixed/dissolved/aged etc. Also, I only do it every six months or so.

 

[Billdogg]

Sorta depends. If I have to clean the powerheads, I'm in it for about an hour. If all I have to do is change the water (I do 55g between 2 systems) I can be done in 15 minutes

 

[demonspeedn]

It takes me 3 minutes to change 35 gallons of water. Once a month I spend a full afternoon cleaning equipment .

 

[AdamB]

About 15 -20 minutes on my 80 gallon . I use a python to remove water and then pump directly from my mixing tank station 30 feet away .

 

[DaneGer21]

5-10mins

If water is ready to go in my mixing station then all I have to do is crack a valve at my main return pump to empty water to a drain. Then walk 10ft and crack a valve at my mixing station. I do about 30-40gals at a time.

I usually have 110gals of RODI and 110gals of saltwater on hand which I could still change in probably 15-20mins.