Water Change: What's the average time it takes you? Tips and tricks...

What is the average time to complete a water change in your reef aquarium? (exclude mixing the salt)

  • 30 min or less

    Votes: 465 45.6%
  • 1 hour or less

    Votes: 345 33.8%
  • 2 hours or less

    Votes: 133 13.0%
  • 3 hours or less

    Votes: 20 2.0%
  • 5 hours or less

    Votes: 11 1.1%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 46 4.5%

  • Total voters
    1,020

WvAquatics

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 29, 2019
Messages
1,480
Reaction score
1,085
Location
Charleston
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Has anyone done something similar to what Reefdudes doing? I just ordered all the supplies, I'm hoping it makes our cleaning and water change go quicker.


That's a great idea for deep cleaning sand bed but not totally a water change. To remove and replenish minerals to water you would still have to remove water and add new water.
 

DSEKULA

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Messages
909
Reaction score
1,614
Location
Earth
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Aquarium Water Change (revhtree's definition) - Making your aquarium water better by removing some nasty stuff from your water and replenishing it with some good stuff. Your corals and fish will really like it. :p

Now that we know it helps by removing bad stuff and adding good stuff let's talk about how long it takes you and any tips and tricks you might have!

1. What is the average time it takes you to complete a water change in your reef aquarium? (exclude the salt mixing time)

2. How many gallons of water do you change normally and how many gallons is your total aquarium volume?

3. What are some tips and tricks you have learned over the years to make changing out your water easier and faster?



From @saltyhog: "My home made method for attaching the clear tubing that sends new salt water to the tank."
Water change fitting.jpg

Other,
Ato water change. My rodi fills a brute I keep a months worth of water on hand. there is a manual valve on the brute but also a float so I don't have to sit and watch it I toss I toss in Salt and come back later to check that it mixed to the correct sg and close the valve.
 

BighohoReef

A reefer in need is a friend indeed!
View Badges
Joined
Apr 14, 2020
Messages
3,997
Reaction score
11,354
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That's a great idea for deep cleaning sand bed but not totally a water change. To remove and replenish minerals to water you would still have to remove water and add new water.
True it isn't really water change, though normally we do vacuum as part of the water change. Figured that was a good way to remove detritus as we remove water from the sump for the change. Suppose I should have added that in :)
 

WvAquatics

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 29, 2019
Messages
1,480
Reaction score
1,085
Location
Charleston
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
But in theory it would be a great way to clean and polish water. Wonder if you could de charge the sediment filter for a further removal of things.
 

Sleepydoc

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Messages
1,423
Reaction score
1,269
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It depends on what/how much I do.

If I just do a quick 15 gallon water change on my 120 + 40b sump I can do it in 20 minutes. I have a couple valves on the return pump so use the return pump to fill up three 5 gallon buckets and then use a maxi jet to pump water back into the sump.

If I want to clean the sand bed, siphon detritus, etc it takes a bit longer.

The biggest key is to have most of what you use/need already set up so there's no setup time. For something like water changes that you do frequently it behoves you to make it as easy as possible.

For removing water, using the return pump is the most efficient setup. If you can have a hose straight to the drain, great. otherwise a hose to fill your buckets will make it easier. The same applies to adding water back. I have a maxi jet pump permanently plugged in on a switch and ready and use it to add both DI water to my ATO as well as for water changes.
 

andrewy

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 14, 2020
Messages
14
Reaction score
14
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
For those that use automatic water changes, do you have to vacuum the tank as well? Your pumps and auto water change equipment would put me in the poor house. haha. Would love to get something like that set up.
 

DeniseAndy

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
7,802
Reaction score
10,696
Location
Milford, Ohio
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I had to put other. Mainly because it depends on what I am doing with the water change and which system.

My 6g I can move to a whole other tank and fully clean in 10 minutes. However, going through the sand to track down all the snails and such can take me 15-20min. If I just change water, couple minutes to drain and fill via a pump.

My 40g/20g does not take long either unless I decide, there is too much algae or need to scrape this or move that or whatever else distracts me. It can take me up to 2hrs when I decide to remove everything, do 100% water change and scrub tank. That is not often though. Lately it takes 20 minutes.

Now my 210g. Well, depends on if I am doing a sump clean or a sand clean or an algae clean. Can take me anywhere from 30 minutes or less to 2 hours or more.

I take my water change time as a way to spend time with myself and go into a zone. Alone at last. I like the manual work of it actually. That is why I have never gone for AWC.
 

sfin52

So many pedestrians so little time
View Badges
Joined
Jun 19, 2016
Messages
24,093
Reaction score
101,839
Location
Usa
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Two tanks
90 gallon tank 10g a week 20 min at the most
55 fowlr 5g week this one takes me about 35 ha to deal with.
 

jd371

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Messages
2,108
Reaction score
2,118
Location
Long Island, New York
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have two tanks , the main is a 75g and the other 20g is in my workshop. I do biweekly wc's on both. The day before I mix in a 20g Brute for both tanks. I drain about 4g into a bucket for the workshop tank and the wc is done in about 30 min. to siphon and pump water back into the tank using buckets.
On the main 75g I use the Python to drain about 15g into a slop sink in the laundry room and pump from the laundry room what remains in the Brute back into the main tank in the other room, about 30 min. for this tank as well.
 

chaoticreefer

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 23, 2014
Messages
237
Reaction score
192
Location
Southern California
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Several hinted at this, but I am finding what some people call a water change, isn't a water change. It is just part of the water change. To be inclusive you need to include mixing time, getting water to the correct temp, moving water to the ATO if you have one, clean up, clean the glass because water dripped on it, wipe the floor...

I disagree, "water change" to me is when you start putting things into danger, that starts when you start shutting things (return pumps, powerheads, etc) down in your tank or start putting risk into system (such as activation of automatic wc system). There's no risk in making RODI, mixing salt, raising temperature, etc. That part is called "prepping for a wc", in my opinion.
 
Last edited:

tdlawdo

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 4, 2018
Messages
2,327
Reaction score
13,613
Location
Elizabethtown, KY
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
AWC nightly of 3.5 gallons and that makes it rare for me to have to does calcium and mag. Alk daily however. SPS heavy tank with nice coral growth. It’s a WaterBox 230.6 so about 180 gallons of total system water volume. So that is about l14% per week. I do then clean the sand every couple of months which takes about an hour all tolled but not much water being changed there.
 

tdlawdo

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 4, 2018
Messages
2,327
Reaction score
13,613
Location
Elizabethtown, KY
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
For those that use automatic water changes, do you have to vacuum the tank as well? Your pumps and auto water change equipment would put me in the poor house. haha. Would love to get something like that set up.
I do some sand vacuum but not too often. It sure I have to as much as I just do it. I don’t have a deep sand bed at all
 

tyryfin

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 21, 2017
Messages
47
Reaction score
60
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
1. What is the average time it takes you to complete a water change in your reef aquarium? (exclude the salt mixing time)

Every Sunday add salt to 50 gallon barrel, let APEX and DOS do the rest

2. How many gallons of water do you change normally and how many gallons is your total aquarium volume?

7 Gallons a day, 700 gallons

3. What are some tips and tricks you have learned over the years to make changing out your water easier and faster?


Invest in an APEX an DOS best money I ever spent
 

TriggerFinger

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 12, 2018
Messages
4,509
Reaction score
16,110
Location
St. Louis
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Soooo... it should take less than 30 mins... however, it takes me a lot long because I get distracted.

Typical water change is as followed

90 gallons of water: 9-14 gallons of water changed every week.

I have a 7 gallon jug and I use a manual siphon to remove the water.

Start the siphon and suction the top layer of sand
sand clogs the filter on siphon, stop siphon to remove sand, start siphon over
siphon wont start over still clogged, clear and try again, okay now working start siphon again, suction rest of sand
...did I turn off the ATO (no... I never do...)
what is that fish doing, why is he acting that way
is it "insert some deadly fish related disease here"
Better google it. Googling...googling..googling
OMG I forgot to stop the siphon, water on floor.
Stop siphon carry 7 gallon jug (58 pounds) outside and dump in yard
Start siphon again, balance precariously under power head
back to google... doesn't seem to be "insert some deadly fish related disease here"
is that bubble algae? Where did that come from? I wonder if I can get it really quick... aww man I popped the bubbles
Jugs not entirely full... but I spilled some water on the floor last time so better stop now.
Stop siphon carry 6 gallon jug (50 pounds) outside and dump in yard.
Go down to basement, fill clean 7 gallon jug with saltwater from mixing station and carry upstairs.
Stop halfway up to breath heavily and swear I'm going to go back to the gym soon
dump into the sump... I can't lift that up enough to dump in tank... turn on pump
...did I turn off the skimmer (no... skimmer overflowing)
Go down to basement, fill 7 gallon jug with saltwater from mixing station and carry upstairs.
Stop halfway up to breath heavily and debate the cost to have pump and hose bring the water up for me
dump into the sump
Stare at tank for 20 minuets until my husband walks by and asks why the floor is wet
Wipe up floor go to bed

...3 days later... did I turn the ATO and skimmer back on
;Hilarious ;Hilarious ;Hilarious ;Hilarious
Exactly this...but throw two kids in the mix. One asking 25 questions per minute and the other one crying because he’s not being held. And also add in that I left the rodi on two days ago and the sump pump in my basement has been keeping my basement from flooding.
 

homer1475

Figuring out the hobby one coral at a time.
View Badges
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
11,820
Reaction score
18,897
Location
Way upstate NY
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
90G total water volume, 10G weekly water change takes me like 10 minutes.

When I built my sump I made the first chamber 10 gallons. I have a pump in that chamber and just hook up a hose(using banjo fittings) to run from my tank to the kitchen sink. Press a button on the apex that turns the pump on, suck out 10G's. Then I just grab another hose that's connected to my mixing station, and pump 10G's back in.

Of course once a month I do maintenance too(clean pumps, siphon the sandbed, etc), this usually takes me about an hour on top of the weekly WC.
 

RichReef

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Messages
1,076
Reaction score
3,378
Location
Wilmington, DE
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It takes about 5 minutes to actually change the water. I have 2 brute cans with wheels that both have overflows that flow into my sump and 1/4 inch RO line siphon from the DT into the brute can.

Takes about 10 minutes to empty the old brute can, wipe it, and fill it with new water. Just add salt and a circulation pump.
 

Cstar_BC

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Messages
724
Reaction score
1,290
Location
Vancouver BC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
240 gallon gets 15%
60 gallon gets 25%

1 bucket manually with gravel vac and clean the sand bed

the rest - sump pump attached to garden hose down laundry sink or onto gravel outside to kill weeds

water from brute can to tank using sump pump as well.
 

Boomer52

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 16, 2019
Messages
40
Reaction score
86
Location
Orange County, Taxifornia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I checked 2 hours or less. It actually takes about an hour and 15 minutes. 80 gallon tank and oversized sump. Actual water volume is 80 gallons. Sump makes up for water displaced by rocks in DT. I change 10 gallons once a month. The only reason it takes this long is I have to go to my LFS to buy the new water. I don't mix my own. The LFS I go to is meticulous about mixing their water. They have a large RODI system and say they mix it to 1.024. Every time I check a new batch it is right on. Of course, some of the time is spent looking around the store while they are filling the containers.
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

WHICH OF THESE CREEPY REEF CRITTERS IS MOST LIKELY TO GIVE YOU NIGHTMARES? (PICTURED IN THE THREAD)

  • The Bobbit Worm

    Votes: 47 67.1%
  • The Goblin Shark

    Votes: 4 5.7%
  • The Sea Wolf

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Giant Spider Crabs

    Votes: 1 1.4%
  • The Stargazer Fish

    Votes: 5 7.1%
  • The Giant Isopod

    Votes: 8 11.4%
  • The Giant Squid

    Votes: 1 1.4%
  • Other (Please explain!)

    Votes: 4 5.7%
Back
Top