What's Your Water Change Process?

[7of9]

I just did a water change and I'm realizing I need to refine my process so that I am more efficient at it, so I'm looking to hear how other people do their routine water changes so I can try new things out. Things like, what equipment do you use that makes it easier? What order do you do things in?

For now...this is my process, so please feel free to point to anything that I could tweak...

1. Mix up salt mix with RO/DI the night before with a pump and heater set to tank temp.
2. Test tank and mixed saltwater salinitiy and adjust if necessary in the morning.
3. Grab towels. Lots of towels.
4. Turn off pumps and lights...basically turn everything off.
5. Stir sand with a bamboo stick. Clean rocks and glass/plastic back as needed with a toothbrush. Pick off hair algae.
6. Siphon 5g of tank water out into empty bucket.
7. Swap filter pad/floss
8. Remove return pump and clean with vinegar, scrubbing with toothbrush. Run it in used tank water bucket to be sure it's rinsed out.
9. Replace return pump, close lid, and plug everything back in.
10. Clean outside of tank and glass.
11. Clean up the big mess I just made and pour out used tank water.
12. Test salinity. In 12-24 hours, I do my weekly tank parameter tests.

Thoughts/ideas?

 

[jkcoral]

You don’t need to clean the return pumps every time you do a water change. Would probably save you a good bit of time and less of a mess to clean up if you just did that every few months!

 

[7of9]

You don’t need to clean the return pumps every time you do a water change. Would probably save you a good bit of time and less of a mess to clean up if you just did that every few months!

I mainly do that once a month, but included it in the process. Thanks!

 

[bushdoc]

Looks good to me.Cleaning pumps need to be done only every few months, or so.
Each salt has different mixing recommendations, some can be used 15 min after mixing, some 2 h or 24 h and pro-biotic salt need to be added to DT shortly after mixing.

 

[7of9]

Looks good to me.Cleaning pumps need to be done only every few months, or so.
Each salt has different mixing recommendations, some can be used 15 min after mixing, some 2 h or 24 h and pro-biotic salt need to be added to DT shortly after mixing.

I'm using Red Sea blue bucket. No pro-biotics as far as I know.

 

[apb03]

I think I've got to the point where I feel my Water Change setup is dialed in. I have a mixing station with 2 50 gal drums. Every water change is about 20-25 gallons, so the night before when I have to create a new batch (twice a month) and my reservoir is nearly empty, I run my RO setup, make sure I have a full container of clean RO water and add a full bag of salt (50gal per bag, 4 in each box) and let my heater get it to temp. It always comes out to about 36ppt. No measuring is needed.

Then I turn off my battery backup, run my Python upstairs, connect it to my sink and remove 20-25 gal, then connect to the mixing station pump and send up the same amount of new water. 10-minutes tops.

I try to do one section of my sump every other water change.

 

[StatelineReefer]

I just did a water change and I'm realizing I need to refine my process so that I am more efficient at it, so I'm looking to hear how other people do their routine water changes so I can try new things out. Things like, what equipment do you use that makes it easier? What order do you do things in?

For now...this is my process, so please feel free to point to anything that I could tweak...

1. Mix up salt mix with RO/DI the night before with a pump and heater set to tank temp.
2. Test tank and mixed saltwater salinitiy and adjust if necessary in the morning.

1.4lbs per 5 gallons is exactly 1.026sg. all the time, every time.

3. Grab towels. Lots of towels.
4. Turn off pumps and lights...basically turn everything off.

I let it all run, but I add fresh salt to my overflow with a small pump to save on backbreaking. Well, I did before I got an AWC.

5. Stir sand with a bamboo stick. Clean rocks and glass/plastic back as needed with a toothbrush. Pick off hair algae.
6. Siphon 5g of tank water out into empty bucket.

You can combine this into the same step if you get one of those siphon hoses with the tube attached, It'll draw the stuff out of the sand if you stir it close while siphoning.

7. Swap filter pad/floss
8. Remove return pump and clean with vinegar, scrubbing with toothbrush. Run it in used tank water bucket to be sure it's rinsed out.

Citric acid. Vinegar eats seals and swells magnets. Regular canning supply citric acid works great.

9. Replace return pump, close lid, and plug everything back in.
10. Clean outside of tank and glass.
11. Clean up the big mess I just made and pour out used tank water.
12. Test salinity. In 12-24 hours, I do my weekly tank parameter tests.

Thoughts/ideas?

All the rest of this is pretty standard. Great routine!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I mix my water usually less than 1 hour. I test salinity and thats it, 10% change of parameters won't affect anything overall.

Lots of towels, always important.

I press a button to shut everything off except for the lights, those stay on. Before I had the hydros, I connected all the gear to one power bar that I can unplug for water changes. It should be that easy, one button or one plug for everything.

I use a turkey baster to blast the rocks, scrape the glass, then siphon the water. Add new water.

Done. Clean the outside glass and clean my mess.

The return pump gets cleaned every 6 months or so. Gyres get cleaned about every 3-4 months

Water change now takes me less than 30 minutes, I usually prepare and drain the tank while the new water is mixing.

 

[7of9]

1.4lbs per 5 gallons is exactly 1.026sg. all the time, every time.

I let it all run, but I add fresh salt to my overflow with a small pump to save on backbreaking. Well, I did before I got an AWC.

You can combine this into the same step if you get one of those siphon hoses with the tube attached, It'll draw the stuff out of the sand if you stir it close while siphoning.

Citric acid. Vinegar eats seals and swells magnets. Regular canning supply citric acid works great.

All the rest of this is pretty standard. Great routine!

Once I get my power strip up, I'm going to start figuring out an AWC system. That is going to be awesome!

I'll switch to citric acid next WC. I also do have that end on my tube to sift gravel/sand, so I'll start using that.

Thanks!

 

[exnisstech]

I premix in a brute container and keep it full at all times. Drain water out and pour new water in. No sand to stir. Up stairs I do 7 gallons in one tank and 4 gallons another. I use buckets and carry them as it's one of the few ways I get excersize. In the basement I drain 20g out and pump 20g back in. I rarely clean pumps

 

[7of9]

I'm also thinking I want a second return pump. That way, I have a backup if mine breaks and I can just swap them for cleaning.

 

[7of9]

I premix in a brute container and keep it full at all times. Drain water out and pour new water in. No sand to stir. Up stairs I do 7 gallons in one tank and 4 gallons another. I use buckets and carry them as it's one of the few ways I get excersize. In the basement I drain 20g out and pump 20g back in. I rarely clean pumps

That's a great workout routine! I just have a 32g, so my water changes are a lot less volume. That plus a spine that is mostly titanium. But...I like the idea of you making your water change also workout time!

 

[StatelineReefer]

That plus a spine that is mostly titanium.

 

[djf91]

I wouldn’t stir the sand into the water column. Either siphon it or don’t touch it. There’s evidence that there are some pathogenic bacteria that live in the sand bed and could irritate corals if liberated.

 

[jkcoral]

Citric acid. Vinegar eats seals and swells magnets. Regular canning supply citric acid works great

Spot on.

I like to get the big bags (a pound or two) off Amazon for like $12. Lasts a long, long time!

 

[CasperOe]

I rarely touch my sand; i think about once every 3 months or so. I have a 750 L water container (equivalent to a 25kg bucket of salt). I mix up when it's empty.

I run Triton on my big tank and try to avoid any water changes. The ones I do is done using a Neptune DOS pump.

As for my 3 x Nano tanks, I change (manually for now) 20% each week religiously as they are fairly new. I will add a DOS pump with a bit of magic line up and some valves here and there to to auto water changes on these.

 

[soreefed]

I like using this electric pump for water changes.

Battery-Operated Liquid Transfer Pump

Amazing deals on this Transfer Pump Battery Operated at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Floyd-]

I find my tank does better when I just pull water out and refill again. I try to keep my poking the rocks and sand to an absolute minimum unless needed.
One button to shut off ATO and return pump, drain out 5g then fill 5g then flip the switch again and then dump the old water out. Maybe 15 minutes total.

 

[907_Reefer]

I like using this electric pump for water changes.

Battery-Operated Liquid Transfer Pump

Amazing deals on this Transfer Pump Battery Operated at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I have one of these as well but I only use it sparingly (I've used it twice), on RODI only, as the plastics are not HDPE - mine lists the main materials as P.P., P.E., ACETAL, as it's designed for automotive applications (gas, diesel, etc). Something to keep in mind.

 

[soreefed]

I have one of these as well but I only use it sparingly (I've used it twice), on RODI only, as the plastics are not HDPE - mine lists the main materials as P.P., P.E., ACETAL, as it's designed for automotive applications (gas, diesel, etc). Something to keep in mind.

Yeah I considered that, but it’s in the water for a really short period of time and this one is advertised for aquarium usage, whether or not that means much I don’t know.