Mixing saltwater - need your tips & tricks! I hate this

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mardeebo

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
May 6, 2005
Messages
53
Location
Emerald, WI
I have my 72 gallon tank in my living room (carpeted floor). The nearest sink is about 25 feet away (kitchen sink).

I do have a python, so taking water out of the tank is pretty painless.

I'm just trying to figure out how I should put the water back IN the tank. I also am not the best when it comes to planning ahead (dang that 24 hour wait period after adding the salt mix! :D

So what do you guys do? Can you just have premixed saltwater sitting somewhere (say the basement) or is not good to let it sit too long? How big of a pump would I need to get it from that storage container in the basement all the way up & into my tank? (would be about 50 feet plus up one filight of stairs.)

I also don't have an RO/DI filter (yet) so I have to buy RO water.

Looking for tips & tricks for making this maintenance a bit easier. I should be doing 10% changes weekly, right?

Thanks!
 
Well, I have a 22 gal bucket that's on wheels. Water & salt is mixed with a powerhead for 24+ hours so that it's fully dissolved. Then, when the time comes to do a water change, I syphon fill an identical 22 gal bucket from the main tank to the same level that the freshly mixed water is at, pump the dirty water into the sink, and then pump the clean water into the tank. That way, I know that I'm not adding too much, or wasting any.

As for 50', that's going to be next to impossible. You could try a pool pump... but that would be so expensive and loud... probably not going to be worth it. 8O My biggest suggestion is that you get your ro/di unit and have the outlet hose wired like you would a cable tv wire... along the floor & walls so that it exits into some kind of jug or bucket next to the tank. :wink:

I do 20% water changes every two weeks... less need to pull out my equipment for each time.
 
Bucket on wheels! That's a good upgrade from my 5 gallon pail that I spilled on the floor last night.

The root of the problem is that my hubby is a big-time neat freak. He can't stand seeing things out of place and the rubbermaid container in the laundry room is in the way and "looks bad". Whatever. :roll: He loves the tank though!

So that's why the basement would be the best for mixing up the water. Yet, I don't want to lug 15 gallons of water up & down the stairs. We do have a sump for the basement drain that is no longer needed - could I use that to get the water back up stairs or would the saltwater ruin it? If I did the bucket on wheels thing, it would shorten the distance of the pump from 50 ft to more like 20 feet, including a 12' rise.

I also have a 1 year old son that gets into everything so I can't exactly have a big bucket of water sitting somewhere that he can find & get at somehow.
 
Same with me. 35 gallon garbage can on wheels with it's own return pump. Pump the water out a hose into the tub, drop the return pump into the garbage can and pump the new into the tank.

Water changes have never been easier.
 
Mix the water in a large rubbermaid tub for a day or so right next ot the tank. Use a mag 7 to pump it into the main.
 
44 Gallon Brute with a 100W heater, a mag 9.5 and the lid on loose. I keep the mag 9.5 on a T fitting. One end of the T circulates the pre-made, the other has 20 feet of 1" flex tube controlled by a ball valve. I put the hose in the tank, crank it open and fill it up! When im finished I shut off the flow to the flex and coil it on top of the brutes lid. <works best if the ball valve on the flex line is very close to the discharge of the line so you can shut it off without running across the room, kinda like a firehose>
 
I just have two 5 gallon buckets with lids and a 5 gallon sparklets water jug that i fill with RO water from my machine and i just lift them to the top of the tank and go to town. I guess im just old school. I dont have anyway to store big ass 20 gallon containers. buckets are easily stackable.

Also, is it recommended to let the water sit for 24 hours for reef tanks or for all salt water aquarium ?

I just found 30gal buckets for 51 bucks.
 
I really need to invest in a good pump. I scoop and pour 30 gallons of water from a 32 gallon can, 3 gallons at at time with a bucket. Its literally a pain in the neck!
 
Mag 7 out of the tank into the sink down to the previously measured 20g line. Pump water from the garbage can back into the tank. Takes less than 5 minutes from start to finish. We mix the water for the day before in the dining room but we only do it for the 24 hrs and then back in the garage with it. We keep the RO/DI pre mixed in 5g jugs in the laundry room. I'm lucky in that my hubby doesn't mind :)
 
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