Water Change Ease, Can't have permanent container

[Vanphyre]

Would like to run this idea by you guys. I don't have room to have a large container of salt-water for changes kept up and running and hate lugging buckets back and forth now. Would this work?

Equipment:
- 5 gallon bucket
- Heater
- Maxi-Jet 1200 pump
- 1/2 ID 10 foot tubing.

Procedure:

1) Mix salt with my RO/DI water in bucket. Let Heater and Pump run for 24-hours.
2) Attach tubing to one of the aquarium's existing powerheads to pump water from aquarium into the sink.
3) Attach tubing to pump in bucket to move water to the aquarium.

Sound like it will work? Wanted to check with you all before I bought the Maxi-Jet pump and Heater.

 

[TheRealFF]

I had the same idea of using maxijets as pumps for a homemade fuge. I wonder if they work

 

[DragonForce]

I siphon water out of the tank into a 5g container. Then I set a fresh 5g of salt ontop of the canopy and then siphon it into the tank. I usually do 10gals out 10gals in once every 2 weeks on my 37 LPS reef.

 

[ryguy]

your idea will work provided you have a way to measure the old water being pulled out of the system. You want to replace exactly what you take out.

 

[ColdFish]

I do basically the same thing, but I don't run it to the sink. I bought one of those 2' tall stepladders that i setup in front of the tank. I place my buckets on top of the ladder. This places the bucket lower than the tank, but the powerhead can still function. With the bucket on the floor it wouldn't work so well to pump the new water up into the tank (too much head?) so I went and got the step-ladder.

Only thing I can think of is that you might run into a similar problem depending on how long the hose run is from the tank to the sink. Also, I only had a spare penguin 660 PH laying around and figured this would be a good dedicated use for it as I don't like the penguin PH's. With a MJ-1200 it sounds like it should work great

 

[Vanphyre]

Thanks for the feedback! Yea, I want to make this as painless as possible. With only a 46-gallon tank I just need to do a 5-gallon water change. Like mentioned by Ryguy, that makes it easy to measure how much in and out. With the new method I will have to identify a mark on the tank as to how much 5 gallons is.

I also lose a lot to evaporation during the week and have to top off prior to a water change. (no lid on tank). So much work!

 

[ryguy]

do you have a RO unit?

 

[cmor1701d]

Are you only replacing the evaporated water prior to a change?
What is the SG before replacement and after?

If your sink is lower than the tank the MJ-1200 should work fine on a 10' run. From a 2' stepladder it will also work fine to replace the water in the tank. The MJ are great little PH's but they are not pumps.

I have 3 marks on my tank side. They are 10, 20 and 30 gallons so I can a PWC at any of those levels.

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[Vanphyre]

Yes, I have a RO/DI unit. Been using it for a few weeks now, Nitrates have never been better.

Can I top off straight from my RO/DI unit? I ask this because the water is cold.

I am just replacing evaporated water with straight RO/DI water prior to doing a water change. I.e. The day before.

SG in the tank is around 1.023. I keep the same in my water change container.

 

[tecwzrd]

Can I top off straight from my RO/DI unit? I ask this because the water is cold.

Yes, for a 46 gal tank that’s OK. If your water temp difference is greater then 20 degrees I would heat it up prior to adding to match the main but anything less isn’t going affect your tank temp with just adding the 1-3 qt needed for top off. Also if you haven’t topped off for a long time (ie: vacation) and are adding more then usual I would also heat it.

My only concern with your plan to add water to the sink is what is the sink used for? If it’s for doing dishes or if any other chemicals ever have come in contact I would not even think about using it. If the sink is chemical free then why not just mix the salt and heat right in the sink?

I know you said a permanent storage solution is not possible but what about a 30 gal trash can on wheels? I got mine from HD for about $45 and keep it in the coat closet hooked up to a ph and heater at all times so I can just roll it out to do pwc of 6 gal each week on my 55 gal tank.

 

[Vanphyre]

Nice, I will buy a longer tube to run from my RO/DI straight to the tank for top offs! Thanks.

I was just using the guest bathroom sink / toilet to dump the old water into. The tank is in our upstairs near the guest bath. I have only been using a dedicated bucket to add water to the tank.

Due to the location being upstairs, all carpeted, with bedrooms / bathrooms, there really isn't anywhere to store a trash can to keep full. This is an excellent idea too and wish I can find a way to do it. It sucks mixing individual buckets every week when I could have one big master container that lasts a while. This is the only good location for our tank so that it isn't located on an Outside wall (I hear this is very bad for tanks to maintain a constant temp).

 

[tecwzrd]

Another option is to buy a 15-20 gal plastic trashcan so you can mix it all at once and just transfer water from that to your 5 gal bucket using a pitcher. While still heavy it’s a little more manageable and can be hid more easily.

Keeping your tank on an outside wall usually doesn’t affect temp that much as long as it’s insulated. The main thing is to avoid keeping it near windows that get frequent sunlight due to the excessive algae build up it can cause.

For maintaining temp the use of one or two heaters (5W per gal) is recommended and set it for the max temp during the day so it doesn’t fluctuate at night. I keep my tank around 78-79 but anywhere from 75-82 is OK. Main thing is to keep it steady and to not let it fluctuate more then 2 degrees at any time if possible and if you need to raise it only do so 1 degree per 4 hours.

For heaters I like the titanium heaters from WON Pro-Heat & Via Aqua.

 

[Vanphyre]

I'm going to make a trip to the store to look at those trashcans to get an idea of size. I may be able to store something in one of the other bathroom's linen closets. Is it safe to keep something in a closet with the electrical for the heater and powerhead running in there?

Thanks tecwzrd, going to bookmark those links! I'll look around the house to see if there is a better spot.....although I am not anxious to go through all the work to move it. hahahaha.

 

[Brenden]

Your plan will definitely work. I have had that setup for a while. I have the waste water plumbed into the sewer. My WC tank is in the garage so I have a 50 ft hose that I just pull in the house for WC's. One thing to consider is I keep a pump running 24/7 pulling water from the bottom of the tank and pumping it to the top. The hose at the top is about 12" from the water level so it is constantly breaking the water surface and keeping the water oxygenated. I do not run heaters until 24 hours before my WC. I do not measure the water I dump since my tank is 300 gallons and I normally do 200 gallon WC's. A WC only takes me about 15 minutes and that is only because I am waiting on the water to pump back into the tank. PS. Do not keep your WC container sealed unless you oxygenate the water for at least 24 hrs prior to WC.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/download.php?id=17466

 

[tecwzrd]

Brenden nailed it with the surface agitation and going coverless. As far as heating I personally always have the water heated at all times only because I like the fact that I can do a 50+% pwc at any time if a couple of snails die on me and cause a slight nh3 spike which has happened.

Of course heating 24 hours prior to using is fine as well and probably a little safer. I do keep my heater on top of base rock to keep the heater from possibly melting my plastic trashcan and I always use GFCI for safety.