Evaporation / Topping Off / Water Changes 55gal

[surjer]

Hey guys - I am just curious what methods are recomended for doing the above mentioned tasks. I will tell you what I am doing right now and you guys tell me how to make my life easier.

I have a 55 gallon tank with 90lbs LR and a 20 gallon tank with 20lbs of LR. I have a Aqualife PC setup on my 55 and just a 35 watt florecent on the 20. I live the main lights on for about 8 hours and then leave the actnics on for about an hour or so in the evenings. When I go to bed I turn on the moon lights...

Topping Off...
The 20 gallon tank requires about 1/2gallon top off every 2 days. The 55 gallon requires a gallon top off every day or so. Right now I have 1 gallon jugs of ro/di water I use to top them off.

Water Changes...
I try to change 25% every two weeks but I know I will start to slack off if this doesnt get easier. Right now I fill up my 5 gallon buckets with ro/di water (1 gallon at a time) and then add in the salt. I then throw in a PH and a heater and let it mix up for 24 hours. The next day I drag the bucket over to the tank and get ANOTHER 5 gallon bucket. I siphon out the 5 gallons empty the jug into the yard and then go siphon out another 10 gallons. Then ANOTHER 5 gallons. Then I have to lift up the stupid 5 gallon bucket of new water and dump it in. Then the next bucket, then the final bucket. This takes me about 2 hours the first day and about 2 hours the second day. Which basically kills my weekend lol!!!

Is there a better way????

 

[roka64]

Easies way, get a bigger trash bucket with wheels on it....makes things so much easier, plus you can use a ph to fill the tank back up.

 

[ezy33]

For water changes, I use a power head and a hose to pump sw from a 60 gallon mixing drum (on wheels) to the tank. The same PH for draining attached to a garden hose. I send the used sw down the drain, as yard plants will die from sw. To control the PH I plug it into a plug strip with a on off switch. I still lug around 5 gallon jugs for top offs.

 

[Ziggy953]

I agree with Scott. If you have the means to keep a 32gallon trash can with the wheeled base on it you will be a much happier person. I change 32 gallons of water out on my system every other week, it takes me an hour. I was doing the 5g bucket thing once upon a time and then I decied I wanted to have a back when I turn 50 so I spent $10 at walmart for a trashcan. I got the wheeled dolly from a friend and the trashcan sits right no it.

 

[melosu58]

Sorry I still do both the old fashion way, just like you are doing now.

 

[roka64]

I got mine from lowes and bought the little wheels that screw in the bottom.

 

[surjer]

Awesome advice guys.. I just have to figure out how to connect some hoses to a powerhead to pump water... (Maybe your talking about a different kind of pump? I have an extra PH I dont use in the tank...

Melosu - Did you go to OSU? Just curious - I just moved down here from Dayton a year ago... I go up to Richmond frequently to visit relatives.. Only a couple hours away...

 

[roka64]

I just use my extra aqua clear ph.

 

[lando]

I have a 30gal rubbermaid tub that I have fresh RO/DI water in all of the time. I use that for top-offs and FW for mixing with salt. When I do a water change, I have another 30gal tub that I mix in next to the tank. I haul 5 gal buckets of water and dump them in the tub. Add salt and mix. Heat, and circulate for 24-48hrs then use a magdrive 7 pump to move it to the tank once I remove the old SW during a water change.

 

[cmor1701d]

I have a 45 gal Brute trash can with a MJ1200 connected to a JBJ-AT1 auto topoff controller for my top offs. That gets filled about every 3 weeks. I have a 30 gallon tank that I fill with RODI water and mix in my salt (heater and ph in the tank). I use the ph inthe tank to pump water to the main tank when it's mixed and aerated.
I use a python to the kitchen faucet to empty the 20 gallons I change out.

 

[surjer]

I have a 45 gal Brute trash can with a MJ1200 connected to a JBJ-AT1 auto topoff controller for my top offs. That gets filled about every 3 weeks. I have a 30 gallon tank that I fill with RODI water and mix in my salt (heater and ph in the tank). I use the ph inthe tank to pump water to the main tank when it's mixed and aerated.
I use a python to the kitchen faucet to empty the 20 gallons I change out.

CMOR - Being that this is the beginers section I am sad to admit I dont understand most of your abbreviations...

MJ1200 ?
JBJ-AT1 ?
python ?
auto topoff controller - Which one? I didnt even know this existed...

 

[cmor1701d]

MJ1200 - MaxiJet 1200 power head
JBJ-AT1 - Automatic Top Off System Water Level Controller
python - No Spill Clean And Fill


Each of the definitons links to the product so you can see what it looks like.
I mentioned Brute trash can because all BRUTE by Rubbermaid products are food grade (won't leach anything into the water).

Sorry, the old site had the definition pop up when you moused on any known term. Hope that helps.