Buckets

[minkin]

So I can store my rodi water, I have a 50g bag of salt so I can use that.

What size tank are you running and how much do you change every how often?

 

[Phranque]

As long as you've got lids on the buckets, you can store RODI nearly indefinitely..... it's pure water.

I've got a 28g nano-cube reef.... I do two four gallon water changes a week, but that's because I have fish in there with my corals, so I do mine a little more often than most to keep nutrients down. If your going to keep just a few fish without coral, you'll probably be OK with a weekly 5 gallon change.

 

[minkin]

Yes I'm doing a fowlr tank. What livestock have you got in the 28g?

 

[Phranque]

An Ocellaris clown and a Six-line wrasse, plus CUC (clean-up crew).... snails & hermits.

Here's an older pic, haven't uploaded any recently, and the lights are off. Tank's about 9 months old now... this was taken about 6-8 weeks ago, I think.....

 

[MMantelli]

Man am I behind times I use the same three 5g buckets to drain and fill all 3 soon to be 4 of my tanks. LoL.

 

[minkin]

Phranque


How much live rock have you got in there?

 

[Phranque]

Man am I behind times I use the same three 5g buckets to drain and fill all 3 soon to be 4 of my tanks. LoL.

Probably OK, but I'm really anal about things like that..... I keep six buckets that only get RODI water in them, a few buckets that are only used for saltwater, a few that are only used for freshwater, and a seperate stack in the corner that are only used with the QT tank when it's running, to avoid any cross-contamination should there happen to be ich or anything else in there. IMO, especially when it comes to a reef, nothing that touches the QT tank should come in contact with the DT... nets, siphon hoses, buckets, heaters, filtration.... nothing.

 

[Phranque]

Phranque


How much live rock have you got in there?

If I remember correctly, that's about 32lbs of Real Reef.

 

[baron1282]

Just a tip. I use "Home Depot" buckets because I think their lids are easier to pull off once you put them on to store the water.

I have a 55 gallon tank, and I don't warm my water up. I know I should have it to tank level, but I only do 5 gallon weekly water changes, and the temp does not drop but one degree when I change mine. Of course my water is room temp, so it's not freezing cold.

 

[MMantelli]

Just a tip. I use "Home Depot" buckets because I think their lids are easier to pull off once you put them on to store the water.

I have a 55 gallon tank, and I don't warm my water up. I know I should have it to tank level, but I only do 5 gallon weekly water changes, and the temp does not drop but one degree when I change mine. Of course my water is room temp, so it's not freezing cold.

And the ace hardware lids have a gasket in them that's what I use all my tanks are close enough to a window or a drain, I have 2 main buckets for filling and 1 bucket for rinsing out filter media.

 

[Crystal A]

I use and have used two old 10l mayonnaise buckets for gosh probably 8 years now. Got them at work for free and they haven't done me wrong so far.

 

[minkin]

Mantelli


So you recommend the ace hardware buckets?

 

[MMantelli]

I reccomend this lid from ace hardware.




Note the fatty o-ring.

 

[baron1282]

Home Depot has the same lid, so it comes down to whatever is cheaper.

 

[MMantelli]

Sure does lowes just had cheap lids. They cojldnt even hold the weight of a stack of 3 buckets without cracking. LoL

 

[minkin]

I got the food grade buckets and the lids you see that are very tight and got like a special tool to get them off aswell.

 

[baron1282]

Minkin

Home Depot buckets hold water very well. I had my Home Depot buckets filled to the top in my car's trunk and back seat (All 10 buckets worth of water), and not a single drop of water was in my car, even after driving for 40 miles home.

 

[minkin]

Sounds good baron. Shame they don't do bigger ones like 10g or 15g it would make it much easier.

 

[MMantelli]

I'm half tempted to get a food grade 55g water drum and drop a submersible in it to fill my tanks with, or run a line from my well into my livingroom with a short hose on the end. LoL. I'm getting tired of hauling bickets. Haha

 

[Phranque]

Sounds good baron. Shame they don't do bigger ones like 10g or 15g it would make it much easier.

Yeah, until you take into account that a 10g bucket of water would weigh almost 86 pounds, plus the bucket itself.........