How do you guys do water changes?

Recife · 04/27/2006, 04:41 PM

Just wondering how you guys do water changes. Do you stop the pumps and take water out of the display tank and put it back there too or do you use the sump?

I'm trying to figure out what the best way to do that is without disturbing the tank inhabitants.

Thanks
P.

shoddyk · 04/27/2006, 04:50 PM

I have a 125 gallon reef tank with a 60 gallon sump below. I turn all my pumps off and display tank drain into the sump. My display tank will drain down to the lowest part of the return lines of the display tank. The sump fills up and I do the water change from that water.

mystikdragon7 · 04/27/2006, 04:51 PM

I turn everything off and take water out of the main tank. I then add the water back into the sump while the pump is turned back on.

Recife · 04/27/2006, 04:56 PM

shoddyk, by doing that you get a lot of micro bubbles once you turn the pump back on, right? Do your fish and corals not get annoyed?

funman1 · 04/27/2006, 05:08 PM

I have a nano tank.
I use a maxi jet to drain 5 gallons of water from the nano
and then use the maxi to fill back up the tank from the mixed new water in a different 5 gallon bucket.

Using the pumps to move the water is so much easier than trying to use cups or pour buckets..

fareforce · 04/27/2006, 05:17 PM

All I do is leave everything running, turn a valve on my return, and it will start to pump water into a 5 gallon bucket. Then when done close the valve, turn on a maxijet that pump water back into my sump. BTW my return line has a "T" in it.

Scuba_Dave · 04/27/2006, 05:18 PM

I do the same as shoddyk
I just about pump the sump dry - about 40g
I do get some bubbles at 1st - but not too bad
And not anything that you would not see after a short power outage or when you need to shut the pump off to clean it.

CrOsSwIrE · 04/27/2006, 05:29 PM

I had a hole drilled about 1/2 of the way down my tank specifically for water changes.

skeeter_ca · 04/27/2006, 07:58 PM

I have three different methods. I have a pump in my sump. I flip a switch it comes on and start taking water out and to a drain about 30 ft away. I can take 4 gals out without disturbing anything in the tank. If I shut the pump off it can remove 14 gals with any additional work on my part. If a want to change even more i use a small hose to siphon water from the tank into the overflow, which goes into the sump. Once i remove the desired amount of water i turn that pump off and flip another which pumps pre-mixed SW from a vat in my garage 40' away into my sump. When the level reaches high enough i turn the main pump back on. Easy, almost fun!

Palancar · 04/27/2006, 08:27 PM

I have a large sump in the basement with a "workbench" over top of it where my new 20 gal acclimates. When ready, I leave everything on and just drop a mag7 into the sump and pump out 20 gal (about half the sump volume). Then gravity feed the new 20 gal to the sump.

lvpd186 · 04/27/2006, 08:36 PM

Call me old fashion, but I just use some tubing to syphon out some water. At the same time I try and syphon out as much nasty stuff as possible. When enough water has been removed I add new water to the display tank. I was under the impression that as long as you need to do water changes you might as well try and take out the bad stuff, instead of just dumping clear water.

AquaReeferMan · 04/28/2006, 01:22 AM

I do the same as lvpd186. Although I use a maxijet 1200 to pump water back into my tank.

r0bin · 04/28/2006, 09:09 AM

Stupid question, but how do you use a maxi jet to put water back into the tank?

bad santa · 04/28/2006, 02:25 PM

I shut off my pumps and close my drain valve shut. I then siphon out 5 gals. at a time into a five gallon bucket. I have my 35 gal Rubbermaid ready with my salt water in it. I have a Rio 1700 with a hose running into the tank and a spray bar at the end. When the water is pumping back up, I get no bubbles and it seems it doesn't disturb anything in the tank.

Recife · 04/28/2006, 02:45 PM

bad santa, I like that idea. It seems to be the easiest way really.
Except that I still need to buy a pump now for doing it

jawaiianmon · 04/28/2006, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by r0bin
Stupid question, but how do you use a maxi jet to put water back into the tank?

I put the maxijet in the bucket of new water and attach tubing that goes to the tank. It is pretty convenient.

Dischirm · 04/28/2006, 03:22 PM

My tank is in my living room, so I have 50ft of 3/4 inch inside diameter tubing that i stick into the tank and put the other end into the bathtub and start the syphon to drain out about 20 gallons. Then I take the end of the hose from the bathtub and connect that to my RO water that I store in a 33 gallon garbage can in my back room that has a mag7 in it. Attach the tubing to the outflow on the mag7 and turn it on. Takes about 10 minutes to change the water in my 100 gallon tank! Super Easy! (I used to use buckets)

Avast Marine · 04/28/2006, 03:40 PM

I have a drain on by overflow. Turn pumps off. Close main drain. Open WC drain. Pump new slightly cooler water into tank. Cold water falls, old warm water rises and exits out overflow to floor drain. Quiet One 1200 does the work both mixing and pumping while I learn stuff on RC

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04/27/2006, 04:41 PM	#1
Recife Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bellevue - WA Posts: 282	How do you guys do water changes? Just wondering how you guys do water changes. Do you stop the pumps and take water out of the display tank and put it back there too or do you use the sump? I'm trying to figure out what the best way to do that is without disturbing the tank inhabitants. Thanks P.

04/27/2006, 04:51 PM	#3
mystikdragon7 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mill Creek, WA Posts: 1,051	I turn everything off and take water out of the main tank. I then add the water back into the sump while the pump is turned back on. __________________ Patience is a vitrue Current Tank Info: 60gal reef, 2 175 watt MH, 2 95 watt VHO Actinics, 20 gal sump; 30gal FOWLR, pair of B&W baby perculas

04/27/2006, 05:08 PM	#5
funman1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 4,898	I have a nano tank. I use a maxi jet to drain 5 gallons of water from the nano and then use the maxi to fill back up the tank from the mixed new water in a different 5 gallon bucket. Using the pumps to move the water is so much easier than trying to use cups or pour buckets.. __________________ Professional Pyro: NO REALLY; I get PAID to blow stuff up!! ~Steve~ Current Tank Info: 12G NANO

04/27/2006, 05:17 PM	#6
fareforce Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Anchorage, AK (Alaska) Home of the frozen weasel Posts: 1,811	All I do is leave everything running, turn a valve on my return, and it will start to pump water into a 5 gallon bucket. Then when done close the valve, turn on a maxijet that pump water back into my sump. BTW my return line has a "T" in it. __________________ It's not my fault!!! It was an I.D.ten.T. thing.. Gosh!!!! (ID10T) --------------------------------------------- Click the red house to see my current build thread! Current Tank Info: Current Project. 110 gallon starphire.

04/27/2006, 07:58 PM	#9
skeeter_ca Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Yucaipa, CA Posts: 1,007	I have three different methods. I have a pump in my sump. I flip a switch it comes on and start taking water out and to a drain about 30 ft away. I can take 4 gals out without disturbing anything in the tank. If I shut the pump off it can remove 14 gals with any additional work on my part. If a want to change even more i use a small hose to siphon water from the tank into the overflow, which goes into the sump. Once i remove the desired amount of water i turn that pump off and flip another which pumps pre-mixed SW from a vat in my garage 40' away into my sump. When the level reaches high enough i turn the main pump back on. Easy, almost fun! __________________ skeeter - It is easier to ask for forgiveness than premission. My motto to my wife. Current Tank Info: 75rr,6"dsb,refugium,auto top-off & semi-auto water changer, OM squirt. 4 MJs 1200, Started on 03/03/06

04/27/2006, 04:50 PM	#2
shoddyk Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Yuma, Az Posts: 568	I have a 125 gallon reef tank with a 60 gallon sump below. I turn all my pumps off and display tank drain into the sump. My display tank will drain down to the lowest part of the return lines of the display tank. The sump fills up and I do the water change from that water.

04/27/2006, 04:56 PM	#4
Recife Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bellevue - WA Posts: 282	shoddyk, by doing that you get a lot of micro bubbles once you turn the pump back on, right? Do your fish and corals not get annoyed?

04/27/2006, 05:18 PM	#7
Scuba_Dave EMERTXE YID Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Asylum, South of Boston, MA Posts: 10,362	I do the same as shoddyk I just about pump the sump dry - about 40g I do get some bubbles at 1st - but not too bad And not anything that you would not see after a short power outage or when you need to shut the pump off to clean it.

04/27/2006, 05:29 PM	#8
CrOsSwIrE Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: dwight, IL Posts: 223	I had a hole drilled about 1/2 of the way down my tank specifically for water changes.

04/27/2006, 08:27 PM	#10
Palancar Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Bloomsbury, NJ Posts: 165	I have a large sump in the basement with a "workbench" over top of it where my new 20 gal acclimates. When ready, I leave everything on and just drop a mag7 into the sump and pump out 20 gal (about half the sump volume). Then gravity feed the new 20 gal to the sump.

04/27/2006, 08:36 PM	#11
lvpd186 Reefing in NE Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Papillion, NE Posts: 1,485	Call me old fashion, but I just use some tubing to syphon out some water. At the same time I try and syphon out as much nasty stuff as possible. When enough water has been removed I add new water to the display tank. I was under the impression that as long as you need to do water changes you might as well try and take out the bad stuff, instead of just dumping clear water. __________________ "A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice." Bill Cosby

04/28/2006, 01:22 AM	#12
AquaReeferMan Got Reef? Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Under the Sea, Pa Posts: 4,593	I do the same as lvpd186. Although I use a maxijet 1200 to pump water back into my tank. __________________ Couple SPS/Zoanthid tanks and a couple of FW planted tanks. Current Tank Info: 5 pieces of glass with some silicone and plastic frames holding them together

04/28/2006, 09:09 AM	#13
r0bin Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 1,132	Stupid question, but how do you use a maxi jet to put water back into the tank?

04/28/2006, 02:25 PM	#14
bad santa SCRK member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Whittier, CA Posts: 1,444	I shut off my pumps and close my drain valve shut. I then siphon out 5 gals. at a time into a five gallon bucket. I have my 35 gal Rubbermaid ready with my salt water in it. I have a Rio 1700 with a hose running into the tank and a spray bar at the end. When the water is pumping back up, I get no bubbles and it seems it doesn't disturb anything in the tank. __________________ Ed "Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying" "Were discussing man,...you have your wrong opinion i have my right one. Its called communication." Mac Inger Current Tank Info: working on establishing a 32 Gal. Nano-Cube

04/28/2006, 02:45 PM	#15
Recife Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bellevue - WA Posts: 282	bad santa, I like that idea. It seems to be the easiest way really. Except that I still need to buy a pump now for doing it

04/28/2006, 03:22 PM	#17
Dischirm Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sacramento CA Posts: 90	My tank is in my living room, so I have 50ft of 3/4 inch inside diameter tubing that i stick into the tank and put the other end into the bathtub and start the syphon to drain out about 20 gallons. Then I take the end of the hose from the bathtub and connect that to my RO water that I store in a 33 gallon garbage can in my back room that has a mag7 in it. Attach the tubing to the outflow on the mag7 and turn it on. Takes about 10 minutes to change the water in my 100 gallon tank! Super Easy! (I used to use buckets)

04/28/2006, 03:40 PM	#18
Avast Marine RC Sponsor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northern VA Posts: 2,446	I have a drain on by overflow. Turn pumps off. Close main drain. Open WC drain. Pump new slightly cooler water into tank. Cold water falls, old warm water rises and exits out overflow to floor drain. Quiet One 1200 does the work both mixing and pumping while I learn stuff on RC . __________________ Dan Don't rush art, you get bad art.