to those who hate water changes

[poksal]

Clearly the best way to better discipline yourself to do timely water changes is to make it as painless as possible.

I just did my first water change after rigging myself a "bucket-less" system. ooooooh.. geeeezze.. this is way better. I did the whole change in about 10 minutes, surfed the web while I did it, and cleaned up with three paper towels.

It cost me one Lifegard Quiet1one 1200 pump, and a length of cheap white water hose. The reason for white hose is because it is the ones sold for drinking water hook-up to motor homes and can be purchased at Wallymart.

The magic was in fashioning two clips to be electrical taped near each end. I made mine by heating strips of left over 1/4" thick acrylic and bending them to "snap" over the rim of the toilet and/or reef tank top ridge. You can look around the house and find something to make your own. They need to be SECURE. But, you be smart and follow the link in the next post for your "better than mine" clamps.

Then, geeeze this is sooooo hard, you clip one end to the toilet, drop the other end with the pump on it into the tank and clip it to the tank rim with the clip which you have secured to allow the pump to hang at your chosen depth.... (you can add a suction hose at the intake of the pump if you want and do some clean-up) (surely you figured out one end of the hose is cut and fit over the exhaust end of the pump.) . .. and plug that sucker in.. PUN intended...

When the water gets to your tape depth mark, haul out the electric plug, and quickly lift the pump out of the water to break the siphon. Let it drain and drip a while here and the mess disapears, and hold the hose high as you walk it back to the toilet draining out the water as you go.

..THEN ..Drop the pump into the change water tank and clip the other end onto your tank rim and fill-er-up.

....was such a pleasure.. and my wife loved it.. there was NO mess... like I said.. three paper towels from a few drips as I moved the hose from a to b.

Do yourself a favor.. rig one up!!!!!! .... .. .. and never dread water changes again.


You could use these clamps ..If I knew they were so cheap I would of... .see next post

 

[poksal]

ok here is the clip to use to connect to the toilet and tank rim... electrtical tape that sucker to your white "drinking water" hose. Some of you may need a larger clamp, so be sure you are aware of your lip sizes before you go to Home Depot. If you don't use some kind of clamp you are going to make a mess and not achieve the win you are building this to accomplish.
4 in. x 1 in. Jaw Opening Spring Clamp-3201-HT-K at The Home Depot


oh.. yeah.. I set mine up so that the exhaust end of the hose DOES NOT touch the water or any part of the toilet... I think that is a no-brainer.

 

[Amba]

This is how I used to do changes, but I had the hose going into a basement drain. Was kind of a pain to haul the new water but now I just let the lite meter do it for me :p I have a pump in my sump draining, and a new water "in" plumbed near the drain of the overflow. Flip a switch, drain however much I want, and newly mixed saltwater pumps back in.

 

[poksal]

This is how I used to do changes, but I had the hose going into a basement drain. Was kind of a pain to haul the new water but now I just let the lite meter do it for me :p I have a pump in my sump draining, and a new water "in" plumbed near the drain of the overflow. Flip a switch, drain however much I want, and newly mixed saltwater pumps back in.

That is kool! but, many of us can't do that.. I...don't .. think.

...thinking...

So.. your lite meter drains from your sump... does it turn off the pumps.. you must have a large sump... ??? That "could" work at my tank if it killed the pumps first... I think?

.. that would be cool.. at the moment I'm thrilled with this "hose kit". :Cheers:

 

[Amba]

The lite meter pumps it from my saltwater mixing station in the basement up to the sump, I have a regular pump that pumps water down into a drain in the floor. I can either turn it on manually or the RKL can do it for me, then the lite meter pumps the new water back up.

 

[Amba]

And you don't have to turn anything off which is why I like it, can do water changes without touching any other equipment. Fish never know it happens :p

 

[poksal]

Oh.. I get it.. so it is basically the same thing except it is always there... ready to use if you have your change water mixed and ready. ..??

 

[Amba]

Yeah and the water is always ready, I have two cans downstairs, one as a freshwater can and one as saltwater. The saltwater has a heater and pump inside, I just fill it to lines I have drawn, add in the corresponding amount of salt, and let it sit for a couple hours. Then I can pump it back upstairs. The freshwater pumps to a 22 gallon bin next to the tank( at the bottom of my black shelving ) and there I use a float switches to control for topping off as well.

 

[Amba]

A cheaper version is buying two maxi jets and tubing, keeping one in the sump and one in your water storage area, even if it's on a different floor, then just use two power switches, one to pump old water inline to your plumbing and one for new water from your storage area

 

[poksal]

My change water is a 30 gal trash plastic trash can with a heater, pump, and float switch that turns off that RODI after I activate it to start. I haven't changed enough times with this system to have the salt down to a number of cups yet because I haven't settled down on an exact low level in my tank. The last time I changed.. today... I decided to lower my mark because I still had plenty of change water left.

I'm sure after a couple more changes I will start to dial in the salt amount.. I do have a calculator I worked up in Excel but being a odd shaped tapered trash tank I don't have a grip on the volume calculation. so, ..I guess I'll it trial and error it.. LOL.

............BUT..... my change water is 4 feet from my tank....

 

[Bifferwine]

I would open up the window and stick the hose from my sump (connected to a pump) out the window, then drain the sump with the old water going on the ground outside. My yard is all gravel, so this probably wouldn't be a good idea if you have a lawn. :)

 

[poksal]

I would open up the window and stick the hose from my sump (connected to a pump) out the window, then drain the sump with the old water going on the ground outside. My yard is all gravel, so this probably wouldn't be a good idea if you have a lawn. :)

Not a good idea if you are in the city and they are one of the many that now have a eco officer.. either... LOL... .. I .. have..... a lawn...??. sort of.. sometimes.. when it rains enough.

Not fair being able to drain out the window...

 

[Ted]

hmm interesting ideas. I am not so high tech....I only do 5 gallon changes so its not that bad carting two buckets...

 

[Amba]

What are the dimensions of your container? If you get decent measurements I can tell you the volume.

 

[poksal]

What are the dimensions of your container? If you get decent measurements I can tell you the volume.

Oh, I can do the math.. no problem.. it is just that it is tapered, and not round, and some of it is a little parabolaistic. So it ain't worth the effort.

I did the short cut version of volume. ... about 30 gallons .. thing is it changes all the way up and down the depth.. so I'll just track the next water change and record the exact salt it takes to bring it to 35ppt.

If I wanted to bad enough I could CAD it in SolidWorks and ask it the volume of any slice or between slices.. naw...ain't worth it.

BUT.. thank you !!

 

[WannaRace]

Or employ an algae scrubber and never do water changes again.

Ahh :-) I love watching my tank

 

[Ted]

Guess I am strange I like changing my water...plus the water change replaces trace elements a scrubber cant do that...

 

[poksal]

Or employ an algae scrubber and never do water changes again.

Ahh :-) I love watching my tank

Do you have coral? and do you dose trace elements?

 

[tonyg]

My tank is just over a year old now, and I've done water changes just about every week since it went up. I think I owe the success I've had to frequent water changes. Since my tank is only 30 gallons the 3-5 gallon changes I do are easy and quick. I hope to someday build a huge tank, and bucketless water changes will be vital.

Once my new water is ready to go, it only takes about 10 minutes to do the change, but of course on my water change days I cant resist sticking my hands in the tank to clean this or straighten out that and end up spending an hour or two splashing around in my tank.