Bucket-less water changes system

[pgravis]

This post needs a preface that I am on my third of four 12+ hour night shifts with minimal sleep in between, so if it doesn’t make sense, bear with me! Anyway-planning my new build and want to make maintenance a bit easier.
I remember seeing a system where someone had plumbed a tank/vessel in-line that they could isolate, drain, and then re-fill with new water making the water change nothing more than opening some valves without ever shutting the system down. Does anyone run something similar, or does this make sense in a way that you could draw out a diagram? Just want to make sure what is in my head is feasible and would love to see it before I attempt it. Thanks!

 

[Billdogg]

I use a python Siphon to remove the water and clean the detritus out of the sand. To refill the tank, I used PVC from the mixing station in the basement and ran it up inside the wall behind the tank. A simple PVC faucet and a remote control for the mixing pump takes care of flow. If I don't have to clean power heads, I can do a complete water change in about 15 minutes on my 120DT - 35-40g out and and the tank refilled. I don't even get my hands wet, much less schlepp buckets of water around the house.

 

[pgravis]

I should also mention I have a full basement fish room, so not limited on space or confined to a stand.

I use a python Siphon to remove the water and clean the detritus out of the sand. To refill the tank, I used PVC from the mixing station in the basement and ran it up inside the wall behind the tank. A simple PVC faucet and a remote control for the mixing pump takes care of flow. If I don't have to clean power heads, I can do a complete water change in about 15 minutes on my 120DT - 35-40g out and and the tank refilled. I don't even get my hands wet, much less schlepp buckets of water around the house.

The python would be a good back up, they make it look pretty easy. I have been using the Home Depot bucket head wet vac and i like it, but I’d rather do more than 4-5 gallons at a time.

 

[Billdogg]

Although the bucket vac works well, you still end up with buckets of water to carry. I've been at this hobby for over 30 years now, and the thought of doing it 1 bucket at a time would drive me away, especially for a tank larger than about 20g.

 

[the_cros]

Not as fancy as what you described, but I just setup my Neptune DOS to do my water changes. 1. Take out about 750 ml over 10 mins
2. Take a 5 min break
3. Send in 750 ml of fresh water over 10 mins

I run this for a few hours a day to get me to ~15% water changes a week; not during any dosing cycles.

I add and remove water from my return chamber and use my ATO optical sensor (return upper limit) to ensure I do not add too much fresh water.

 

[WVNed]

I built one before I put in the 240. It's still there but I don't use it anymore. I used it when the tank had a sump under it instead of in the fish room.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I'm hoping to do something like this for easy/automatic water changes in the future. This might be close to what you're describing.

Basically, I'd build a reservoir out of large diameter PVC to hold about 1 - 2% of my total tank volume. It would have a valve at the bottom that leads to the drain and an overfill line on the side. Basically, I would keep adding water to the reservoir until water flows out of the overfill line. This would make sure I get the same amount of water out of my tank every time. Then, just shut off the pump, open the main valve and let the water flow out to the drain.

The benefit to this type of reservoir system is that it's dumb and simple. The calibration wouldn't drift over time like it would with dosing pumps because the volume is determined by the size of the container, not by how much water a dosing pump moves. You also don't need to replace any parts with this system, like peristaltic tubing or tubing connectors. You also can use a much more robust pump to fill the reservoir, like your return pump or Maxijet.

I would probably use such a system manually by filling and emptying the reservoir manually, then replacing the saltwater. If you wanted to make such a system automatic, you could. You could replace the valve with a solenoid that you could control electronically. You could then build a second reservoir of identical proportions to take water from your saltwater reservoir and feed it back to your tank instead of down the drain.

 

[ScottB]

Yeah, we both got sick of dragging buckets up/down the stairs. So when we upgraded to an RSR 525 me and my LFS guy figured out how to plumb a single 1" line through the floor to my basement mixing station & sewer waste line.

In the sump pic, you see the white PVC come up through the cabinet floor. Unless I am adding/draining that valve stays shut. The red hose attaches to my Sicce DC return pump. When I open the valve, the return pump is then pumping water out to my basement waste line.

The next pic shows the lines and valves that control water movement at the mixing station. Open the top right valve and dirty water dumps down into my waste line. If instead I open the other valve and fire up the pond pump in my mixing barrel, the water goes back to the tank. Again, I can control the pace of water flowing into display OR the sump by controlling the return pump with my phone. The basement AC pond pump is controlled with a remote power switch.

The last pic is of the PVC contraption hanging on the display glass. This I use to syphon water from the display to the sump. Once the syphon breaks and the sump is empty, I know I have removed 36+- gallons.

It takes about 12-15 minutes to remove the water and less than 5 minutes to refill as the pond pump is crazy powerful.

Hope this helps. Certainly was a life saver for me.

 

[Arabyps]

I have a 180 gallon system. I only use buckets when vacuuming the sanded. Otherwise I use a transfer pump and hose. In my garage is the mixing station where I prepare up to 60 gallons of new saltwater. I use the pump and hose to extract the water (and also vacuum the sump) into a utility sink. Next, swap the hose connections and pump the new water into the tank. Very fast process, clean and no buckets.