How do you do a water change neatly?

[BuddyBonButt]

Personally, I've been siphoning out around 10 to 15 gallons of my 90 gal tank into buckets, dump them in bathtub, then AC pump it back in to the display.

Doing this obviously causes my tank to become cloudy, disrupt my sand bed, and stress my inhabitants.

What do you guys do to lessen the blow of a water change?

 

[Cali Reef Life]

I siphon tank into 5 gallon buckets about 10 gallons a week. Turn on return pump and skimmer down. Then I pour half the bucket into the sump and aim for a high rock when pouring the rest into the tank. Never have any cloudiness 90 gallon tank as well.

 

[Feet Pixel]

The trick is to use no towels and a bucket with a small hole in the bottom. You must get it over with in under 2 minutes or you lose.


Just kidding. I siphon into a bucket, and use a maxijet with a hose to put the new water into the sump. I like to put a filter sock over the return to catch anything that gets stirred up in the sump.

 

[flashsmith]

I change everything right out the sump. Pump out 15 gallons. Then put the hose into the filter sock and pump into the socks while stirring to clean any detritus up. Change socks refill and done.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I siphon tank into 5 gallon buckets about 10 gallons a week. Turn on return pump and skimmer down. Then I pour half the bucket into the sump and aim for a high rock when pouring the rest into the tank. Never have any cloudiness 90 gallon tank as well.

I use an AC pump, it really pushes the water out like a jet lol. But I have a canopy and can't fit a bucket in the sump area so pouring buckets isn't an option for for lol

 

[BuddyBonButt]

The trick is to use no towels and a bucket with a small hole in the bottom. You must get it over with in under 2 minutes or you lose.


Just kidding. I siphon into a bucket, and use a maxijet with a hose to put the new water into the sump. I like to put a filter sock over the return to catch anything that gets stirred up in the sump.

Ah ok. So turn the return on as I pump more in. I like the method. Thanks. I have a DC pump so it's controllable to match the water intake.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I change everything right out the sump. Pump out 15 gallons. Then put the hose into the filter sock and pump into the socks while stirring to clean any detritus up. Change socks refill and done.

Just changed my sock but there's no debris in the sump. Only a few months old. So I'll just pump into sump and turn return pump on. Thanks for the info

 

[NTar11]

Siphon out 8-10 gallons into 5 water jugs. Dump it in the toilet. Pump in 8-10 gallons of my fresh mix with a return pump into the back chamber of my AIO. Remainder of what the pump won’t get I dump into the display. Still working on keeping the mess to a minimum but it’s doable.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Siphon out 8-10 gallons into 5 water jugs. Dump it in the toilet. Pump in 8-10 gallons of my fresh mix with a return pump into the back chamber of my AIO. Remainder of what the pump won’t get I dump into the display. Still working on keeping the mess to a minimum but it’s doable.

That's the common response, I'm gonna play around with the sump and try it that way.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Press the Water change button.

Seriously, I used to shutdown tank, drain from the DT to a drain outside, then start the tank return pump, pump from a wheelie container back into the sump, then restart everything else.

No mess, and the only cloudiness was caused by the chemical reactions while the new water is mixing with the old. Cloudiness gone in 30 mins.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Press the Water change button.

Seriously, I used to shutdown tank, drain from the DT to a drain outside, then start the tank return pump, pump from a wheelie container back into the sump, then restart everything else.

No mess, and the only cloudiness was caused by the chemical reactions while the new water is mixing with the old. Cloudiness gone in 30 mins.

Yeah I use to put an AC pump directly into the DT so it was like a jet stream. Gonna try through the sump this time by turning back on the return

 

[czoolander]

I am siphoning into 5 gallon buckets and then dumping 5 gallon back into the display. Now for how many years can I maintain this ? haha its heavy lifting 40lbs over your head and slowly holding it there for a slow pour x 5 or 6 buckets. Helps being 6'4 but still its rough

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Prior to auto water changes, I started with a python connected to a bathroom sink to siphon out and filled with five gallon buckets of new saltwater. I got tired of that and moved up to the Rubbermaid brute cans on wheels. With that I would turn off the return pump and pump out the sump into the empty brute and then fill the sump with the full fresh saltwater brute. Both had uni seals on the bottom with a pipe and valve for easy draining. Auto water changes have been amazing for me for years and I’ll never go back.

 

[flashsmith]

I see you don't have alot of fish yet. When things start to take off you will definitely be vacuuming the sump with each water change.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Yeah I use to put an AC pump directly into the DT so it was like a jet stream. Gonna try through the sump this time by turning back on the return

The top line is where the water level in the DT is with the pumps off.
The bottom line is 10% so I know when to stop No need to measure how much I'm taking.

 

[Isaac Alves]

I wish I could hard-line a pump that just pushes water from the sump directly into a drain outside. Very attempted to just drain into a barrel outside on the other side of the wall closest to the tank. In any case, it would be really nice to just carry two 5 gallon carboys, then push a button to empty out water to a designated mark on the sump. Then dump in the new water. DONE!!!

...don't trust auto water changes yet.

 

[laezur]

I’d do this but I can’t get a siphon going because of how low to the ground my sump obviously is, and I refuse to suck on it like a gas pipe

I change everything right out the sump. Pump out 15 gallons. Then put the hose into the filter sock and pump into the socks while stirring to clean any detritus up. Change socks refill and done.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I am siphoning into 5 gallon buckets and then dumping 5 gallon back into the display. Now for how many years can I maintain this ? haha its heavy lifting 40lbs over your head and slowly holding it there for a slow pour x 5 or 6 buckets. Helps being 6'4 but still its rough

I'm a 23 year old 5'7 Boi maybe 5'8 if you don't call my bluff with a canopy. Lol

 

[BuddyBonButt]

The top line is where the water level in the DT is with the pumps off.
The bottom line is 10% so I know when to stop No need to measure how much I'm taking.

Smart...

 

[Rmckoy]

I use a python to vacuum the sand while filling 8 buckets dumping them in the toilet .
while in the brute can I have new water mixed and tested ready to go.
after sucking water out .
I hook the hose over the edge of the dt and fill
Turn pumps , skimmer back on .
no clouding