How to transfer water during a water change?

[Floyd-]

How are you all transferring water into the tank for water changes?
Getting my water out I just use a vacuum pump into 5 gallon jugs. But getting water from my 5 gallon jugs back into the tank gently is very hard because I have to either just pour it into the tank making a mess with all the water just being dropped into the tank. Are you all using a electric pump to transfer or something?

 

[HD_Reefer]

I pump mine from the mixing station now, but before that, I kept a Sicce 1.0 with a hose attached to it. I would set the pump in a 5g bucket of new water and pump it back to the display.

 

[piranhaman00]

Amazon pond pump with hose.

 

[j.Zero]

Hi! I'm new to the hobby so I have yet to do a water change but yes, I will use an extra pump.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I make 25 gallons of water in a 32 gallon Brute and use a MAG 9.5 pump that has rigid PVC up and out of the Brute, and then a short length of hose.

I've also added an elbow and short length of pipe at the MAG intake to get that last drop of water out of the Brute.

 

[ReefRusty]

I store NSW in a 220L drum and have it on wheels to just wheel inside n3xt to the tank, then drop in a pump to pump water back into the tank.

 

[Greybeard]

Ultra Zero Utility Pump

The Sicce Ultra Zero is a multi-purpose utility pump, perfect for when you just need a sturdy pump to move water from one place to another, such as for pumping freshly mixed saltwater to your tank after a water change, or refilling reservoirs. The Ultra Zero has plenty of power to pump water...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Floyd-]

I guess I can dump the water from the jugs into a 5 gallon bucket and pump from there. The opening to the jugs is too small to place a pump into. I dont make my own water I pick it up from the local pet store in my jugs.

 

[Spieg]

Get an RODI and save yourself some money and aggravation.

 

[Rjmul]

I use a small bucket.

 

[HD_Reefer]

I guess I can dump the water from the jugs into a 5 gallon bucket and pump from there. The opening to the jugs is too small to place a pump into. I dont make my own water I pick it up from the local pet store in my jugs.

That's exactly what I did. A bit of a pain, but it works. I would definitely invest in an RODI unit and some salt mix. I found that the consistency of LFS water was subject to the amount of care the hourly worker had. I would rather trust myself with the health and wellbeing of my reef!

 

[Floyd-]

Get an RODI and save yourself some money and aggravation.

Any recommendations? I dont have a ton of space to keep huge buckets and tanks sitting around with water in them.
Thats why I just grab the little jugs. Do a change then I tuck them away. I dont have an area in the house that I can mount a RODI setup to the wall and fill massive barrels with RODI water.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I siphon or of the tank then turn the return back on and just dump water over my filter sock chamber in the sump until it's at the right level.

 

[Floyd-]

I siphon or of the tank then turn the return back on and just dump water over my filter sock chamber in the sump until it's at the right level.

That might work if I had a sump but I do not. I have a canister filter.

 

[Azedenkae]

How are you all transferring water into the tank for water changes?
Getting my water out I just use a vacuum pump into 5 gallon jugs. But getting water from my 5 gallon jugs back into the tank gently is very hard because I have to either just pour it into the tank making a mess with all the water just being dropped into the tank. Are you all using a electric pump to transfer or something?

So I don't really do water changes anymore, but back when I did, I just dumped it in a specific corner of a tank every time. I call it the 'sacrificial' corner where I am ready to accept sand being churned up and all that. XD

 

[mike550]

@Floyd- it sounds like you’re very space constrained. When you’re removing water why is it going into jugs? Not sure if you can but for removing water can you use the pump drain directly to a sink or something? For filling the tank can you use a 5G bucket or 8G Brute that you can place a pump into (perhaps the same one you’re using to remove water) and then simply dump your jugs into the bucket or Brute?

 

[cmmatxh]

i use a sicce 1.0 to pump water from my mixing bucket and have it plugged into a Homekit smart plug so i can turn off/on the pump from my phone

 

[ying yang]

Bump

 

[ying yang]

Any recommendations? I dont have a ton of space to keep huge buckets and tanks sitting around with water in them.
Thats why I just grab the little jugs. Do a change then I tuck them away. I dont have an area in the house that I can mount a RODI setup to the wall and fill massive barrels with RODI water.

I plumbed mine under the kitchen sink.was most logical place for it to be .i live in small 2 bedroom flat.so not alot room.i have a largish cupboard near front door and it has no cold water mains here so instead running copper pipes to cupbaord,under sink made more sense as got cold main and waste here.and just fill up 1x 25 litre container at a time.then in cupboard mix the salt in a bucket.
A brute rubbish bin doesnt take that much room up and you can buy wheels for it to wheel into infront your tank.could even build your own wheels with some plywood and take the wheels/ brackets off a scateboard if money is a issue or buy some wheels etc.
And aslong as saltwater mixing container is on same floor can have it anywhere where got plug socket for mixing pump and heater if want or can run an extension lead.or even if could mix salt on next floor up and run a hose down through the ceiling and syphon using gravity. ( just pull up a floor board and poke little hole in corner of ceiling above tank and clip hose into wall then use some conduit to box it in,provided can mix salt water on floor above tank) but point is a mixing rubbish bin or bucket doesnt take that much room really.

 

[Jekyl]

I lift the 5 gallon up and dump it in. I try and torture my GSP as much as possible during changes. Also helps keep everything detritus free.