Mixing Station Pump Selection

BeachBum2012 · Oct 17, 2017

Hey folks,
I've got just about everything I need for my mixing station either on hand or on order. My questions for you are what pump do you use? What pump would you choose if different from the one you have? What would you use for a mixing station that also pumps say 100 ft to the display for water changes? What would you use if you're not pumping to the display and only transferring from one tank to another and/or mixing?

Thanks a bunch,
Brian

bif24701 · Oct 17, 2017

I have a Iwaki 40RLT on mine because it has really good head pressure so has no problem pumping my water through long hoses for water changes and other stuff I use it for. Also had it siting around but a good pressure external pump is common however you can uses about any pump you desire so long is ok for external use.

BeachBum2012 · Oct 17, 2017

Thanks.

I have a Fluval SP2 sitting around, and I think that'd do if for just the mixing station, but not for pumping to the tank. That'd be fine for now, but at some point I'll upgrade to a larger tank and won't want to tote buckets.

mcarroll · Oct 17, 2017

Delivery
I think I'd consider an auto-water-change type setup rather than an alternative. As you said, lifting buckets is for the birds. Hoses aren't far behind...I think they are irritating to lug around and put away.

Peristaltic pumps are pretty reasonably priced in the context of things too. Just means you run permanent 1/4" or 3/8" drain and fill lines rather than getting out hoses and buckets every time you want to change water.

Mixing
I tested a lot of different mixing methods when I was doing daily water changes.

Something else to consider is that the usual mixing aparatus you see around (much like your drawing) isn't very efficient or fast. Leftover sediment from a round of mixing isn't uncommon....some folks you'll even see needing to let it mix overnight.

A hand powered mixing paddle would be faster AND better than most rigs.

A TAMCO 36" HDPE mixing paddle is what I use...cost me about $25. It's definitley the simplest and cheapest mixing option!

There's never leftover sediment and you get a full mix in about 5-10 minutes, even for pretty large volumes.

2¢

Potatohead · Oct 17, 2017

mcarroll said:
Delivery
I think I'd consider an auto-water-change type setup rather than an alternative. As you said, lifting buckets is for the birds. Hoses aren't far behind...I think they are irritating to lug around and put away.

Peristaltic pumps are pretty reasonably priced in the context of things too. Just means you run permanent 1/4" or 3/8" drain and fill lines rather than getting out hoses and buckets every time you want to change water.

Mixing
I tested a lot of different mixing methods when I was doing daily water changes.

Something else to consider is that the usual mixing aparatus you see around (much like your drawing) isn't very efficient or fast. Leftover sediment from a round of mixing isn't uncommon....some folks you'll even see needing to let it mix overnight.

A hand powered mixing paddle would be faster AND better than most rigs.

A TAMCO 36" HDPE mixing paddle is what I use...cost me about $25. It's definitley the simplest and cheapest mixing option! There's never leftover sediment and you get a full mix in about 5-10 minutes, even for pretty large volumes.

2¢

I don't particularly care either way but find it kind of funny that you mention lugging buckets or moving hoses sucks (agree) but you still mix salt by hand

Jisko · Oct 17, 2017

mcarroll · Oct 17, 2017

Potatohead said:
I don't particularly care either way but find it kind of funny that you mention lugging buckets or moving hoses sucks (agree) but you still mix salt by hand

I admit it reads funny!

It's the product of experience though.....you should read my water change a day thread. When you do that many, you have LOTS of opportunities to test LOTS of different ways. When you're on mixing-attempt #99 and you're finally "crazy enough" to just to use your hand to mix once and realize immediately that it's faster and easier than almost anything else you've tried.

So I wanted to try mixing like that at least a few times to test it for real, but I didn't want to get my hand wet every morning at 7am, and I didn't want to stoop over while I was stirring.

So I ordered a real mixing paddle, 36" long. Wouldn't be hard to fabricate something similar if you have materials on hand. But they also aren't that expensive...less money than a cheap AC pump, and it'll never break down.

You do need an open-head mixing container like a 5 gallon bucket. A mixing container with a small opening would be no fun to use a paddle in.

I made videos of the two best ways to mix salt. Consider the scale and setup of the flow and this can be replicated on any size mixing container. I use the paddle in a 55 gallon olive barrel these days....it does take longer than 5 minutes, but not that much longer.

4:56
Mixing saltwater, post-electrification!

275 views3 years ago

For those interested, that's a Seio 1000 propellor-based pump. Mixing 20 oz. (volume) of salt mix with 5 gallons of RO/DI water to get 1.025 s.g. artificial seawater.

5:07
Mixing saltwater, Neanderthal-style!

340 views3 years ago

For anyone interested, that's a 36" Tamco HDPE mixing paddle. Mixing 20 oz. (volume) of salt mix with 5 gallons of RO/DI water to get 1.025 s.g. artificial seawater.

BeachBum2012 · Oct 18, 2017

That is pretty interesting. Thanks for the info. Its something to think about for sure.

dragon99 · Oct 18, 2017

I'll back @mcarroll on the mixing. Once I started using paddle I'll never do it any other way.

That does throw a kink into a mixing station though. I bet you could get the same effect with a pump if you plumb it to create a whirlpool in the mixing tank.

BeachBum2012 · Oct 18, 2017

dragon99 said:
I'll back @mcarroll on the mixing. Once I started using paddle I'll never do it any other way.

That does throw a kink into a mixing station though. I bet you could get the same effect with a pump if you plumb it to create a whirlpool in the mixing tank.

I was thinking something along the lines of this to not only create whirlpool type effect, but also kick up anything that may settle to the bottom.

lilchris_357 · Oct 18, 2017

BeachBum2012 said:
I was thinking something along the lines of this to not only create whirlpool type effect, but also kick up anything that may settle to the bottom.

That's what I have in my mixing barrel. I also went a step futher, to increase water pressure coming out I put a locline penductor (water flow accelerator) on eaach side.

BeachBum2012 · Oct 18, 2017

lilchris_357 said:
That's what I have in my mixing barrel. I also went a step futher, to increase water pressure coming out I put a locline penductor (water flow accelerator) on eaach side.

I'd planned on doing something at least similar to reduce the output size, just hasn't made it into the model yet.

How does it work for you? Get good mixing? Keep the bottom fairly free of sediment?

lilchris_357 · Oct 18, 2017

BeachBum2012 said:
I'd planned on doing something at least similar to reduce the output size, just hasn't made it into the model yet.

How does it work for you? Get good mixing? Keep the bottom fairly free of sediment?

Yup, it's working out fairly well no complaints so far.

BeachBum2012 · Nov 21, 2017

Well, I'm on my way to getting my station built. Hope to be up and running by the end of the holiday weekend.

Servo · Dec 10, 2017

You will get more bang for your buck if you just throw a penductor on the out flow. You will have a real whirlpool.

. I use a conical tank. It costs much more than the flat bottom tanks but cleaning is much easier. Although it is still quite the chore, at least I don’t have to pull the thing off the stand and out of the room.