Water Change setup

Rob.In.AZ · Dec 18, 2018

Hey guys,
So my son was born 14 days ago. So far so good, I mean other than it being the craziest thing ever.

My tank is a 155g SPS reef that I have had running since 2014. It is pretty much on cruise control, but...

I would like to make water changes easier/ faster. Currently I have 2 Brute trash cans, one for clean water one for dirty. I shut down my return/ skimmer, and pump water from my sump, then pump the fresh SW back in. When that is done, I wheel the old SW into the laundry room and pump the water down the utility sink drain. Pump used is an old MJ 1200 (I think, could be a 900).

Obviously, a bigger pump would speed things up. Anything else I can do? Tank is completely self contained within the stand...no basement or separate fish room available. Utility sink is about 25 ft away, give it take.

AndrewNC · Dec 18, 2018

Theres the Apex DOS that I use for automatic water change. I also seen on BRS a separate unit by AutoAqua if you don’t have an Apex.

jda · Dec 18, 2018

You can fit a mag 9.5 with an adapter for a garden hose. The mag will mix water faster, pump the water into the tank and drain faster and also can work as a backup return pump if you get in a pinch. I keep the mag and hose inside of my bucket when I am not using them. I also will use a larger 6" squeeze clamp to keep the hose in the tank. I would not worry about using brass fittings for water changes although I would avoid them for constant use - you can buy hoses with stainless if you want to pay more and look harder.

I like to use the screw-on adapters on the mags since slip on can sometimes come off when you are wriggling them around all of the time - if you do use slip, then put a stainless clamp on them. Just take the pump to the hardware store with you to make sure that everything fits. Something like a "3/4 FPT to garden hose" is what you are looking for.

I have the room to do whatever I want, but I still use brutes and move hoses for water changes. It is easy, fast and I get to keep my eye on stuff.

Rob.In.AZ · Dec 18, 2018

AndrewNC said:
Theres the Apex DOS that I use for automatic water change. I also seen on BRS a separate unit by AutoAqua if you don’t have an Apex.

Would love to setup an AWC system, but I don't have space in my stand for the reservoirs...I think. Any idea the size of the Apex setup?

jda · Dec 18, 2018

If you don't have a fish room for the AWC containers, then you are still carrying buckets or using hoses to fill those up... and drain out the waste container. ...so same effort, just in a different way. If you had a drain nearby and nearby large reservoir for the freshly mixed salt, then that is different.

Rob.In.AZ · Dec 18, 2018

jda said:
You can fit a mag 9.5 with an adapter for a garden hose. The mag will mix water faster, pump the water into the tank and drain faster and also can work as a backup return pump if you get in a pinch. I keep the mag and hose inside of my bucket when I am not using them. I also will use a larger 6" squeeze clamp to keep the hose in the tank. I would not worry about using brass fittings for water changes although I would avoid them for constant use - you can buy hoses with stainless if you want to pay more and look harder.

I like to use the screw-on adapters on the mags since slip on can sometimes come off when you are wriggling them around all of the time - if you do use slip, then put a stainless clamp on them. Just take the pump to the hardware store with you to make sure that everything fits. Something like a "3/4 FPT to garden hose" is what you are looking for.

I have the room to do whatever I want, but I still use brutes and move hoses for water changes. It is easy, fast and I get to keep my eye on stuff.

Hmm...i I could probably fit a 90 degree elbow on the inlet to draw water lower in the sump. Mag 9 should have enough power to push the water to the laundry room...

jda · Dec 18, 2018

I always take water from the tank into the waste brute, not the sump... this way, I can siphon stuff off of the rocks and sometimes clean the sand. There are dead spots in every tank and I use this as a way to get that gunk out. In the mean time, I let the return pump suck the sump dry (or dry enough). I don't are if my acros tips are out of the water for less than 15-30 minutes, but usually it is just a couple since I already have the mag and hose in the new-water brute and just need to turn it on. Besides, if you pump all of the water out of the sump, then it is the same as just draining the sump anyway. Then, when the tank is all back and running fine, then I pump the waste-water brute down the drain.

I like to save the waste water until everything is working well, just in case something happens and I need it for some unknown reason.

Aquavaj · Dec 18, 2018

With the 1700gph utility sump pump and 1.25" hose I can refill the 20g WC in under 20 secs. The slow part now is draining into a 20g trash bin. I have to do 2 trips cause too much at once and good luck rolling it across the carpet.
I think later on I'm going to make something where I can just drop a pump into the DT and drain it straight to the kitchen sink. The pump will be held at a depth so it only pumps out 20g.

cromag27 · Dec 18, 2018

awc all the way. you can leave the containers in your garage or somewhere else.

https://spectrapure.com/LiterMeter-III-Precision-Dosing-System-115V

Rob.In.AZ · Dec 18, 2018

cromag27 said:
awc all the way. you can leave the containers in your garage or somewhere else.

https://spectrapure.com/LiterMeter-III-Precision-Dosing-System-115V

Sounds good, but then I have to get the water from the garage to the tank and vice versa.

cromag27 · Dec 18, 2018

Rob.In.AZ said:
Sounds good, but then I have to get the water from the garage to the tank and vice versa.

that’s what the litermeter and secondary pump do. you would need to run water tubing from your tank to your water containers. in walls or ceiling works best.

it will then drain your tank of x amount of water, then replenish it with the same amount of fresh salt mix. it will do this all day long at the rate you set it.

cromag27 · Dec 18, 2018

i have this set up on my biocube 32g

AndrewNC · Dec 18, 2018

Rob.In.AZ said:
Would love to setup an AWC system, but I don't have space in my stand for the reservoirs...I think. Any idea the size of the Apex setup?

Do you have a mixing station in that room 25 ft away? All you would need to do is figure out how to run 1/4” tubing from your brute can into your sump for new water and another 1/4” tubing from your sump to the DOS then from DOS to drain for old water (or just outside like I did). You’ll also have to have the DOS in that room of course so you’ll need a long USB cable to hook it up to the Apex unit.

Rob.In.AZ · Dec 19, 2018

AndrewNC said:
Do you have a mixing station in that room 25 ft away? All you would need to do is figure out how to run 1/4” tubing from your brute can into your sump for new water and another 1/4” tubing from your sump to the DOS then from DOS to drain for old water (or just outside like I did). You’ll also have to have the DOS in that room of course so you’ll need a long USB cable to hook it up to the Apex unit.

Not a dedicated mixing station. That is just where my RO/DI is.

I could probably (maybe) get away with the 1/4" tuning running up to the ceiling in there, running it through the crawl space. But I would need to run it through the wall to get it down to the tank. Major PITA, given the tank is already in place, and the wall that the tank sits on was wired for a home theater.

I would love an AWC system. Just don't see it happening.

I am actually thinking about getting a bucket head shop vac so I can just shop vac out the water from the sump. That will also let me pull out the detritus that collects in my dump too. Then get a bigger pump to transfer the water. May only marginally improve things speed-wise, but may make my WCs better overall.