Water changes for you guys with big tanks

[ORCA1]

210 gallon tank plus sump....maybe 250 gallons...lots of rock brings total volume down to maybe 180 gallons. I do 30 gallons a week seems to work well as far as parameters.

 

[krash7172]

180 gal mixed reef. I do 40 gal every 3 weeks. I hold RODI and add salt a day or two before WC.

 

[Laith]

I've recently set up a 400g+ tank and I installed a litermeter water change system. I use it to change 1% of the water every day, spread over 150 times a day. But for this to work you need to have a fresh saltwater reservoir and a connection to a drain for the changed water... Details can be found in my build thread.

 

[menglish]

I have @ 250 G mix reef system (180G DT +sump). I do 30-35 gallion (10-12%) every two weeks. Thank has been doing really well

 

[Radman73]

Ugh, I hate water changes lol! I have a 220DT with a 75gal remote fuge in the garage. This was done to help make water changes, and other things, easier. For water changes I have a 55gal mixing barrel. I fill it up, add salt, and let it mix for at least 6 hours(I use regular IO if matters). For mixing I have a uniseal on the side of the barrel at roughly the 5gal and 55gal marks. An external pump and plumbing circulates it. A T after the outlet of the pump lets me send the mixed water straight to the fuge.

So, water change consists of closing gate valve coming from return pump to fuge. Dropping a pump into the fuge and pumping waste water to a sink ~15 feet away in the garage. Fill fuge back up by just turning on the mixing pump and opening a ball valve until the fuge is full again.

Takes 15-20 minutes and the heaviest thing I lift is an Eheim 1262. I started out using a small MJ pump but that tooke 45-60 minutes to pump down the fuge. Easy, but not fast.

Edited to add:
I did use a DOS for AWC on my 60 cube and it was great. But I'm using the DOS for 2-part now. If you have the space, a setup like mine makes it a breeze. I generally do 2 WC's per month, 40gal's at a time.

 

[TinCanHero]

Personally I have a 450~L system, I do 100L WC every 2-3 weeks. I have two 100L water buts on a dolly and a pump, mix RODI and salt in one and syphon into the other.

 

[Cheche]

I do the 10g every Saturday.. and yes still a hassle using buckets.. I did try the wheels in the buckets it did work good for a short time then I got tired of that .. I got my self a water meter a pump and a long hose now I pump the water out of my tank straight to the drain.. and pump my new water back in .. no more buckets I hope this help you

 

[VegetaD]

Setting up a 650 system. Will be using Genesis water changer with a 55g NSW tank
I have 2 65g rodi holding tank and a 125g mixing tank for making new salt water

I am using the Dos with the same 55g salt talk for awc on a reefer 250 about 1g a day

 

[CoralReefer2110]

TWV is around 1100 gal. I do a 210 g change each week. So about 20%. The setup is similar in concept to most of what people are offering here just on a little larger scale. One for RODI and Autotopoff and the other for mixing salt. The attached build thread offers a video of its build and use.

Good luck!!

 

[CoralReefer61]

I have 55g Brute can for my Top Off and a 40g I mix for water changes
W/C about 35g every 2 wks and have about a 2g top off every other day for evaporation,DT is 190 with a 40g sump

 

[mfinn]

When I do water changes on my 233 tank, I just plan it out a day in advance.
I have a 65 gallon container and just start up the rodi.
I do keep a 55 gallon barrel of rodi water for water changes on my 66, and emergencies.

 

[VA5]

100% dependent on bio load and corals grown
In a larger tank you could easily do triton method (no water changes)
I have a 400 gallon with 60 sump. I change 55 gallons every 3wks (55g because that is what a small Red Sea pro salt bucket makes ). I have a mixing station with two 65 gallon containers . One is attached to RODI pump which is always on and tops off evaporation
For a 200g I’d probably always have at least 30 gallons RO in reserve

 

[Snoopy 67]

I have a 55 gallon RO storage container & a 30 gallon top off tank underneath.
Weekly water changes of 15 gallons & topping off the 30 gallon barrel amount to 30-35 gallons used.
I have a spare 30 gallon barrel I bring to the tank, mix for 2-3 hrs, drain tank & refill. Easy Peasy when there is a sink right there. Tank is 250 gallons.

 

[Topekoms]

Oh man, your stands make me nervous just looking at the pictures lol

Why they completely solid. They are also not going anywhere. there is also bracing under the plywood so it doesn't bow

 

[Steve180]

I have a 180g and I do weekly water changes. I make about 20g weekly and it takes me 15min to do it. Plumb in a manifold so you can use one to drain the water and pour new water in. Done

 

[Radman73]

There must be something wrong with me. I actually like doing water changes. About 40g a week in a 240g total system. 2 44 gallon containers on hand. 1 rodi. 1 saltwater.

Yeah, there's something wrong with you lol! Actually, I do feel satisfied when I do one. Not having to "work" at it has not necessarily made it enjoyable for me, but I don't dread it anymore lol!

 

[SeaDweller]

40 gallons every month. Just know your tank.

 

[Blacktip]

I was looking at eventually going with a bigger tank roughly around 150 to 200 gallon total volume. My main concern would be water changes how much water do you guys keep on hand ? And how big of water changes do you guys do and how often ? I have seen a lot of ppl store enough water for tank volume but there no way I can store around 150g lol

I have a 325g tank. I have 2 50-gallon water containers - one for fresh, and the second is for salt water. I mix the salt water the night before, and I change 45 gallon every 2 weeks. Tank is doing great for 4 years now.

 

[Randy Ruiz]

I was looking at eventually going with a bigger tank roughly around 150 to 200 gallon total volume. My main concern would be water changes how much water do you guys keep on hand ? And how big of water changes do you guys do and how often ? I have seen a lot of ppl store enough water for tank volume but there no way I can store around 150g lol

I just upgraded from a 100 to a 180 gal about a year ago. I too am unable to keep that much water on hand. I have a good amount of LR and a 40 gal sump filled with about 20 gal in it. So I have just been estimating my total vol at 180 gal for dosing. I was doing water changes every 2 wks, but my tests have been very stable.
So started doing monthly water changes, 25-28 gal (the vol of my Brute barrel).

 

[Pablo reefcabar]

I have a 210 g I have two 65g storage/mixing station and a third just RO.


Where's the pump???