Water Changes: How do you do them?

[FriendoFish]

Hey guys. I feel so ridiculous asking this. Right off the bat please understand that I know how to do a water change. My issue is that I cannot lift the bucket of clean water to pour new water in my tank (I had back surgery a little while ago and it’s difficult for me to lift heavy things now). What I currently do is build a tower of buckets with the clean water on top and use a clean siphon to siphon the water from the bucket into my tank. This is still difficult though because a. the siphon eventually stops working when the bucket’s water level gets too low and and b. I still have to lift the bucket high and often end up hurting myself. So I’m just wondering what types of methods you guys use to put clean water back in your tank. Is it best to just get smaller containers? Should I just buy an AWC even though they’re kinda expensive? All advice appreciated!

 

[Crustaceon]

1 gallon daily with an automatic water changer on my 65g system.

 

[Letterkenny]

Hey guys. I feel so ridiculous asking this. Right off the bat please understand that I know how to do a water change. My issue is that I cannot lift the bucket of clean water to pour new water in my tank (I had back surgery a little while ago and it’s difficult for me to lift heavy things now). What I currently do is build a tower of buckets with the clean water on top and use a clean siphon to siphon the water from the bucket into my tank. This is still difficult though because a. the siphon eventually stops working when the bucket’s water level gets too low and and b. I still have to lift the bucket high and often end up hurting myself. So I’m just wondering what types of methods you guys use to put clean water back in your tank. Is it best to just get smaller containers? Should I just buy an AWC even though they’re kinda expensive? All advice appreciated!

I use this pump in a 5 gal bucket or in my 32g Brute and just pump water over to my DT. No lifting buckets, cheap, easy.

VIVOSUN 800GPH Submersible Pump(3000L/H, 24W), Ultra Quiet Water Pump with 10ft High Lift, Fountain Pump with 5ft Power Cord, 3 Nozzles for Fish Tank, Pond, Aquarium, Statuary, Hydroponics

 

[msjboy]

Just buy a cheap pump from someone (used) like a maxijet 1200 and connect a hose to it and it should fill your tank in a couple of minutes. Pour the remaining saltwater in before the pump runs dry.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

+1 on getting a cheap pump. It'll be a game changer

 

[ReeferWarrant]

Just bought a pump for my bucket like above mentioned, my issue wasnt a back related thing more the burden of pouring it and making the sand go flying everywhere.

 

[FriendoFish]

Thanks so much everyone! I can’t believe I didn’t think of a pump before!

 

[msjboy]

BTW, I use the same pump to mix my saltwater

 

[Letterkenny]

Thanks so much everyone! I can’t believe I didn’t think of a pump before!

One other thing: if you use any smart assistants, such as Alexa, I would couple it with a smart plug. That way, you can remotely turn it on and off without having to fiddle around with getting it plugged in and making sure the hose is securely in the tank.

 

[ReeferWarrant]

One other thing: if you use any smart assistants, such as Alexa, I would couple it with a smart plug. That way, you can remotely turn it on and off without having to fiddle around with getting it plugged in and making sure the hose is securely in the tank.

I do this with feeding my tank, added some fairly cheap ones off of Amazon. I think they are like $5 a piece, you can set a schedule and turn them off and on with your phone. Currently have my Chaeto light running on it and my pumps. Theyre a little bulky but I got a power strip that has some space between plugs.

 

[Albertan22]

For the last 10 years I have used a maxi jet 1200 to BOTH remove and add the saltwater. 1/2 inch vinyl tubing fits the pump output perfectly. I have 50 feet of it and pump water direct from the tank to the sink, and from my mixing bucket into the tank. I set up an automatic water change 2 weeks ago which is a game changer but a maxi jet and vinyl tube is a cheap and easy way to do it.

 

[Letterkenny]

I do this with feeding my tank, added some fairly cheap ones off of Amazon. I think they are like $5 a piece, you can set a schedule and turn them off and on with your phone. Currently have my Chaeto light running on it and my pumps. Theyre a little bulky but I got a power strip that has some space between plugs.

Yep I have a Geeni power strip running the old tank that is a sudo controller that’s much simpler than my new Apex is. You can easily create a routine to turn off all the pumps and skimmer for feeding, 10 minute delay, turn them back on. You can even add a longer delay for just the skimmer if you want. $30 I believe.

 

[Crustaceon]

Hey guys. I feel so ridiculous asking this. Right off the bat please understand that I know how to do a water change. My issue is that I cannot lift the bucket of clean water to pour new water in my tank (I had back surgery a little while ago and it’s difficult for me to lift heavy things now). What I currently do is build a tower of buckets with the clean water on top and use a clean siphon to siphon the water from the bucket into my tank. This is still difficult though because a. the siphon eventually stops working when the bucket’s water level gets too low and and b. I still have to lift the bucket high and often end up hurting myself. So I’m just wondering what types of methods you guys use to put clean water back in your tank. Is it best to just get smaller containers? Should I just buy an AWC even though they’re kinda expensive? All advice appreciated!

Before I installed an awc, I used a large rubbermaid trashcan full of new saltwater (10% display volume) and dropped in a 3000gph quietone pump to lift it up and into the display. I never worried about adding the saltwater so quickly because it was always very closely temperature/salinity/alk/ph matched to the display, so that 10% volume rapidly added didn’t bug anything. I was more concerned with the display temp dropping and had the water removal/refill down to less than five minutes, all without lifting a bucket of course.

 

[mike550]

Ditto on the pump. I use a small LifeGard QuietOne with about 10’ of head pressure. I use it to mix saltwater in my 32G brute. I also use it to pump water out of my DT and then to also pump new saltwater Into the DT

 

[Zenchi]

We also use a pump. I have two, one for freshwater DIY ATO, and another to our Salt water reservoir. That way we twist a few valves to empty the sump, and twist a few more to refill from our salt water reservoir.