Water Changes Made Easy

Rinks · Sep 22, 2015

Very informative, great job on your install.

Kengar · Sep 22, 2015

checked out the RE website. wow! too rich for MY blood. . . ..

Betty1964 · Sep 22, 2015

My husband has a similar set up in our garage: ro/di to two barrels with a mag 12 mixing and moving water to sump. Our waste is drained from the overflow line before it reaches the sump with a single shut off valve. He also plumbed the protein skimmer cup to drain automatically as well.

ATB USA · Sep 22, 2015

So how much water can you pump out of your sump? My return pump section is only about 5 gal

Rinks · Sep 22, 2015

Its interesting how simple planning will allow the hardest tasks to seem so simple!!!

Scubafrog · Sep 22, 2015

Kengar said:
Next question: where'd you get that sump? It looks great!

Not sure where he got the sump but he does have a video about it:

-Jeff Mc

Coolbri · Sep 22, 2015

You can loose the music that's for sure I hate music on videos can't hear what he is saying but good idea

don_chuwish · Sep 23, 2015

Well done video, everything very clearly presented. I'd love to know what you used to produce the filtration system diagram. It looks very handy as a design tool. Always better to plan it carefully!

JoseNovoa · Sep 23, 2015

atoll · Sep 23, 2015

I have a Reefloat AWC best bit of kit for water changes IMO and that of many who use one.

ReefBum · Sep 23, 2015

natas said:
Very cool. I personally use a liter meter and have it setup to change out 5 gallons a day. It's very accurate. I recalibrate it every three months to be safe. The only other thing I have to do is make new saltwater every two weeks in the holding tank.

Many thanks. And thanks for sharing your method. I have been using Liter Meters for years as a top off device.

ReefBum · Sep 23, 2015

mtswaneya said:
Wish I had the room and that sump.

It is very nice to have the extra room. And that sump is killer!

ReefBum · Sep 23, 2015

P-bpat said:
Solid gold!

Thanks!

ReefBum · Sep 23, 2015

Homebrwr said:
Great video and you make it sound so easy...

I appreciate that. Thanks for watching!

ReefBum · Sep 23, 2015

Kengar said:
Your post is timely, as I have been "working" the space in my fish room in my mind over the last 24 hours planning things out for my next big build (240-300 g setup). I would prefer to do gravity feed from salt water mixing reservoir into sump and by gravity from sump into main house drain line (this is all going to be on the lower level of the house with access to that behind the scenes), but space/configuration in the fish room may not permit that with room to walk around and access things easily. In that case, plumbing up with pump transfers as you have done will be required (which will let me put different drums in different areas in the space that is available).

I see the answer to the first question I had, which is where you got the drums (usplastic.com)

Next question: where'd you get that sump? It looks great!

(By the way, are you using the fresh water reservoir to feed topoff and if so are you doing it automatically or just manually? I didn't see any apparatus for auto topoff.)

Yes, a gravity fed system does require a certain configuration within the available space. I think it is fine for the RO but I like to constantly mix and heat my saltwater I use for water changes so that is why I find a pump necessary in that drum.

As for my Dreambox sump, I ordered that through Scott at Aquarium Specialty. It is an awesome piece of equipment. I actually did a review on it that you can view here:
And yes, I am using a Spectrapure auto top-off device to replace evaporated water....it pulls it from the RO drum.