Water Changes - The best ways?

[Noober]

:shades:Just a cool thread. In a lot of saltwater systems saltwater exchange is one of the best ways to provide a constant source of elements that your tank needs to thrive, and is a great way to rid yourself of waste that has accumilated in your aquarium from fish and other life in your tank, and not to mention any other metals or unwanted elements that might build up from constantly topping off your tank because of evaporation. I am new at this saltwater hobby but these are things I have learned so far and I hope for the most part I'm being politically correct. I wish to learn more and I have been wondering the best way to make water changes as painless as possible. I was wondering how you guys do yours?

I had an idea to use some hose and a powerhead to remove water from the tank, while a trashcan or ice chest (some container easily obtained at a cheap price that holds water) mixes salt and water with another powerhead and a simple aquarium heater... and once the percentage that you are shooting for is removed from the display tank is depleted.. to use that same powerhead and hose to inject the fresh mixed saltwater back into the main display tank...

Is this a good way to do it or do you guys have better ideas or elaborations of the idea.... Thanks!:blushing:

[wesheltonj]

To remove the tank water physics works easier and will allow you to vac the sand bed. Water back into the tank will take a while using a powerhead to push that amount of water, suggest you use a pump with lots of head. But at 50 gal tank if you did 5 gal a week, you could just lift and pour the water.

[Robb_in_Austin]

As wesheltonj said, physics(gravity) works better for drainage.

I use a MJ1200 to push my mixed new SW up into the tank. I use a 18g Rubbermaid storage tub for mixing up the new SW. I do it right next to the tank and the head height is only 3 ft or so. For my (~8-12g) changes it takes about 10min to put the water back in.

[MeteorFlower]

Okay, I have a related question: how do y'all dispose of your saltwater after a water change? Can't pour it out in the yard, and a friend of mine who has kept a saltwater tank for ten years has told me she believes that flushing it down the toilet led to some kind of plumbing problems for her... mineral accumulation, maybe? So what I'd like to know is, what should I be doing with the water I drain from my tank? What do you guys do with it? Thanks.

[Gseclipse02]

TBut at 50 gal tank if you did 5 gal a week, you could just lift and pour the water.

this is basically what i do ....

I use a gallon jug and pour the water into my tank it only takes a few mins to do but yea. i could see this being a problem if i had a 150+ gallon tank but i dont so i dont have to worry about that


put the water in the yard next to yours ;)

[jroescher]

I have a 1 1/2" drain built into my stand. Makes it really convienant. MJ1200 to empty my sump (20 gallons) straight into the drain. Then use the same MJ1200 to pump fresh water from the mixing barrel thats sits next to my tank. I also have RODI water plumbed to my barrel, so there's no carrying any water anywhere.

All my waste water gets dumped straight into the yard. After several years of doing it this way I've not noticed any effects on anything.

Your house is almost certainly plumbed with the very same PVC that your tank is. The water will have no effect on it.

[wesheltonj]

My waste salt water goes down the sink. PVC waste lines, no problems

[CoryDude]

We installed a drain near my tank, that's tied into the washer drain. All I have to do is put the syphon hose end in the drain and syphon away. A 20 gallon rubbermaid container sits near the tank and I push the new water to the tank using an old Sedra pump.

[MKCindy]

My 20 gal. I do by hand. For the 40 gal. w/20 gal refuge, physics. My overflow hose is detached allowing it to run into an empty 5 gallon bucket. Mixed fresh water is in a separate 5 gal. bucket elevated in a chair next to the refuge return chamber. Physics slowly siphons it into the return chamber as my return pump circulates it back up to the main tank. As the weather changes, the fresh water will have to be heated first.

I have been pouring the water in the street to kill grass around the curb. I was afraid it would kill my grass.

[Noober]

good info :) thanks a lot!

[dpotts]

Don't water your plants!! Yes, I learned the hard way. The first time I did a water change I figured I would recycle the water and use it to water all my plants. Well I now have a great looking tank and no plants!! Ooops!

[longhorna95]

how much should I do for an 8 gallon biocube :innocent2:

[aquasport24]

how much should I do for an 8 gallon biocube :innocent2:

one teaspoon weekly....lol

[Captain Jack]

I've got just a couple more ideas to add.

I change about 3 gallons/week in my 30 gal tank. But I mix up about 25 gal of salt water all at once in a trash can on my porch, and will use that until it needs replenished. That makes my weekly water changes super easy.

Also for top-off freshwater, if you don't want to just poor it all in at once and potentially shock sensitive corals or whatever, here's one easy+cheap option to slow down the rate freshwater is added:
You can get a cheap bucket (like a big icecream tub)
make a hole in the bottom corner,
put and end of an air-tube into hole and seal it off with silicon,
add knots to the tube to slow down the flow

Now when you need to top off fresh water:
set the bucket ontop or above your tank, filling it with freshwater you need to add, and let it slowly run into your tank.

[Captain Jack]

how much should I do for an 8 gallon biocube :innocent2:
how much water you need to change is going to vary. If I had an 8 gal tank with at least 1 fish in it, I would try changing about 10% weekly.