What is your water change set-up?

[Decz]

I just finished a small water change (4 gallon's on my 20 gallon tank), and I made a huuuuuuuge mess!

I'm new to the salt water set-up and need to explore other options for doing water changes.

Right now, I have a styro-box in another room (about 15 feet from the tank) and I fill it with RO water and mix the salt in. I run an air pump in it and let it sit until I need it for a change.

When it comes down to a water change, I set my python up to the sink to drain some water. Then I go back to the other room, and bucket by bucket, I fill my tank back up.

Personally, I find this system horrible.. I make a huge mess in the process!

What do you do? Do you set up your pre-mixed water in another room? In the same room? Near the tank? Do you carry buckets/jugs back to the tank, or pump it in somehow?

What should I be considering to make this run smoothly and maybe a little less wet?!?

Thanks!

_Decz.

[Oakley]

From reading other posts on this forum, i decided to go buy a "wheelie bin" or as you guys would call them, a trash can on wheels.
Has a lid and holds more than enough water that i need for changes, plus can be stored away anywhere till needed.

[M-pire]

I have several buckets and a 10gallon trash can that I pre fill with water a day or two before...and it made a pretty big mess each water change. You just cant help but spill some when you are lifting 5 and 10 gallons of water 4 feet and try to slowly pour without resting weight on the tank.

Now that I hear about the idea of a wheeled trash can I am headed straight for that isle when I go to Home Depot next. I have a few extra powerheads that I plan on using. :)

[OrionGirl]

Wait 'til you're changing more than a few gallons! I change about 65 gallons every two weeks. I drain water from the tanks into the toilet (just around the corner from the tanks). Then, I have a 65 gallon agricultural sprayer tank, bought new, set on a metal flat bed cart that gets rolled out. Makes changes a snap, since the cart is taller than the sump, and the tank has a valve on the bottom--just run a hose from the tank to the sump, and open it up.

I use the bucket method for my FW tanks, and my 10 SW. The key is getting a good bucket--one that has a mouth for pouring out of, instead of just a round top. I seldom make a mess, unless I get in a hurry and don't pay attention when I'm pouring--and that's for about 45 gallons of water changes. Home Depot has a good variety of buckets in the mopping section.

[gcvt]

I mix my water in a 30g trash can, in a hall closet, about 20 feet away from the main tank. To 'drain' water, I toss a MaxiJet 1200 powerhead in my sump with a hose running to my kitchen sink (also about 20 feet away). To fill up, I put the same powerhead in the 30g trash can and pump the new water into the sump. That's about as easy and mess-free as I can do it in a one bedroom apt. I didn't want to be wheeling a trash can around so I figured I'd let the pump do all the work instead. It works perfectly; I rarely spill a drop of water, and I can relax with a cup of tea while my water change happens right before my eyes :)

[Oakley]

Originally posted by gcvt
I can relax with a cup of tea while my water change happens right before my eyes :)

Is that a real British cup of tea with milk ? ;) hope its not that horrible lemon tea :shake:

[g. mcclean]

We change 8 gallons a week on our 75 and 5 gallons on our 46. We use a siphon hose to drain into 4 gallon buckets that have to be carried to the bathroom. I think we can get a longer siphon hose so we can drain directly into the bathroom. Our new water is mixed in 4 gallon buckets which we carry from the kitchen. Looking for an easier way here. We use a small mag pump to pump the new water into the tank rather than lift the buckets.

[gcvt]

Originally posted by Oakley


Is that a real British cup of tea with milk ? ;) hope its not that horrible lemon tea :shake:

But of course :) Lemon is just a good way to ruin a perfectly good cup of tea.

[Max]

I save my old water and use it raise my brine shrimp in. That way I get double duty out of it and don't have to schlep it across the house. Just make sure you don't have sickness in any of your tanks.
:D

[fluffer]

I've got a 20 gal, I use a siphon to empty into a 5 gal bucket. Then use the same bucket. I just set the bucket on a stand next to my tank, and siphon it into the tank. That way I also avoid getting a bunch of air, and disturbing the occupants with the large rush of dumping the water in. Good Luck!

[Jman]

I am going to use a 20L I've got laying around to use as a quarantine tank. When I do a water change can I use roughly 5-10 gallons of the change and fill remainder of the tank with new SW? will that along with a sponge filter, which I will run in my main tank (to seed it), work to create enough bacteria for the nitrogen cycle?

BTW Target has some 5 gallon buckets that have comfy handles, a spout for pouring and a small plastic 'hose holder' in them. I bought 5 of them @ roughly $5 (american)