Guys...I don't like the way my first water change went lol I would like to know some peoples routines(please be descriptive) and little efficient tricks they've picked up over time. Keep in mind I would love to have space for a garbage can to have water ready for top off and changes but I don't. Thanks
FR - - I am maintaining a 20 gallon tank so your volumes will be a little larger than mine - - but this is a week in the life of the snowboss....lol
Sunday is my maint. day......I bought a 19 ltr square container at walmart with a lid for like 8 bucks, picked up a 2 to 5 gallon tank heater {walmart as well 8 bucks} and i have a powersweep powerhead that I am not useing in the display tank, oh yeah and a 3 dollar thermometer from walmart as well - - - I buy {now that i finally found it} RO water from wally world too......I then set the container up on a work bench in the basement marked 1-2-3 gallon marks on it and fill it to the 3 gallon mark, mix in the salt {right now i'm dosing with marine PH buffer also} so that goes into the mix as well....then let plug everything in and let her run for a few days {wed mix for sun is my usuall schedule} then on sunday I unplug the powerhead and skimmer and filter, syphon off 1 1/2 gallons into a {marked bucket} then do any cleaning in the tank i need to do, glass, blow the rock off,plug the filter back in for 10-15 minutes to clean up the majority of floating stuff i just created, unplug again, swish the mech bags in the syphoned water every other week and put back in the filter. dump the water syphon off another 1 1/2 gallons and replace with fresh mix water ......start everything back up and be on my marry way - - i usually test my water before i start cleaning and again on wedensday if i feel im haveing a problem.
Like i said if your doing larger than 3 gallon changes the process id the same just the mix container size changes...i like that square thing i got cause it has a lid and the cats can't get hair in it - -thery have them all the way up to 30-40 gallons....i don't like the idea of a trash can {i know a lot of people use em} but someone would inevitably throw something in it and not tell me and I'd wipe out my tank with a rouge candybar or something stupid like that.......the container looks like it serves a porpose and people stay away from it....lol - - sorry so long but you asked for detail....good luck man .....find what works for you and run with it.....Snowboss
PS - -put a bath towel on the floor in front of the tank.......your wife/girlfriend/significant other will thank you....lol
Hey! I just let the carpet soak up the water. When I test my water I throw the excess out of the test tube anywhere on the old rug. I keep my African and Persian rugs clean and dry though. If the power goes off I'm gona have most of a hundred gallons of water on the floor because my magnum canister filter doesn't seal very well, so I guess I should do something about that. it would mess up the Apt downstairs! Sorry! I know you were talking about the best way to clean a salt set up. I'm envious!
i hope my hardwood floor is not messed up under the tank....that would suck.. i mixed my saltwater in a colmen cooler it worked out good when its ready for the tank throw a pump in there and pump it in your tank..that way there was no lifting of buckets.also i would syphon water out the window.
i wish i could find some sort of salt water fish that is native to ...Arkansas or Alabama so i couls have a redneck fish.....maybe a clown crossed with a wrasse,,,,,,,,,they could eat "My lil Sis" um crawdads?????
I have a 75g display, 55g sump/refugium and a secondary 29g display refugium so total water volume is about 120gallons.
I normally change 10gallons a week with Oceanic at 1.025sg.
I change water on Saturday.
Thursday, I start the 5 stage ro/di and fill a Brut 32g tash can up to a marked level of 10 gallons. Once I have 10g's, I place a Mag7 pump in the can for circulation and a 100 watt heater set at 78 degrees and slowly add salt until my refractometer reads 1.025sg.
I then let it mix during Friday. Saturday morning, the water is thoroughly mixed and heated to 78 degrees. Saturday morning, I check the PH, calcium and alkalinity of the change water and the main system and make any adjustments needed to the change water.
When the change water matches the main water, I turn off the sump return pump and use a maxi jet 600 pump to drain 10 gallons from the return section of the sump twice into a 5g bucket. I then place the maxi jet pump in the brut trash can and pump in the 10gallons of new water.
Then I just turn back on the return pump and water change is done.
For auto top-off, I set up a very simple gravity feed system. It consists of 2 - 10g tanks that are plumbed together and are higher than the sump that feed to the sump with 1/4in tubing and a Kent float valve. My system evaporates about 2 gallons a day so I have to refill the reservoir every 8-10 days.
