Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board - Auto water changes

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Auto water changes

Just wondering if anyone here is running an auto water change system, something like 1% daily and if you had details on your method of setting it up. I have been looking at maybe doing this with a cheaper dosing pump (jaebo) on a 60g system.

in theory its a really good idea as stability is the goal.... however, you really need a solid set up to do it. a reliable dosing pump, outlet run to a drain and a constant supply of pre-mixed saltwater sitting a the right specific gravity.
miss one of those things and it either risks your system, your house and/or the equipment. plus if you aren't doing it daily you are already defeating the purpose of "continuous" water changes.
i'm also not big on the idea that you are basically pulling new water out with the old water continuously whereas with a normal water change people generally pull the dirty water out and replace with new, clean water.
bottom line, its just too many moving parts for me.

Yeah definitely a lot of things to worry about but not much different that what I do now for water changes. Seems feasible to mix water in the basement and pump up to the main floor using 1/4" tubing to a calibrated dosing pump. This would skip the whole carry two buckets of water up the stairs and don't spill step. I did read somewhere that the effect is a little less efficient than just a straight water change but not much

Just wondering if anyone had done it on here.

I'm running a drip on my fresh water gets dripped in and goes out on a bulked in the sump to a drain in the hot water tank room

Be super cool to do a continuous water changes, I was thinking to set up my apex dos for that...
But for me at the moment is easier to do 5%weekly water changes and eventually in future set up a tank with automated WC.. the only down side is probably to pick up all the detritus at the bottom

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i have set up my tank so it has a bulkhead near the bottom of the tank with a ball valve and a garden hose and drain as much as i want. then i have a extra pump that i pump my new water in with. works well

Quote:

Originally Posted by dino (Post 1012101)

Definitely sounds a good way to do it, but I'm thinking something like fully automated...
for example if you go away for long periods of times from home. But I'm always paranoid that something can go terribly wrong lol, that's why I like manual WC

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I've been doing 1% changes on my system for over 2 years. I love it. If it wasn't for that I bet I'd be one of these guys doing 1 every year, lol.
Check out my build: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...us%27s+upgrade

The pump I use is on pg 13 post # 126. It's got a matched dual head pump so what is taken out is exactly what's going back in.
And the ATO water and New Salt water tanks it gets it from are on pg 16 post 158.

I made the decision to go this route based on this article: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/rhf/

Quote:

Originally Posted by daplatapus (Post 1012220)

Nice!!!
I'll like to get something like that done in the future. I was thinking that the apex dos should be good to do the job.
I have a couple questions tho.
How do you store your SW? I mean I guess you have a power head, an heater, maybe a stone . Do you have to clean the container every once in awhile?
I always get some detritus settling in a corner of the tank(bare bottom) and get rid of it with water changes, how you clean your substrate if you have any

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I would still suggest if possible that your sump has a overflow to a drain. this way anything you add will be displaced to the drain. you could then have a bucket with a pump on a timer and your good. the stenner pump used on daplatapus system is definitely pricey but also a good way to do it

https://youtu.be/fUeKYgbGdgU

this was a year ago when I first setup this freshwater. tank I have not done a water change ever

Quote:

Originally Posted by dino (Post 1012279)

I would still suggest if possible that your sump has a overflow to a drain. this way anything you add will be displaced to the drain.

This is good advice. I actually had my discharge go into a small frag tank. That tank had a bulkhead in the back which overflowed into the drain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galizio (Post 1012245)

How do you store your SW? I mean I guess you have a power head, an heater, maybe a stone . Do you have to clean the container every once in awhile?
I always get some detritus settling in a corner of the tank(bare bottom) and get rid of it with water changes, how you clean your substrate if you have any

The SW get's made once a month in one of those 100 gal storage tanks. My total system volume is 300 gal. So I do approximately 3 gal water change a day. That means my pump runs for about 45 min to dose that 3 gallons. With such a slow water volume rate, I don't heat or aerate my new SW at all. I do run the mixing pump once a week or so, but even that I'm not sure if it's really necessary.
I do find I get a very small amount of build up in the bottom of my container, but I've only found it necessary to clean it out once a year. So I have unions in all my connections and I can pop it out in just a few minutes, take it outside it give it a thorough cleaning.
I think part of the reason I have very little accumulation in the tank is the way I designed and built it. I always start filling it with brand new RO/DI water. If you look through the build phase of those tanks, I inserted a 4' long piece of PVC into the mixing barrel that has holes drilled helically down its axis and there's a small elbow at the very bottom. All of that creates a pretty good vortex inside the barrel as it's filling. As the new RO/DI water is going in, I slowly dump my salt in until barrel is full and the required salt has been added. Then I shift the intake from the circulation pump from the RO/DI tank to the new SW tank using the valves at the bottom of the tanks and just re-circulate the new SW for about a half hour or so. I usually take that time to measure my SG, All, Ca and Mg and top any up if necessary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by daplatapus (Post 1012298)

This is good advice. I actually had my discharge go into a small frag tank. That tank had a bulkhead in the back which overflowed into the drain.

The SW get's made once a month in one of those 100 gal storage tanks. My total system volume is 300 gal. So I do approximately 3 gal water change a day. That means my pump runs for about 45 min to dose that 3 gallons. With such a slow water volume rate, I don't heat or aerate my new SW at all. I do run the mixing pump once a week or so, but even that I'm not sure if it's really necessary.

I do find I get a very small amount of build up in the bottom of my container, but I've only found it necessary to clean it out once a year. So I have unions in all my connections and I can pop it out in just a few minutes, take it outside it give it a thorough cleaning.

I think part of the reason I have very little accumulation in the tank is the way I designed and built it. I always start filling it with brand new RO/DI water. If you look through the build phase of those tanks, I inserted a 4' long piece of PVC into the mixing barrel that has holes drilled helically down its axis and there's a small elbow at the very bottom. All of that creates a pretty good vortex inside the barrel as it's filling. As the new RO/DI water is going in, I slowly dump my salt in until barrel is full and the required salt has been added. Then I shift the intake from the circulation pump from the RO/DI tank to the new SW tank using the valves at the bottom of the tanks and just re-circulate the new SW for about a half hour or so. I usually take that time to measure my SG, All, Ca and Mg and top any up if necessary.

Yes was looking at your tank build thread, pretty cool, definitely inspiring, hopefully one day can do something like that..

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