offminded

Hi Guys,

I have been doing 5 gallon water changes by hand...even though i have a python. The reason why is because i am a little nervous about doing more because i am afraid to turn off my return pump...kinda paranoid about flooding my living room. Can anyone offer me some guidance in terms of how to do a 15 gallon or so water change in the easiest and most efficient way? Thanks!

agsansoo

When you shut off your return pump, watch to see how much your sump fills up. If it looks like it will overflow, turn the return pump on again. THIS NEEDS TO GET FIX ASAP !
The fix is called ball valves and check valves !!!
Please check this link out right away. If you have a power outage ... You could have wet floors !

http://www.marinedepot.com
Look under plumbing parts.

offminded

everything went perfect with the python...no flooding and the water level in my sump was perfect...all is well!

agsansoo

That's good ! Wives hate wet floors ! LOL

offminded

oh my goodness...one tiny drop on the floor and i get a butt chewing!

agsansoo

offminded

lets just say that i have to do tank maintenance when she isn't home...it just makes my life so much easier...

agsansoo

I always spill water while doing water changes !

Short story:
A friend of my daughter, set up a new 180 gallon saltwater tank. Their first. After one week of have water, sand and live rock in the tank. The father comes home from work at noon to find the tank empty of water. The tank was on a new wood floor. The good news was the mother was out of town visiting relatives. The father had a mess ! Thousands of dollars in reflooring repairs. The mom returned from her trip to notice the tank was a lot smaller from when she left. (Replaced with a 65 gallon) The father told her the big tank was way too much trouble, so he exchanged it for a smaller one.

offminded

and he never got caught...thats awesome!!

Sabi

All Mothers don't like messed water! Mine hates water change time. Wonder when i'm a mother....

offminded

when you all do water changes do you get down in the substrate each time you change water or do you just get water without stirring up the substrate?

sgould

I normally just skim along the surface of the substrate, but I usually don't dig down too deeply.

diver28

I have a min and max line marked on my sump so I know how high or low I'm running. Everyone should do something like this to avoid overflowing if the power goes out. Also, you can mark the water level which is best for your protein skimmer if it sits inside the sump like mine. Maybe I can take a picture one day.

sgould

offminded

this is good to know...i would dig a bit deep and it would stir up my substrate quite a bit. i will skim the surface of the sand as opposed to diggin too deep. any other bits of advice? thanks

agsansoo

How deep is your sand bed ? A DSB should not be vacuumed. Only those under 4" deep.

offminded

it about 2.5 - 3 inches deep

agsansoo

Your fine. Just watch your nitrate level as the tank ages. Also nutrients act as food for the bacteria. The sand ( biological filter ) depends upon bacterial growth. So try not to disturb it too much. Like sgould said, just skim along the surface of the sand.