Did a 50 gallon water change yesterday

[stingythingy45]

Spring cleaning.
Cleaned up my sump and refugium.
The 20 gallon fug had about 1/2 a inch of silt on the bottom. I should have sold this as miracle mud. lol
Removed the huge ball of chaeto and drained it completely. 100s of tiny white feather dusters everywhere.
Cleaned up all the salt creep everywhere. I had 2- 10 inch long salt stalactites hanging from the return line.
I think they were caused by condensation during the summer months.

Anybody else do this?
What's the biggest water change you've done on your system?
Maybe I'll take a picture once it's fixed up nice.

 

[JohnK]

I do 50% + occasionally with no ill effects observed.

That said, I do it with a dual head peristaltic pump so the circualtion is never shut down and the livestock doesn't even to know that anything happened.

 

[stingythingy45]

I hook a hose up to a T in my return and then shut the water off to the Display and open up a ball valve to the hose.
Pump the water out a cellar window under my deck.(helps kill the weeds under there)
I drain to a mark in the sump then refill with 3 day mixed and heated water. Pump that from a 30 gallon rubber maid trash container.Also I have other containers that I use as well.
Then turn everything back to the normal position.
Takes about 30-40 minutes.

 

[stingythingy45]

The hard part was trying to siphon water from the fug.
Let's just say it impossible as the chaeto bits and pieces block the hose asap.
And then siphoning water into my shoe is never much fun anyways.

 

[mrjantzen]

And then siphoning water into my shoe is never much fun anyways.

I have started doing water changes in my bare feet, because I frequently end up siphoning into my shoes!

 

[stingythingy45]

With my luck I would probably drop a bucket on my toes doing that.

 

[MrX]

Anybody else do this?
What's the biggest water change you've done on your system?
Maybe I'll take a picture once it's fixed up nice.

When I had my original setup (120G DT, with 100G stock tank and 40B tied in down in the basement) I would do 40-50 gallon water changes every 2-3 weeks. I'd siphon the stock tank and 40B into a Home Depot bucket if needed.

My water change was similar to yours; I had a garden hose adapter off one of my drain lines. Hooked the garden hose up, tossed it out the cellar door, and turned the valve. Then I'd turn on an MJ1200 in my 55G mix barrel to pump water back into the stock tank.

How often do you do the 50+ gallon water change/spring cleaning, and what's your normal schedule in comparison?

 

[pbienkiewicz]

My spring cleaning consists of turning off the pump in my fuge and using a the shop vac and vacuum all the detritus out of the fuge. I will also trip the chaeto in my fuge too.

 

[mnavick]

Same as "X", I do 55g water changes every two weeks
Salt Creep and "miracle mud" I try to stay on top of.
Even such a good upkeeper I clean the glass that protects my Metal Halides every 6 months!

 

[stingythingy45]

I'm bad, I do the water change about every 2-3 months.
And that's about the last time I checked parameters.
But, I have an ATO with kalkwasser.

 

[mnavick]

ATO, Calcium Reactor, Aquacontroller...........everything and anything to make maintenance/upkeep easier
Even w/water changes all I have to do is mix the salt, drain/fill is by pump.

 

[Intheflesh]

I'm bad, I do the water change about every 2-3 months.
And that's about the last time I checked parameters.
But, I have an ATO with kalkwasser.

I'm guilty of this too.

I have a 65 w 20 gallon sump. Reckon about 70 gallons or water. I try to do a 20 gallon water change once per month. its usually more like 25 every 2 months.

I'll be 'down grading' to a 50 rimless soon. I told my self i'm going to try to do 5 gallon weekly. It should be easier once we move into the new house and I have my water change station

 

[stingythingy45]

I checked the parameters yesterday and as follows:

Alk:8.5 dk
Cal:425 ppm
Mg. 1100 ppm

I'll boost the Cal and Mg. sometime this weekend and be good for another 2 months.

 

[jrmx635]

I went like a year without water changes.
Lately i do them every few weeks.
in 20 years I feel like I can tell what's going on just by looking at the fish and corals.I check parameters every few weeks or months.
these days tanks don't require the service they used to.
I run a large refugium,bio pellets,a good skimmer and change carbon out monthly with the cheapest carbon I can find.
I use instant ocean 200 gallon box because its $35
I do add kalk here and there.
nitrates and phosphates undetectable.
I look at my tank everyday and just seem to know for the most part when to do maintenance.
I only keep 1 inch of sand and keep sand sifters.every few months stir it up.
I keep only a few crabs and snails so the kids can hold them.
Point is this hobby doesn't have to empty the wallet as much as some think.

 

[BoDiddley]

When I moved my 45g cube with a 10g sump on Sunday I took out about 43g of water

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