When doing water changes do you...

[Eb0la11]

I was wondering when everyone is doing their water changes, what strategies do they use? Do you just stick a hose in, start the siphon and suck from the middle of the water column, or do many/any of you focus on debris areas?

I ask this because I have done FW fish keeping for 4 years or so and whenever you do water changes you focus on the debris on top of the sand or in the gravel.

This seems different to me in SW fish keeping since there are so many organisms that break down the waste that it builds up a lot less.

Should I be focusing on the debris really at all?

[xtreme]

It is a good idea to siphon out as much detritus as possible. It tends to collect in dead spots so if you can access those areas with a hose I would do so.

[elitesurfer]

For me, I turn off my powerhead and aquaclear fuge. Use turkey baster on the rocks and sand. Once all the junk starts floating on water, I try to siphon out as much as I can. This is for a 10 gallon nano tho. :/

[Reefer Rob]

I turn on a pump to empty water from the sump directly to a drain, then another pump fills again from my fresh mixed SW reservoir. I could automate this with my Profilux controller, but I 'm standing there anyway so I don't see the point.

Once in a blue moon I attach a hose to the pump and suck out my sump, bigger chunks I get with a baster. I pretty much leave the little bit of sand I have alone. With the flow in my system, and running filter socks I don't get much buildup anywhere.

[Tom R]

I turn off my main circulation pump that drains the system and then turn on another pump to empty water from the sump directly to a drain, then another pump fills the sump from my freshly mixed SW reservoir. I could automate this with my ProfiLux controller, but I 'm standing there anyway so I don't see the point.

I do about a 60G water change about once a month. This method takes about 15 minutes to complete.

About every second month once I have shut off my main circulation pump and checked that my system does not over flow my sump. I then take a power head and blow the debris in the bottom of the sump into the water column. I then drain the sump for the water change.

Once a year I give my sump a good clean.

Tom R

[bigmac]

My routine is as follows:
1. Shut off my two return pumps; which then draws back some water into my sump.
2. Drop an alternate pump into my sump (which holds about 35 gallons at this point); hook up a hose an put the end directly into my floor drain.
3. Start pump and focus on all the crud on the bottom.
4. Then pump 35 premixed saltwater gallons into sump.
5. Restart return pumps.

This takes 5 to 10 minutes tops. Super easy. There are even more automated ways to perform this function; but it works for me.

[mark]

I change out about 100l at time.

-First is I'll close the valve off the return pump so don't drain the display, then turn off the return pump
-siphon ~60l from the display focusing to get any settled detritus
-open valve and turn return pump back on to get the corals back under water, then valve closed and pump off
-siphon the remaining 40l from the sump and fuge
-transfer the new 100l to the sump turning on the return pump after added ~50l

[Myka]

I turn off all the pumps, then use a small gravel vacuum to vacuum the top 1" or so of the deeper parts of my sand bed. I have to only let it suck for a second or two, then plug it with my finger to let the sand settle or it will just suck the sand right out. I get a lot of detritus out this way.

[new but handy]

I change out about 100l at time.

-First is I'll close the valve off the return pump so don't drain the display, then turn off the return pump
-siphon ~60l from the display focusing to get any settled detritus
-open valve and turn return pump back on to get the corals back under water, then valve closed and pump off
-siphon the remaining 40l from the sump and fuge
-transfer the new 100l to the sump turning on the return pump after added ~50l

your display drains without a pump running?
Or does it just drain a little

[mark]

your display drains without a pump running?
Or does it just drain a little

The return line (from the pump) is a couple of inches below the water line. My sump can easily handle a power outage, just go through this extra bit during a water change to hold the volume in the display to lessen the time corals exposed to air.