water changes?

[Kostas]

I have a very small sump!

Since I can’t just take a bucket of water out without the water level dropping to close to my return pump

What I do is have a tube coming out of my main tank siphoning into an empty bucket during my water changes

and as that is happening, I have a fresh bucket of pre mixed saltwater next to my sump and I just add cups full in till the exchange is done.

[fiorano]

i just turn my system off and use an internal pump in my sump to suck water out then put that same pump into my mixing bin and pump that in as i turn the return pump back on

[martym]

If you sump is that small, what happens during a power outage? Would the sump overflow? What I do is shut off the return pump, the sump fill but doesn't over flow. Then I remove a bucket of water out and pump the FSW into the sump using a MJ400. when I'm done I turn the return pump back on.
Just make sure your sump won't overflow during a power outage!!!!!!

[mark]

When I do water changes I siphon mostly from the display and only about 40l from the basement sump and fuge but do know the total amount I'm taking out.

When I'm ready to start adding the water back, I just turn on the return pump to fill the display back up and start adding the known amount of water back to the sump. If it's looking like the sump wouldn't hold all the water, I'll just shut off the transfer pump, and if it looks like the return pump will start to run dry, I'll just shut it off until the transfer pump catches up.

[hummer]

I turn off my system as well. When I turn it off, a few gallons syphon back into the sump. To do my water change I syphon water from the main tank. Then turn my system back on so that it pumps some water back up to the main tank. When the sump water is low enough, I turn off the system again. The sump now has less water and I add new mixed water to it and let it warm up before turning my system on.

[Aquattro]

I shut down, siphon 15g or so, and dump new water into display. This causes everything to get stirred up, then when I turn system back on, the suspended detritus goes down to the filter sock in sump.

[Aquattro]

And, if you remove a bit, add a bit, remove a bit, etc, you're removing some of the new water you just added. Counter-productive in my mind. Remove the full amount you're changing, THEN add the new stuff.

[JDigital]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I shut down, siphon 15g or so, and dump new water into display. This causes everything to get stirred up, then when I turn system back on, the suspended detritus goes down to the filter sock in sump.

Agreed. Same method I will be incorporating.

[Geofrog]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I shut down, siphon 15g or so, and dump new water into display. This causes everything to get stirred up, then when I turn system back on, the suspended detritus goes down to the filter sock in sump.

I do the same. I mix my new SW a couple of nights before and let it sit with a heater so that it is the same temp as the tank.