Water change ideas

[Dash]

Ok, so I do water changes old school with buckets for my current 75 gallon. Now that I'm going to the bigger tank, I need something easier. I have access to a side door with storm drain about 20 ft from the tank so I can simply have a hose drain into there and would save me a lot of waddling back and forth. What do you all use to pump water out of your tank for water changes?

Thanks!

[WarDog]

To drain water out of the tank, just use gravity.

Also, here's an idea.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...&postcount=329

[Frogger]

Not sure you want to drain the water into the storm drain. Storm drains feed directly into creeks untreated. Not only is salt water not good for the streams there are other environmental issues.

[sobe]

I drain mine in the toilet. I fashioned a U pipe out of pvc. That hooks into the toilet and use a maxi jet pump inside the tank connected to a pvc hose. Then i have those extension cord with switch on it so i can control on/off the pump.. Flush toilet several times after wards. I do the toilet cleaning at the same time

If im on vacuuming gravel regimen which is every 3rd water change it goes outside the street. I gravel vac into a rubber maid tub. Then have a stronger pump in the tub to pump it outside.

For new water rubber maid tough guard the grey commercial garbage can i use beside the display tank and run rodi tube to it and do mix the day before changing. I use and old quite one pump to pump it to the display.

Frogger what happens in winter when city are salting , brining the street? Its basically the same salt that goes to the storm drain. I understand winter salting only happens in one season in a year. Compared to us changing water every week. I guess its subjective. Same could be said about rodi water we are wasting water since alot of us do not store the discarded water when making ro or di water.

[Frogger]

Frogger what happens in winter when city are salting , brining the street? Its basically the same salt that goes to the storm drain. I understand winter salting only happens in one season in a year. Compared to us changing water every week. I guess its subjective. Same could be said about rodi water we are wasting water since alot of us do not store the discarded water when making ro or di water.

In the winter when we are getting a lot of rain the salt is thinned and washed away. The damage it does to the environment is accepted because the alternative is major accidents and loss of live. In the summer when it hasn't rained in a couple months , the baby salmon fry are actively feeding the salt we release would be much more concentrated in the streams.

Its not just the salt. It is the organisms that we culture some good some bad, who knows how they can affect the fish and organisms within the creek ecosystems. Same reason we shouldn't release our tank inhabitants into the wild ecosystem.

[smokinreefer]

Good points!

If it were "just" salt water i'd be inclined to say go for it and dump it to the storm drain.

But you've raised a good point, it's not so much "just" the saltwater but the foreign micro and macro organisms that come with it.

Not really on par with this, but think lionfish. And what a devastation it has been to the ecosystems that it has been unaturally introduced to.