Automated water change super easy cheap aqualifter style...

[davidinga]

I have a 210gal and haven't done a water change in probably 6 months now and figured I'd do one to see if I get any noticeable coral growth response.

I rigged up a super cheap method to automatically change the water while I sleep. I bought two aqualifter pumps and grabbed some 34gal tubs I had laying around (gonna upgrade to a 54 gal tube next time), mixed up some Rodi and salt and started the auto changer.

The mixing tube is in the garage and the tank is on the other side of the wall. I ran two 1/4" lines of tubing thru the wall (one for old water out and one for new water in), hooked up the the two aqualifters and was in business. Plugged them both in and found they ran perfect.

After having it run for about 3 hours I found my sump level still normal so figured the two pumps are running pretty much neck and neck volume transfer wise.

Fast forward to morning and I have just changed out 30+ gallons of old and added new

Job well done.

The sump level had dropped an inch or so from normal so it appears the old water was draining faster than the new was coming in but no big deal since I was on hand to bring it back to neutral and a couple inches of change is a fraction of a change on 240+ gallon of total tank volume.

Couple pics below to see the ghetto rig setup.

Cheers.

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[Reefplumber13]

Tagging along

 

[rdnelson]

So what happens when the drain pump stops in the middle if the night but the fill pump Kees running???


I know you all think I have no heart but now I have an ultrasound to prove it.

 

[davidinga]

rdnelson99;967215 wrote: So what happens when the drain pump stops in the middle if the night but the fill pump Kees running???


I know you all think I have no heart but now I have an ultrasound to prove it.

... My sump fills up a little and say 5 hours later I wake up and see that happened and so I'll fix the pump and drain some out til the sump returns to normal.

The deal is the aqualifter is supposed to move 3.5gph so if the drain pump stopped in the middle of the night and ran for 5 hours filling my sump I would now have an additional 17.5gal of new water which in my setup wouldn't harm any of my parameters (salinity being the most concerning) and wouldn't come anywhere near overflowing my sump. The fact that it is a very slow pump is good imo if your not available to monitor things all the time.

If I had the cash I'd opt for a peristaltic pump setup (stenner pump) and some big poly tanks for water changes. Til then this setup works wonders on a shoestring budget.

 

[myreefclub0070]

Question, if your pumping in water at the same time as pumping out the percentage of water changed won't be right on, cause you'll be pumping out some of the new water as it mixes in, correct?

 

[davidinga]

MYREEFCLUB0070;967236 wrote: Question, if your pumping in water at the same time as pumping out the percentage of water changed won't be right on, cause you'll be pumping out some of the new water as it mixes in, correct?

Correct.

It's not going to be as efficient of a water change verses the traditional way but the loss is very small doing it at the same time (in/out).

 

[joseayes]

Sweet!

Will wait to see what you do with the Stenner pumps then

 

[davidinga]

joseayes;967242 wrote: Sweet!

Will wait to see what you do with the Stenner pumps then

I am now accepting donations for said Stenner pump!

 

[joseayes]

Oh gosh! This hobby is not funded in donations! Lol! Is all about expending on expensive stuff ! #loveit

 

[davidinga]

<a href=" http://www.lockewell.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_6_31_38&products_id=176
"> http://www.lockewell.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_6_31_38&products_id=176
</a>

One motor with dual heads = precise dosing/water changes

 

[joseayes]

Told you :/ gotta love this to have expend on them.

If I'm not mistaken, a couple members here use them.


If it was me, I'm still doing savings for the ones like Dave uses, lab grade very reliable pumps. Not saying Stenner is wrong at all.

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[davidinga]

joseayes;967250 wrote: Told you :/ gotta love this to have expend on them.

If I'm not mistaken, a couple members here use them.


If it was me, I'm still doing savings for the ones like Dave uses, lab grade very reliable pumps. Not saying Stenner is wrong at all.

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My take is that those masterflex pumps are solid but super dated and can be hard to get parts for later; whereas the Stenner pumps are also rock solid but parts are readily available.

 

[joseayes]

Good to know David' have to check on that, thx!

 

[davidinga]

Bassett22;967294 wrote: 170 gallons a day? Dont they make them much cheaper at a much much slower rate?

They make slower ones but they are the same price.

 

[acroholic]

DavidinGA;967274 wrote: My take is that those masterflex pumps are solid but super dated and can be hard to get parts for later; whereas the Stenner pumps are also rock solid but parts are readily available.

I don't agree with the parts availability statement. Cole-Parmer has parts for all their pumps. I have three Masterflex pumps in use, and I haven't had to service any of them, but I can get anything I need from Cole-Parmer if I do. They have excellent customer service.

No problem with using a Stenner, although I don't have any experience with them. I'm sure they are good pumps as well.

 

[davidinga]

Acroholic;967370 wrote: I don't agree with the parts availability statement. Cole-Parmer has parts for all their pumps. I have three Masterflex pumps in use, and I haven't had to service any of them, but I can get anything I need from Cole-Parmer if I do. They have excellent customer service.

No problem with using a Stenner, although I don't have any experience with them. I'm sure they are good pumps as well.

Hmm maybe I heard bad info then...

 

[davidinga]

Just knocked out another 30+ gallon change (while sleeping). Corals all seem happier after changing out 60+ gallons and not having done a change in over 6 months. I wonder where my NO3 levels were...? The only nitrate test kit I have is a API one that always reads zero lol; with 20+ fish I doubt that is right though...

Might have to pony up for a masterflex or stenner double head pump and setup a daily auto WC system to make life even easier

 

[acroholic]

DavidinGA;967473 wrote: Just knocked out another 30+ gallon change (while sleeping). Corals all seem happier after changing out 60+ gallons and not having done a change in over 6 months. I wonder where my NO3 levels were...? The only nitrate test kit I have is a API one that always reads zero lol; with 20+ fish I doubt that is right though...

Might have to pony up for a masterflex or stenner double head pump and setup a daily auto WC system to make life even easier

It is a great addition to a system. Two of my Masterflex pumps run 24/7 (calcium reactor and sulfur denitrator feed pumps), and the dual headed pump on my auto water change runs 46 minutes a day. There is no hard and fast rule about how much to change daily, but a lot of folks do 1% daily of the net volume. I do this as well.

I don't think I'd trust two separate pumps long term. My AWC had been running for about a year without a single hiccup so far. Either Stenner or MF would probably be fine.

 

[davidinga]

Acroholic;967482 wrote: It is a great addition to a system. Two of my Masterflex pumps run 24/7 (calcium reactor and sulfur denitrator feed pumps), and the dual headed pump on my auto water change runs 46 minutes a day. There is no hard and fast rule about how much to change daily, but a lot of folks do 1% daily of the net volume. I do this as well.

Any suggestions on where to pick up a masterflex for cheap? It seems there are a lot of different models and looking on eBay just makes me more confused... Also, it seems you can get a used pump for $150ish but it only comes with one head and another head seems to be about $50 so they cost about $200 for a used one? I can get a brand new Stenner dual head pump for $280 and get one that can flow up to 170gpd so I could use it for something else if need be later.

 

[acroholic]

DavidinGA;967484 wrote: Any suggestions on where to pick up a masterflex for cheap? It seems there are a lot of different models and looking on eBay just makes me more confused... Also, it seems you can get a used pump for $150ish but it only comes with one head and another head seems to be about $50 so they cost about $200 for a used one? I can get a brand new Stenner dual head pump for $280 and get one that can flow up to 170gpd so I could use it for something else if need be later.

I bought my two AC drive units off ebay and the more expensive digital drive off a guy from Reef Central. The dual headed unit I use for my AWC I paid I think $225 with the easy load heads. You can get good deals off ebay, but you have to watch the ads daily. Either way, if you can get adjustable RPMs on the MF or Stenner Pump, try to get it instead of a fixed RPM. I have adjustable speed and it is nice for minor adjusments to flow volume, particularly on things like a reactor setup.

Prices for used MF pump are all over the map on ebay, however. I got mine for $225, a good price IMO, but I have seen the identical unit with two Easy Load heads for $500 as well. Literally the same thing from different Sellers. That is why you need to monitor the FS ads and not be in a hurry if you want a MF setup. Stenners have the convenience of just order it and it ships new with a Warranty. But then again, a used MF dual headed pump like I got for $225 used would sell for $1100 new today, and they are built like tanks.

Thing is, I don't have any experience with Stenner, so I don't know how closely their dual headed pumps get to one another in terms of flow rate. I watched my MF setup today for 20 minutes of its daily 46 minute run cycle, and the sump level didn't fluctuate at all. I assume Stenners have a common shaft that turns both pump heads. That is the strong point of the MF pumps, a single drive shaft, and if you have two identical pump heads with identical tubing, there should be very little difference in volume pumped. I know this for a fact with MF pumps.

I know there is another ARC Member that has a Stenner set up in an AWC system. If you can find my original thread about my MF WC setup, I think he posted about it in there. You could contact him and ask how his has performed for him, then base your decision on fellow Member experiences. He would have close to 14-16 months on his by now, I would think.