Water change automation

[eredder]

Hello:

I am relativity new to the hobby, about two years in. I am getting tired of water changes and would like to automate them, if it is not cost prohibitive. I currently have a 90g mixed reef with a sump in the basement. I change 15g a week. I am using an Avast Marine Barrel tender to make RO but I am not sure how to make the leap to water change automation. Any assistance would be great. Please let me know if more detail is needed. Thank you!

[thearsalan1]

I’m in the process of setting this up myself. You could do it the expensive and cooler way by using an apex to program an apex doser pump to flush out tank water and input fresh water at small increments how ever many times a day you set it to.

Or

You can use two of these pumps to do the same thing but you’ll have to have them plugged in to a typical outlet timer you can get at Home Depot for $5.


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[on the spot]

Originally Posted by eredder

I am getting tired of water changes and would like to automate them, if it is not cost prohibitive...I change 15g a week...

What part of the 15 gallons a week is the most tedious?

I'd start there. Moving the water? to the drain, or returning make-up water to the tank?

A lot of tanks have manual water changes that require turning a couple of valves - shouldn't take but a few minutes - that you need to take to check the gear in the basement anyway, right? Make it simpler first is my suggestion.

HTH

[eredder]

Originally Posted by thearsalan1

I’m in the process of setting this up myself. You could do it the expensive and cooler way by using an apex to program an apex doser pump to flush out tank water and input fresh water at small increments how ever many times a day you set it to.

Or

You can use two of these pumps to do the same thing but you’ll have to have them plugged in to a typical outlet timer you can get at Home Depot for $5.


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Thanks! I have heard of people using the Apex Dos for water changes. I didn’t think about using aqualifters.

How are you planning to handle the waste water and new saltwater? Do you have drums, buckets, right down the drain?

[eredder]

Originally Posted by on the spot

What part of the 15 gallons a week is the most tedious?

I'd start there. Moving the water? to the drain, or returning make-up water to the tank?

A lot of tanks have manual water changes that require turning a couple of valves - shouldn't take but a few minutes - that you need to take to check the gear in the basement anyway, right? Make it simpler first is my suggestion.

HTH

Thanks for the reply. I wouldn’t mind turning a couple of valves. I do check on the equipment. I think the part I would like to simplify would be the draining and mixing. Getting the new water into the system is the easiest part for me.


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[thearsalan1]

That’s where it can get a little tricky. Having salt drain into your sewer pipes constantly for years is not a good idea. My sump is luckily next to a bulkhead on the side of my house, so I plan to dig a hole in the ground and fill it with gravel (French drain system), and pull a line through the wall into that pit for old water to drain into. For new saltwater I’ll be using a 55g food grade drum and I’ll also have one for fresh water for ATO.

I also didn’t mention, I’m going the apex route since I have one with all sorts of fail safes and redundant measures as I travel for work and it’s kind of a necessity and peace of mind for me. If you can avoid all that, the cheap way will work just as well, just have to keep an eye on it way more often.


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[Julius Chen]

What is the problem to drain old salt water into sewer pipes?

Draining into a pit dug at the side of your house would end up tins of salt right tgete over tome, right?

I use a Cole Parmer masterflex dual head peristaltic pump to do my water change, set at 4ml/min, 24x7.

Originally Posted by thearsalan1

That’s where it can get a little tricky. Having salt drain into your sewer pipes constantly for years is not a good idea. My sump is luckily next to a bulkhead on the side of my house, so I plan to dig a hole in the ground and fill it with gravel (French drain system), and pull a line through the wall into that pit for old water to drain into.
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[scuzy]

Draining saltwater into the sewer is better than into the ground next to your house.


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[thearsalan1]

Originally Posted by scuzy

Draining saltwater into the sewer is better than into the ground next to your house.


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I disagree, saltwater is one of best ways to speed up corrosion in the sewer plumbing in your house. By sewer, I mean the metal piping within the foundation or where ever else. It’ll obv be fine in PVC since that’s what we use in our systems.

Just think of what salt does to cars in the northeast..

Of course the hole in the ground won’t be close to my house, and I definitely don’t plan to grow any trees over that area.


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[scuzy]

All the pipings here are abs I don't think there's any metal pipes use in our homes here at least not in California.


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[thearsalan1]

That makes sense, that was another thing I meant to mention, it also depends on the plumbing/how old your house is. Good point, you’ll definitely be fine in your case as you already know.


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[FaithKlim]

I use this. It's a combination auto water changer & auto top off for same price as the tunzee ATO:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/auto-...AaAkKAEALw_wcB

[reef cuber]

You will kill your septic tank fauna if you have your own system. Public sewer, I would dump it down the drain. I spread my saltwater on my drive way (gravel) helps melt the snow and ice in winter.

What is the item you posted in the photo. I'm also interested in this idea!

[thearsalan1]

Originally Posted by reef cuber

You will kill your septic tank fauna if you have your own system. Public sewer, I would dump it down the drain. I spread my saltwater on my drive way (gravel) helps melt the snow and ice in winter.

What is the item you posted in the photo. I'm also interested in this idea!

It’s an aqua lifter pump that pulls water from one tube and spits it out the other. Pretty inexpensive and very universal. It’s also very good for doing a diy ATO, all you do is splice a float sensor (also very cheap) into one side of the power wire and you’re good to go.


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[eredder]

Originally Posted by FaithKlim

I use this. It's a combination auto water changer & auto top off for same price as the tunzee ATO:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/auto-...AaAkKAEALw_wcB

I have not seen that before, it looks pretty neat. I will check it out more. Thanks!


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[eredder]

Originally Posted by reef cuber

You will kill your septic tank fauna if you have your own system. Public sewer, I would dump it down the drain. I spread my saltwater on my drive way (gravel) helps melt the snow and ice in winter.

What is the item you posted in the photo. I'm also interested in this idea!

My plan was just to put it down the drain. I am not on septic. I did not know that saltwater would kill septic bacteria. Thanks!


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[mrsixstrings12]

I'd love to have automatic water changes. I don't know what it is, but it's just so annoying haha. When my tank was at my parents' house, I had to do the ol' carry buckets method. Needless to say, water changes were rare. Now, my sump is within 6 foot of a utility sink and I have enough space for a large brute trash can. I fill that with water, which nets about 30g when full, mix and heat in the trash can. And then when I'm ready, I turn my return off and the amount that ends up in the sump is equal to the amount in the brute can. I plumbed some PVC pipes to the utility sink. To drain the sump, all I do is push some vinyl tubing onto a barbed fitting and plug the pump in. I'd say it's as easy as it could be without doing automatic.

[Volcmreefer]

I have the AutoAqua and LOVE IT!! I do 2 gallon water changes every day. All I have to do is turn off my ATO and press a few buttons. Best investment I have made for my reef in a long time! Love it!

[Joe0813]

I'd love to automate water changes. Check out the genesis. They are pricey though

[thearsalan1]

To make it more interesting, I’m looking into automating the mixing of the new saltwater as well. Haven’t really researched if this functionality comes prebuilt in a kit, but I’m looking into doing it myself with the use of a raspberry pi and some mechanism to pour the salt in the saltwater barrel and another ATO in the saltwater barrel once the level gets too low. Once this is accomplished, the only thing I’ll need to make sure of is that there is salt constantly available in the supply container. I’d love to hear ideas of someone already has this or has seen.


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[sde1500]

I would not use two pumps on a timer. You won't get accurate results. Especially not from a cheap aqualifter. To automate changes you need to take out and add the exact same amount. Persitaltic pumps are the way to go for this. I was looking into a litermeter, seems like a good set up, but went with a Stenner pump instead. I'll be installing it this weekend. Dual 50gpd heads on a single pump, will be plugged into a timer to run when I need it to.

[on the spot]

Originally Posted by eredder

...the part I would like to simplify would be the mixing...

Making water in volume is easier than small batches. I've used brute trash cans, the big plastic barrels that pickles are shipped in, and even spare tanks on really, really tall stands to use both gravity and the space underneath to better effect.

If you have the space for a dedicated water station there are 200 gallon HDPE tanks that would let you make a bucket at a time...

[panamagixxer]

Originally Posted by FaithKlim

I use this. It's a combination auto water changer & auto top off for same price as the tunzee ATO:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/auto-...AaAkKAEALw_wcB

I bought this 2 weeks ago:

I have a 55 gallon viewable tank with a 39 gallon sump.
I change about 15 gallons a week.

I installed it, (2 ATO's now, because I had one before) and have used it for a week. I am doing it manually, but you can set it up to do it auto.

My manual "push the button" change is 2 gallons at a time. It is much easier with my setup which required moving large buckets and manual draining.

I love it.

[eredder]

Originally Posted by mrsixstrings12

I'd love to have automatic water changes. I don't know what it is, but it's just so annoying haha. When my tank was at my parents' house, I had to do the ol' carry buckets method. Needless to say, water changes were rare. Now, my sump is within 6 foot of a utility sink and I have enough space for a large brute trash can. I fill that with water, which nets about 30g when full, mix and heat in the trash can. And then when I'm ready, I turn my return off and the amount that ends up in the sump is equal to the amount in the brute can. I plumbed some PVC pipes to the utility sink. To drain the sump, all I do is push some vinyl tubing onto a barbed fitting and plug the pump in. I'd say it's as easy as it could be without doing automatic.

That sounds like a great setup. I would be happy with that setup.


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[eredder]

Originally Posted by Volcmreefer

I have the AutoAqua and LOVE IT!! I do 2 gallon water changes every day. All I have to do is turn off my ATO and press a few buttons. Best investment I have made for my reef in a long time! Love it!

I’m going to look into it more. The Genesis looked pretty cool too. The autoaqua is much cheaper.


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