Water Changes on large aquarium

[scogdell]

Hi,

I am going to be stocking my 300 gallon aquarium with African Cichlids. And I'm struggling with how to do water changes. For a 280 gallon tank and 40% water change...that is over 100 gallons per change. Currently, it is plumbed easy to drain and easy to fill all with water pipes. The issue I'm struggling with is temperature. As I have a water softener, I had to run the pipe to the aquarium prior to the water softener which means it is not at all heated. And coming from a well, the water is fairly cold. If I dropped 100 gallons of water into an 80 degree tank...the temperature change will be shocking to the fish. I ran the plumbing so it would be easy...just need to figure out the heating problem.

So I figured I could get a 100 gallon water tank (not a trash can)...fill it up the night before a water change and put a heater in it. Then run a pump from that to the aquarium.

Here's a link to the type of tank that I was thinking about. I'm assuming that these are safe even though made of polyethylene.

RomoTech Poly Storage Tank Square, 100-Gallon Capacity, Model# 2392 | Northern Tool + Equipment

This RomoTech Poly Storage Tank is designed for convenient dispensing and storage of chemicals. Approved for use with potable water, agricultural c...

www.northerntool.com

Any other ideas on how to water change an aquarium this size?

Thank you.
Steve

 

[Goonie]

Inline water heater, or if your on well water you may could do a trickle system that eliminates waterchages for the most part, still would need top top off after gravle vacs though.

 

[JLW]

First off, you have a beautiful tank and a great filter system -- but why in the world did you put that tank on a warranty voiding 4x4 stand?

You've got some different options for it. As 'Goonie' mentioned, you could do a "tankless" water heater, hooked up to your gas line, and heat the water that way. It'd set you back a couple hundred dollars, but its a great option. Your option with the polypro tank should be fine, too: its what your sumps are made out of, so I wouldn't worry. Honestly, I wouldn't even put a heater in there (seems like a recipe for forgetting to unplug it some day). If you fill it a day or two in advance, it should be at a close enough temperature to use.

Alternatively, you could do smaller, more frequent water changes, which is better anyhow. If you're changing 10-25% instead of your 40% water changes, you're probably not concerned with the temperature ...

 

[kevmo]

i know it's not a 300 but for my 220 doing 50% it's still 100 gallons or so, and i can fill it using a python from my faucet in about 25-30 minutes....temp can be achieved with a temp reader (IR gun)

 

[scogdell]

First off, you have a beautiful tank and a great filter system -- but why in the world did you put that tank on a warranty voiding 4x4 stand?

You've got some different options for it. As 'Goonie' mentioned, you could do a "tankless" water heater, hooked up to your gas line, and heat the water that way. It'd set you back a couple hundred dollars, but its a great option. Your option with the polypro tank should be fine, too: its what your sumps are made out of, so I wouldn't worry. Honestly, I wouldn't even put a heater in there (seems like a recipe for forgetting to unplug it some day). If you fill it a day or two in advance, it should be at a close enough temperature to use.

Alternatively, you could do smaller, more frequent water changes, which is better anyhow. If you're changing 10-25% instead of your 40% water changes, you're probably not concerned with the temperature ...

Thank you very much.

Well...for one thing I didn't know it voided the warranty. But I am now reading it and it says that it must be on a commercially manufactured stand. Mine is so much stronger with the 4x4 legs and 2x6 "joists" that are spaced 6"OC so not sure why a stronger stand would void the warranty. Having said that.. the good news is that the warranty from GlassCages was only 90 days and I put this tank and stand up in 2007 so I'm 13 years past the warranty .


I think I have an answer based on your reco to do more frequent water changes. As you can see in the pics...it's very easy to drain...just turn the valve and it drains...and I have the supply filling directly into the sumps. So my process could be:

1. Day 1: Drain about 30 gallons of water and let the sumps empty into the tank. Then fill the sumps. At this point, I didn't really change water too much as the sumps just trickle and the new water is in the sumps rather than the aquarium. But the cold water is in the sumps rather than the aquarium. It will slowly mix with the trickle.

2. Day 2: Drain about 60 gallons out (20%) of the aquarium. Then let the day-old room-temperature water in the sumps pump into the aquarium. Then fill the sumps again and continue filling until the aquarium is full and the sumps are at max level. In the end, this will have changed 20% (even more because I actually drained about 90 gallons total). And will have also flushed the sumps a little faster than the trickle does. And I will only be mixing about 30 gallons of the cold water which shouldn't have that much impact on the overall temperature..

Since it is so easy...I don't mind the 2-day change and a lot easier than a water heater. And I'll test the water and determine if I need to do this weekly or bi-weekly.

Do you think this will work?

Thank you.
Steve