Water change receipt

[madison]

Hi all...just wanted some input and advise...
I have a 300g/200g sump/refg...a 180g/100g sump/refg and a 90g/10g sump refg...I have always had Catalina water deliver natural sea water to my house every 4th Saturday for my water changes.
I am currently paying $1.00/g for 175g's of Catalina Water....100g, 50g and 25g respectively.
The water guy just told me that the price for delivery is going up to $1.95/g...basically $350/month!!!

OK...so I need your help...I am thinking about getting 4 of them 55 gallon trash cans with the wheels and a couple pumps of make my own water...
Please share your receipt for turning tap into "reef" water
...Amquel, salt...and what else?

 

[coachklm]

a heater for each bin and a powerhead for each bin also
and water..

 

[madison]

a heater for each bin and a powerhead for each bin also water

great! anything else? Phosban? chemically speaking...anything else?

 

[huntoaks]

Forget the tap water if you can. Buy a RO/DI unit and make your own water. Mix in the salt of your choice ie...Instant Ocean or Red Sea or whatever you like. Circulate for 24 hrs in the garbage cans and bring the temp up to the same level as your tank and your done. You will get all the trace elements you need from the salt provided you don't have a huge amount of live coral using it all up. In that case you can add B-Ionic or whatever you like as a suppliment.
I do that every week and it works for me!!

 

[madison]

Thanks...I have already placed the order for a RO/DI unit to be installed in the garage next quarter...came free with the solar panels
But in the meantime?

 

[fishrule]

All I know is, I have a 100g tank and I’m setting up a 10g tank with a heater and power head. I’m going to let the water run in the 10g tank for 1 week and then use all the water for a 10% weekly water change...
I’m going to be using RO Water from WallMart that will cost me $0.64/gallon and add Instant Ocean sea salt...
I’ve been told that I don’t need anything else... (You might want expert opinion since you were using actual ocean/sea water)
I’m sure it will be cheaper using 4 55g drums, but I would look into the price of a 175g tank and just put a few Power Heads in it and a Heater... Might take up less space than the 4 drums and might be easier for making water changes depending on the location of all your tanks...
I would also ask your water delivery person how much it is for just RO or Distilled water to be delivered...

 

[madison]

I’m sure it will be cheaper using 4 55g drums, but I would look into the price of a 175g tank and just put a few Power Heads in it and a Heater... Might take up less space than the 4 drums and might be easier for making water changes depending on the location of all your tanks...
Trust me...if I got one more tank...doesn't matter what for...my girlfriend will kill me!!!!

I would also ask your water delivery person how much it is for just RO or Distilled water to be delivered...
All he does is Catalina Water..actually he only delievers to LFS for resell purpose...but he's only doing me a favor...

 

[dogstar]

In the mean time go ahead and get the trash cans, power heads, heaters if you think you need them, ( I sometimes have to put a spare chiller on my new water in Florida, I mix outside ) quality salt mix brand and start hawlling RO from the grocery store or WallMart ect. I would never do tap water again. newbe once.
Main thing would be testing the new water for PH, alk, temp, SG, ect. befor adding but you may know that. Might want to consider doing smaller changes more often untill your systems can get used to/ acclimated to new water.
Sounds like you have some nice systems and good luck and welcome to the wacky world of water makeing. haha

 

[madison]

Main thing would be testing the new water for PH, alk, temp, SG, ect. befor adding but you may know that. Might want to consider doing smaller changes more often untill your systems can get used to/ acclimated to new water.
I am a 5'5" 110lbs girl and I am lazy...that's exactly why I opt'd for Catalina....no testing no hawllin
I have been doing 100g, 50g, 25g changes quite a while now....that guy comes over...sucks it out...and puts it back in...I am done under 30 mins...
But now...

I actually have to get dirty :scared:

 

[fishrule]

Originally Posted by Madison
I am a 5'5" 110lbs girl and I am lazy...that's exactly why I opt'd for Catalina....no testing no hawllin
I have been doing 100g, 50g, 25g changes quite a while now....that guy comes over...sucks it out...and puts it back in...I am done under 30 mins...
But now...

I actually have to get dirty :scared:
You should ask the Catalina guy if you can setup a yearly contract and get the price back down... There has to be something you can do to get the price lowered... Ask him what the charges are for the Fish Stores... If it is still $1.00/gallon, then just set yourself up to be a SWF store and only buy water...

 

[madison]

You should ask the Catalina guy if you can setup a yearly contract and get the price back down... There has to be something you can do to get the price lowered... Ask him what the charges are for the Fish Stores... If it is still $1.00/gallon, then just set yourself up to be a SWF store and only buy water...
Yearly contract will bring it back down to $1.00.g but I have to pre pay :-(
He charges the LFS guys $0.50/g...the markup is to drive that 18 wheel tanker truck to me and to suck and to pump...he's just trying to make extra money on the side...I really don't blame him...he's just trying to make a buck

 

[fishrule]

Originally Posted by Madison
Yearly contract will bring it back down to $1.00.g but I have to pre pay :-(
He charges the LFS guys $0.50/g...the markup is to drive that 18 wheel tanker truck to me and to suck and to pump...he's just trying to make extra money on the side...I really don't blame him...he's just trying to make a buck
That kinda sucks...
BTW, do you have any pictures of your tanks and setups??? I would love to see them... ***)

 

[chipmaker]

Its certainly not hard to make your own saltwater, but I would definately opt for a rodi unit and not use tap water and amquel. I think if I was going to have to pay $350 a month just for water changes, the fish would be gone........My lfs charges 75 cents a gal, used to be 60 cents a gal last year for sw. I don't know exactly how much it costs me to make my own, but I would have to guess its cheaper than what the lfs sells it for.....Once you get a system worked out to make it , it takes relatively little time to do.....If I was dong that much every month I think I would invest in a pump to pump water out and another to pump water back in..........all plumbed from / to the room the spare water is kept and made in....and stop having to lift buckets etc. Or just get a coil of the clear tube and run it through the tubing to drain and fill using a pump set in the large containers.

 

[badoleross]

If you are still considering wheeled trascans watch the weight rating on the trash can wheels. I looked into something like this several months ago and the rating on the wheels for the BRUTE trashcans which are some of the better ones out there was only 200lbs or so.

 

[acrylic51]

Save yourself alot of cash and just invest in a good quality RO/DI unit.....No need to pay the water guy anything.....What your paying a month in water changes you could have bought several good quality RO units.......At $350, you could buy a Typhoon III RO/DI unit and still have money left over......Better yet you could spend more money and buy a Spectrapure unit. Save your cash on the water, don't really think it's worth it by any means and you don't need any chemicals to prepare your own water other than a storage bin for your water, heater, a thermometer a pump or powerhead to mix your salt.

 

[1journeyman]

You can also avoid "hauling" water.
By yourself a pump, and some hose. You can pump water directly into your tanks after you have mixed it up in your trash cans.

 

[acrylic51]

Your exactly right 1Journeyman.....You could use a sump pump from Lowes or HD and some hose and put the sump pump into your container and plug it in and pump water from 1 location to another.....Nice thing about it is if you have a python hose it will or should mate up to a sump pump very easily

 

[zman1]

RO/DI purchase as recommended by others.
Consider cost
1. Salt $32 - $45 for 150 gals.
2. DI depending water source quality, last about 300 gals. - $20 - $30
Found a place you can buy non color change resin, haven't tried it yet. The spectrapure DI cartridge is refillable (unscrews).
3. .5 micron carbon filter changes $10-$18 each - don't wait too long to replace these or you will end up buying a new RO membrane $$$. Been there done that. First indicator will be DI only last for no more than 150 gals.
4. Higher utilities, water and sewer. They usually are tied together on the bill.
The best $125, I ever spent was on the Kent float valve for a reservoir (trash can) and a ATO controller.
Just so you have an idea of what waiting too long looks like. These both are used, the darker one is what required the RO membrane change.....

 

[acrylic51]

Shouldn't use .5 micron filter as your first filter inline....Clogs to quick

 

[madison]

Thanks...I have already placed the order for a RO/DI unit to be installed in the garage next quarter...came free with the solar panels
Thank you all for the great advises!!!