Filling a new 150 gallon tank with RO water--what pump should I use?  10/15/09
Hello everyone,
<Hiya Shannon>
I'm hoping you guys can help me out.
<I often wonder that myself>
I'm getting ready to fill my 150 gallon tank and I'm not sure how to get the water in it!
<Easy .. you pour the water in through the top! .. oh wait ... there's more ... lemme read ....>
My situation is this: I have an RO/DI unit mounted on the wall in my laundry room, which is run off the washing machine. I'm planning on filling two Brute trash cans that are stored in the laundry room with the RO/DI water, and since the cans are on wheels, rolling them into the living room where my tank is located.
<OK. Stop right there. Those trash cans are strong, but they're designed for trash. 40 gallons of salt water weighs more than 350 pounds -- and the wheels and axles of those trash cans aren't designed for anywhere NEAR that weight. In other words, Shannon, once you fill those suckers with water and make your mix, think of them like concrete pillars -- not going anywhere until close to empty.>
<Now, as it turns out, this is a good thing(tm) because water in any container sloshes as it's moved ... and the more it's moved, the bigger the waves get. More to the point, once salt water starts to sloshing, it finds a way to escape from it's container ... ANY container ... although this does not sound possible, trust me when I tell that once salt water is spilt, it will FIND the most valuable or most easily damaged thing in the room and saturate it. Most old timers will tell you stories of a spilled gallon of salt water that went UP a set of stairs, picked the lock of a door and saturated some memorable keepsake of some family member. Don't try to move the container and you and your entire family will thank us later!>
I'm not sure what the best way to pump the water from the Brute trash cans up into the tank would be.
<After your mix is made and aerated, aged (at least a day, 2 is probably better), heated and pH balanced ...>
Would I use some type of submersible pump?
<Exactly>
If so, what kind would you recommend?
<The brand isn't that important, Shannon. 1) It needs to be submersible 2) that it be magnetic drive 3) It needs to have enough lifting capacity to pump from the bottom of the trash can to the top of the aquarium. This distance is known as "Head" and it's measured typically in feet. My suggestion is that you pick a pump that is at least 2-3 feet higher that your maximum distance.>
<Here's what I do, Shannon: I have a pump that is rated approximately 120 Gallons per hour - a relatively small pump. I have a roll of 1/2 inch ID (Inside Diameter) vinyl tubing from my local building supply store that is long enough to reach and at the "tank" end, I run the tubing into a 1/2 plastic ball valve (from the same building supply store & they'll have plastic thread to barb fittings & clamps to construct this, as well) and then out of the valve and into a piece of "U" shaped tubing (from an old canister filter) to hang over the lip of the tank.>
<Water changes are easy: close the valve, hang the tubing into the tank, run the other end to a drain, open the valve, start a suction and go watch TV. I have the INSIDE length of the U tube cut right at 10% so when I start the drain, it runs dry at 10% of my tank volume. Once it runs dry, I take the open end of the tube, attach it to the out let of the pump, drop the pump into the vat of new water and plug it in.>
<Now this is an important part: Because I use only 1/2 inch tubing and fairly weak pump .. the water flow back IN takes about 15 minutes which is a nice, slow addition of the new water. When I reach the desired level, I just close the valve at the tank, which gives me plenty of time to get to the reserve water tank and turn everything off.>
<My last step is to run some hot, fresh water into a bucket and drop the pump and both ends of the tubing into it and turn it on. The fresh water circulates and cleans everything AND it makes the vinyl tubing extremely flexible .. so when I'm rolling it up, it's easier to roll up without kinks. But that's just me.>
Any help on this matter will be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
<Yer welcome afterwards!>
Shannon O'Rourke
Old Bridge, NJ

Re: Filling a new 150 gallon tank with RO water--what pump should I use? 10/17/09
Thanks so much for the info! You guys are THE BEST help as always!
<Yes we are! Go Team!>
One thing I definitely have enough of are ball valves and vinyl tubing!
<hmmmm ...>
This will give me a project for the weekend.
Thanks again,
<Yer welcome!>
Shannon
<Darrel>