HELP. Canister filter to save water?

[anizato]

Hi guys,

 

I was thinking of a way to vacuum my water, my bare bottom refugium is pretty dirty and needed to find a way to clean it out without removing the water or necessarily doing a water change.

 

My first thought was a canister filter, which I would pass the water through but keep the same water as opposed to dumping it out and putting new water in.

 

My second thought, will a canister filter with a UV sterilizer help or make things better?

 

My third thought, will this not only help me vacuum the bottom of my sump, but will it also reduce the need for constant water changes, possibly lengthening the time between needing NEW RO/DI water?

 

So I hope my intentions are clear and people don't think I am trying to save myself some time or effort, because vacuuming the water will be a pain in the ass, I am seriously concerned about wasting so much water. Every 15gallons of RODI is 35 gallons of waste water, resulting in over 50gallons of total water volume that is used every 15 - 20 days.

[CronicReefer]

It would be a good idea. I know people do this with HOB filters as well but a canister filter could hold more things to filter the water through as well. Cobalt aquatics even sells something for this very purpose.

[jamescstein]

I've thought about grabbing one of these but have never done it.

 

http://www.petsmart.com/fish/vacuums/eheim-quick-vac-pro-aquarium-vacuum-zid36-5074879/cat-36-catid-300083?_t=pfm%3Dcategory

[ajmckay]

Hey,

 

So I hear you on the cannister filter... Not sure it would work like you want it to though. In FW this is a good idea because a majority of the waste settles on the bottom or gets caught in filters. Not so much with SW though, where waste is held in the water column more. Passing water through a mechanical filter is helpful for removing the larger particles as long as you clean it a lot. So a canister filter could be used to suck up the junk off your rocks and in your sump as opposed to a siphon tube that removes water from the system. The canister filter won't be 100% effective though, reintroducing particles too small for it to filter out.

 

Regarding the water use, remember that a water change doesn't just export nutrients - it also replenishes other elements as they are consumed. So really water changes are pretty essential. In large tanks water changes are much less frequent due to massive filtration systems and complex dosing regimens. In small tanks it's not particularly cost effective to invest in such systems and better to just do water changes.

 

If you're concerned about the water use, 100g per month isn't that much really... You would save way more water shaving a minute off your showers... If you're really concerned though the water could easily be redirected to a holding tank or directly into a washing machine, or for some other purpose. I do that sometimes, I'll just fill the washing machine while making RO and then it's good to go and saves water on the next load.

[anizato]

 

Dude!!! badass! thank you so much, you basically nailed it. All the insecurities I was not sure of you just cleared. I was missing the detail of reintroducing nutrients! I actually used my "dirty" water to do the laundry today.

[jamescstein]

front load washer sux