Draining and Filling my tank?

What are some efficient ways to drain and fill tanks. I know about the python system but does it work from say a garbage container of saltwater???? Let me know what you guys do.

Thanks

Jay

 

I use a MaxiJet 1200 attached to a piece of 1/2" hose. Can do a 10 Gal water change in under 2 minutes.

 

I used a python system for many years and it works well. Some good points are that you can get extensions for the hose so no problem if your sink is far from the tank. You can also get long nozzels to work with deep tanks. The fill part of Python "drain and fill" is designed to work with the faucet in your house so if you fill your tank with tap water it's a piece of cake. I do this with my turtle tanks now but I speak from experience when I say that using municipal tap water is a recipe for some luxurient hair algae in a reef tank.
If you wanted to use your python to fill your tank from a garbage can of saltwater, you need a pump in the trash can. Get a pump with a threaded fitting like that on your faucet or put an appropriate addapter on the pump.
I'm sooo looking forward to having my new tank hard plumbed with a line straight to the drain and from my salt vat back to the tank. Also, an auto top of just for good measure.

 

how big of a pump would I need to put in the garbage can to make this work?

 

This depends on 2 things...

how much time you want to spend to refill your tank-- my Mag 7 would pump 20 gallons in about 2 minutes

whether the can of salt water is located at about the same level as your tank. If your salt water can located on a floor below your tank, you would need a pressure rated pump that could overcome that amount of head pressure. (If you had the can located higher than your tank, you could fill the tank without the use of a pump but it might be a little messy getting the python hose primed and into the tank each time).

 

Would tap water be ok to use if conditioned, if so what tests should i take of my water?

 

At a miniumum you'd want to confirm no phosphates in your tap water or it's a lot like adding algea fertalizer to your tank. It's probably a good idea to confirm that there's not any copper in your water either. I don't know if chloramines are an issue where you're at but you would need to deal with these as well.