I have a small saltwater tank(29gallon). To have good quality water for top off and water changes, the best method is to purify water with a reverse osmosis deionize system(RODI). My rodi system typically takes around 2 hours to fill a 5 gallon bucket with purified water. But i kept forgetting about it running and would overflow my buckets for hours or even overnight. This costs money in filters long term and makes water changes less convenient. If i thought about doing a water change, I had to let the filter make water first. So, to help solve this issue and to have some water on hand for emergencies, i made a freshwater storage setup.

Step 1: Get a Good Rodi Filter

This step is the most expensive, but its needed. Do some research on what rodi system would be best for you. I got mine from BULK REEF SUPPLY. It is their economy system. I know there are better, but i was deep in nursing school when i bought it.

Step 2: Plumb the System

This step was easy. BRS Sends their filters ready to go. All you gotta do is plug in some tubing and setup to a sink or faucet. All tubing comes with quick connect attachments.

Red tube hooks to faucet on provided sink faucet valve.

Blue tube is the purified water and will be hooked to a float valve in our storage tank.

Black tube is waste water and contains everything the filter rejected. This water can either be saved to water plants or sent down the drain like i do.

Step 3: Prep and Plumb the Container

For this step i used a brute storage container. Many people use brute trashcans. I did not have the space for a trashcan. I believe this is an approximate 15 gallon tote. Drill hole in upper level of tote wall to allow space for full movement of a brs shutoff float valve. Install the valve and connect the water tubing for clean water (Blue tube). Install a bulkhead and devise a valve for water going into a bucket. This was my first pvc plumbing experiment. It is a little messy but works great. I will try to update soon with pvc plumbing parts list. Basically it went (from bulkhead) threaded to pvc smooth adapter, short piece of pvc, ball valve, short piece of pvc, then 90• elbow to direct water down into bucket. I used a 2 part primer and glue for pvc.

Step 4: Storage Stand

Simple and easy, i used 2x4s to create a stand for my tote tall enough for a 5 gallon bucket to be able to store under it. The sketch was the basic design and measurements. It is very simple and accomplishes the task it needs to.