I don't have a drain and I am unable to lift more than about 10 pounds, so I am definitely limited. Since I hate bugging my husband all of the time to carry water for me, and this is my hobby, not his, I have created ways to move water around. The most important tools for me are;
- an RO System
- large containers
- powerheads
- airsupply and airline
- shutoff values
- top-off values
- long hoses that fit snug onto those powerheads
If you want to use the
RO water, get a 50-
100 gallon container (like a large plastic garbage can), put a top-off value on it, and start the water running into the container. It doesn't matter how slow it is, just let it run for days, if that's what it takes. I have two 25-gallon containers with top-off values on each. There is a line, from the
RO system to the containers, and a 'T' in the line, just before the containers, branching off to each container, with a manual shut-off value on each container so I can choose when to run the water, and to ensure they are both not running at the same time. I use one container for fresh water
RO (that I use for top-off water), and the other container for mixing salt water (that I use for setting up new tanks for changing water in a tank).
In the salt water container, I have a powerhead and an airline hose
always running. The air keeps the ph from dropping. (Note: Obviously, it is important to be able to turn off the top-off value in the saltwater container so when salt is added, and I start taking water out of the container, water does not continue to come in and dilute the water that remains in the container.)
To remove the water, I have 2 methods. If I need to use a lot of water somewhere, I will pump it out using a powerhead and a long hose, pumping it directly to the location I need the water. If I only need a few gallons, I have sterile gallon containers that I fill and carry them to the location needed.
If you just want to use tap water, if I were you, I would let your tap water set out for 1-2 days with an air bubbler running in it, that will eliminate any chlorine in the water. Rotifers are really hardy creatures.
You mentioned that your instructions said to harvest 50% every day to keep production up. That does not mean to change the water 50% every day. If you do that, you will not see a good production of rotifers. I have found that the less you mess with them, the better your results will be. If you start taking out, and replacing 50% of your water every day, you will start having issues and wonder why you are not getting a good yield. What you want to do is leave them alone for at least 10 days once you get them in the container with the
green water. As long as the water is still a green, and you can't see the sides of the container, don't mess with them. If you are curious how they are doing, get a glass jar and fill the jar with the rotifer water. Hold the jar up to the light and see if you can see the rotifers. At first, you will probably see a whole bunch of tiny dots, like dust, swimming around in the
green water. If you do not see them, take a look under the microscope, if you have one available. (you only need 4x) After 10-15 days, it should look like a tornado of dust in the water. Once you hit that point, it is time to start harvesting. You want to harvest enough that when you hold a jar up to the light again, you don't see that 'tornado of dust'. When there are that many rotifers, they go through the
green water super fast, so you should be able to tell, just by the water color, when it is time to harvest. Once harvested, add more greenwater, and then
leave them alone again.
Feel free to post again, with any questions. Post pictures if you are having issues with setup.