I use a five gallon bucket for the foster home and then I hang the lily pipes off the side the bucket. This cycles the bucket instantly. It also keeps the canister filter running so there's no risk of bacterial die off. (Of course you could the same thing with a small tank.) I put an air stone in the bucket. When getting down to the last of the water and residual substrate, nothing beats a wet-dry vac. Wet-dry vacs are not expensive, and if you have the room for one in a garage or closet, it's worth considering.
how did you dispose your soil? and if you plan to save some for reuse (because of all the beneficial bacteria living in the soil), how long can you keep it in a bucket before they go bad?
It goes in a sealed garbage bag into the dumpster. I don't save old soil so I'm not sure about how long it stays biologically viable. Not very long without oxygen and a filter
