Evaporation/Top Off Question

[BigDog]

It seems that I am loosing lots of water due to evaporation and am having to add water daily to compensate for it (half a gallon in a 30gallon tall tank with 5 gallon sump) I do have a spare 10 gallon tank (couldn't be sump since wouldn't fit in the stand) that I would like to fill with fresh water... is there a way that I could have some sort of sensor that detects the water lvl in the sump, and if it gets too low it initiates a pump in the 10 gal tank to bring the water lvl back up?

[Randy V]

You can rig a float valve to do that, but if it sticks or a snail sits on it you can flood your tank (and floor) with water if you're not careful. I prefer using a dosing pump. You can sometimes find reconditioned ones on ebay for $50 plus or minus $20. You have to figure out through trial and error how much evap you average each day and then adjust that rate from time to time but you can get them pretty close. I just feel that it's safer.

[ByTor]

Well I take it the 5 gal sump is a glass tank?? If so the rules out a Kent float valve, because the tank would need to be drilled.. Now you could change it out and use a rubbermaid type tub food grade to be the safest... and then just drill it a where the water level needs to be when the power is off so as not to overflow the sump... The Kent float valves work well and are fairly inexpensive.. Then there are electrical type of top off units..Here's a like to a few.. Did a little leg work for ya:) These can be DIY'd too..Tsunami (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PA&Product_Code=AT-1&Category_Code=Dosers) You can do a search for the DIY's on the board...HTH any other questions don't hesitate to ask...

[BigDog]

its actually just a rubermaid type container... thanks for the info :) btw, is it normal to have such a high evap rate? when i did freshwater tanks, i never had this high of an evap rate

[ByTor]

well then you could just go with a float valve then .... Sounds like you have good water flow to have that much evaperation.. I loose around 3to4 gals in 2 days out of my 55's and 20plus a week out of my 125....

[BNesti]

Question about using a dosing (very low flow) pump to replace evaporation...

Are they normally setup to run continuously (very, very slow flow rate), or are they setup to run off of a float switch.

If the latter is true, what keeps it from cycling on and off many times throughout the day... or is that even a concern with these types of pumps?

Thanks.

Bryan

[The_Iceberg]

Okay, I have an awesome cheap, easy, and reliable do it yourself plan for a dosing system. I have never heard of a single problem with this plan. Here are two different links to instructions and diagrams on how to build what is essentially the same dosing system. I use this method and it works well. I put a powerhead in the bucket thought to keep the Kalk stirred. Hope you choose to go this way, you won't be sorry.

http://www.ozreef.org/diy/doser.html

http://nucalf.physics.fsu.edu/pfohl/Fish/Diy/topoff

[BNesti]

What happens if the check valve closest to the air pump fails??

Does this ruin the air pump? or leak all the water out of the storage vessel through the pump??

Bryan

[The_Iceberg]

I have no idea. The way I have mine set up, that portion of tubing actually is elevated so that the section that section that is closest to airpump is elevated above the section that is closest to the tee. That way, the check valve is just added protection because it you think about it, water can't flow up-hill (back into the pump. You have to think about how the whole siphon principle works on this one and tweak it to make it a little safer. And I have never heard of a check valve failing anyway.

[Randy V]

Bryan, dosers are set to run continuously at very low flow rates. I run mine at about one drop per second through very small diameter tubing.

[Afishianado]

by far the simplest evaporation top off is the gravity fed type. I set up one of these whenever I am away from home and I loose about the same as you from my 29, maybe a little more. I use a 3 gllon container with a bottleneck opening on it and mount it upside down in the sump so that the mouth or opening of the bottle is at the sump water level. Water stays in the the bottle until evaporation causes the level in the sump to drop then water comes out until the level seals the mouth of the bottle again. Easy no moving parts, and cheap. Never had a problem with this setup