what is a top off system

[jake32010]

what is a top off system?
what does it do and does it work
please help me!:confused: [SIZE=4][FONT=arial]

[Phyxius]

Your system evaporates water through natural means or through fans blowing on the surface creating surface evaporation.
A top off system is a means to replenish this water and keep your tank at a constant level.
Some people drip water all the time and others use electronic sensors that detect the low water levels and activate a pump to push water into the system. When it reaches a pre-set level it will shut off the pump. This keeps a set water level in your tank all the time.
Most people use this opportunity of water replacement to add in Kalk water or 2 part solutions to the tank at the same time. You are replacing the missing water via RO or RO/DI water since the salt content stays behind in the evaporation process

[T Man]

The reef will evaporate water which needs to be replaced for stability, for example.......my 250 gallons total will evaporate up to three gallons a day, so I use ro/di to top off with. There are many options of ATO's, but a float switch and a pump are the basics.
Remember that only the water evaporates and the salt stays in the tank, top off with fresh pure water or lime water and it will keep the salinity in check. Welcome to Reef Central jake32010!!! TinMan

[zma21]

[welcome]

Hope they answered your question!

[CarmieJo]

Here is a video podcast http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/podcast-episodes/1867-top-offs-overflows-podcast-episode-63-a.html that talks about top offs and shows how they work.