evaporation?

[fishrock]

does saltwater evaporate more than freshwater?
i seem to be losing a bit of water and i cannot see any leaks or spills, and i have checked a few times.
i'm having to top up my small fuge daily!
thanks
adam:rolleye1:

[staticfishmonger]

i know my saltwater tank evaporates more than my FW does, mainly because it has much more surface area, and surface agitation than my FW tank does. the saltwater is also kept at a little higher temp. and at least with my set-up i have a fan blowing across my sump for the purpose of increasing evaporation which in turns keeps the tank cool during the hotter times of the year and allows me to constantly drip limewater to replace the water that is evaporating
generally my tank loses about 1-2 gallons a day, a little more during the summer of course.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

How much are you evaporating?

I'd say that a good rule of thumb would be one gallon of evaporation for every 50 - 100 gallons of tank size, depending on humidity in the room, surface agitation, etc.

[leebca]

Just be sure it is truly evaporation rather than water loss. After the perceived loss in volume, your specific gravity should show an increase. You may wish to verify it is evaporation and not a leak --- just in case. . .

[graveyardworm]

Welcome fishrock, I think der_wille_zur_macht has it right on, my 90 evaporates about 2 gals per day with an open top and fan blowing across the top.

[onecrzyboi4u]

weird i only put a gallon in mine each week...

[fishrock]

well the tank is a 3x2x2 and the room temp gets up to the low 30's ( degrees celcius).
i have a fan blowing across the top of the open tank.
tank is at 28 degrees celcius now.
i thought 4-8 litres of evaporation a day was too much but i spose i'm losing about 2-4 litres a day so that seems ok?
going to check SG right now.
thanks everyone
adam

[scuba cam]

MUST HAVE A LEAK

[fishrock]

i think it could also be from the skimmer outlet, it falls about 4" into the fuge and i have noticed a salt build up near the outlet, not actually wet but salty.
may have to reconfigure the skimmer, which will be a bugger.
adam

[SteveC56]

Your SG will tell you some good info., if it raises as the water drops then you have evaporation, if it stays the same then you probably have a leak., because as water evaporates it leaves the salt behind, that is why you should top off with fresh RO/DI water