Crazy evaporation

[CeresReef]

Hi All,

I have very recently set up a tank, and I am noticing just how much evaporation I am getting. I don't have an ATO, with no plans on getting one.

I have no qualms about topping off manually every few days, as I am near the tank anyways, my worry stems from the summer coming, in which I may leave my tank for a week at a time! the lowest section in my IM20 is where the return pump is, and that is the section that empties first.

Is there a way to cut down on evaporation? I was thinking of going to lows and grabbing a piece of acrylic to just lay on the tank when I leave for more then a few days, are there any red flags to doing this?

Any help would be appreciated.

-Ceres

 

[AnnaCassandra]

How big is your tank? We have a 90 gal tank and go through roughly 5 gal every 3 days. We have an ATO that holds about 5g so when we go out of town for more than a couple days we set up a large garbage bin to use as our ATO reservoir otherwise our sump would be sucking air before we got home.

When you have a tank with a sump, your DT is held at a constant water volume, same with everything but the return section in your sump- which is typically only a few gallons.So really unless you have a very large sump compared to your DT and have a very large return section you really can't get away with leaving for any amount of time without an ATO. If you are trying to limit evaporation you will also limit gas exchange and could drive oxygen levels in your tank very low and cause your pH to drop considerably, not to mention it could be hazardous to the health of your fish.

 

[ryeguyy84]

How much are you evaporating? On a 20 gallon it must be less than half a gallon a day. If you cover it you might get less light through as well as less gas exchange. I'd just pickup an ATO if you're going to leave for a week. It's cheaper than replacing the pump when it runs dry.

I used autotopoff.com on my first tank.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[hkgar]

You need to be concerned about fluctuating SG if you are only topping off every few days. Evapoation will increase the SG of the water and topping off decreases it. Your fish will not repond well to an increase of more than .002 per day

 

[mcgyvr]

For reference..
On my 80G tank (48" x 24" of exposed surface area) I was evaporating about 2G a day..
I just put a complete top on that tank and cut it to less than 1G a day..

I used this..
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Ship-Wi...pID=51oGhpT5eiL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
Works great..
Far cheaper than acrylic.. An acrylic sheet if not braced sufficiently will warp/twist,etc... and look like poo poo..
That extruded polycarbonate stuff is perfect and plenty strong.. There is almost no bowing at all on my 4ftx2ft area..

My sump is a 40b is not covered at all..

 

[Uncle99]

The plastic top may limit the exchange of gases, trapping some CO2 in the column so you need some space for the air to flow....
Sorry, but you need to leave the tank for a week either hire a tank sitter (which is sometimes worse) or get an ATO. An ATO is about 70-100 bucks, I just got a Coral Box A100 and it cost me 100 buck Canadian, so 76 bucks in those strong us $.

I lose 1/2 gallon a day in an open 48x24 surface, but this can vary widely by climate..

Your top likely costs more...

 

[mcgyvr]

The plastic top may limit the exchange of gases, trapping some CO2 in the column so you need some space for the air to flow....
.

I do have a few small openings around my over the top returns and where my auto fish feeder dumps..
And yes as I stated I left the sump open..

Its actually helped with heat loss too.. The heaters don't need to run as long which will save me quite a bit in the winter months..
I'm a big fan of using that extruded polycarbonate sheeting now.. Excellent stuff for a top and far less expensive than fabbing something from acrylic sheet....

 

[hkgar]

For reference..
On my 80G tank (48" x 24" of exposed surface area) I was evaporating about 2G a day..
I just put a complete top on that tank and cut it to less than 1G a day..

I used this..
https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Ship-Wi...pID=51oGhpT5eiL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
Works great..
Far cheaper than acrylic.. An acrylic sheet if not braced sufficiently will warp/twist,etc... and look like poo poo..
That extruded polycarbonate stuff is perfect and plenty strong.. There is almost no bowing at all on my 4ftx2ft area..

My sump is a 40b is not covered at all..

Looks like the light passes through two pieces, any concern for par loss?

It certainly increase the tank warmth in the winter when the ambient room temp is low but unless you keep the room temp low in the summer you may run into some too warm concerns.I tried glass tops and had to switch to screen.

 

[Uncle99]

For me, and this is just a me thing, I could never keep the cover clean for more than a week. Every week I had to clean it or I thought I was losing par, but not sure if it was true.
I also struggled with PH and while I don't chase it, many hobbists believe that calcification is faster at higher PH, and I find my PH does hold higher by .2 with the top off. I use no sump so I can see why those with sumps, covers would work well for.

I like the evaporation as this combined with weekly changes of water, I get more new water in the tank. In the end, the water that evaporated ends up in keeping the humidity in the house at about 45% anyways, otherwise I would have to run the humidifier to maintain this level. It seems that each time I try to save, it just came out of a different pocket.

I love the screen idea but because I have nothing that jumps, not much value in my case.

In the end, it's just likely a matter of preference, no right or wrong, just different ways of getting to the same point.

 

[Drewbe147]

Im evaporating between 1 and 1.5 gal a day. I don’t own a ATO yet but going to autotopoff.com to pick mine up. For like 80-100 bucks between there and walmart u can have a 6-7 gal ATO. Aquatainers are 7 gals and pretty cheap at walmart. I actually want more evaporation in my 90 bc my lights heat my tank a little more than i want. I have a canopy which doesnt help my evap but i plan to add wrasses so its needed. For now tho my morning ritual is to go turn on my blues check under the cabinet and add rodi to my sump to raise it back to my marker for my water level in the sump. Doesnt take long at all and gives you that extra minute to check over everything in the sump ensure its working well and check ur socks/skim cup etc as well as enjoy your fish and/or coral if you got em waking up. Helps me start my morning right personally

 

[mcgyvr]

Looks like the light passes through two pieces, any concern for par loss?

It lets 80%+ of the light through..
That con is well worth all the other pros..
I simply adjust my light levels up a few points to account for it..

 

[JTL]

I lose one gallon per day with a screen top. My light loss is between 3-5% according to a study done by BRS. 80% loss is probably understating the real loss when you consider the accumulation of salt on the underside of the cover. Just as important to me is the temperature. I live in SW Florida and keep my house at 80 degrees and 55% humidity, my tank is a constant 79 degrees. No need for a chiller and even in the coldest time of the year I rarely need a heater except if I chose to open the windows for some fresh air.

 

[Frogmanx82]

I don't know why there is so much concern over gas exchange if you cover a tank, which I would recommend. I have a 90 gallon and have the DT about 60% covered and my sump is about 80% covered. I lose a half gallon a day. You have so much air getting sucked down to the sump the air over the DT will not get stagnant but a cover will really cut down the evaporation. You can get cheap glass cut to size at any hardware store.

I have an ATO but if I'm gone two weeks I'll cover the DT almost 100% and lose less than a quart a day. Also if you have a protein skimmer there is plenty of air exchange there too.

 

[mcgyvr]

I don't know why there is so much concern over gas exchange if you cover a tank,

Because its known/easily proven that there is gas being exchanged on a regular basis in these systems..

There is little information though on exactly how much "covering" can be problematic so we use a bit of caution and just recommend you do allow some air exchange and just let people that might not otherwise be away of this..

Its just something that is good to remind/alert people of so they don't fully enclose their system and have problems..

Just how its not a bad idea to mention palytoxin to those working with/handling zoas/paly corals,etc...
Or how its a good idea to remind people that ATO water should be fresh water as not all know that the salt doesn't evaporate..
Or many other things in life.. Wear your seatbelt.. Helmets on motorcycles... Condoms

 

[Cancun]

Hi All,

I have very recently set up a tank, and I am noticing just how much evaporation I am getting. I don't have an ATO, with no plans on getting one.

I have no qualms about topping off manually every few days, as I am near the tank anyways, my worry stems from the summer coming, in which I may leave my tank for a week at a time! the lowest section in my IM20 is where the return pump is, and that is the section that empties first.

Is there a way to cut down on evaporation? I was thinking of going to lows and grabbing a piece of acrylic to just lay on the tank when I leave for more then a few days, are there any red flags to doing this?

Any help would be appreciated.

-Ceres

Hi there.....just curious....is there a reason you don't want a ATO? They aren't expensive....and to be honest it was one of the best piece of equipment I have bought...I have a 10 gallon reservoir under my tank...I love it......

Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[Lsufan]

I would get a ato regardless, but especially if u know u have to be away from the tank for a week at a time. They have multiple factors that come into play, but if u plan on topping off manually then I would plan on doing it daily. Salinity swings are not good but I also assume the return section on that aio is really small & wouldn’t be hard to burn up a pump.

 

[Uncle99]

It's kinda like your home, or at least those homeowners which experience some degree of winter months.

Home builders construct homes to be extremely efficient these days as a selling factor and a good one at that with the ever increasing costs of energy. People, cats, dogs, birds, whatever, expel C02 as part of their respiration process and this gas can become trapped.

When I open a window to let the outside air in, this is what I call the exchange of gas.
I think my DT can experience the same effects.

In places where it is comfortable year round, trapping of CO2 is not a major issue.

The point is that covers are FINE, provided it is not fully sealed.

 

[Frogmanx82]

Because its known/easily proven that there is gas being exchanged on a regular basis in these systems..

There is little information though on exactly how much "covering" can be problematic so we use a bit of caution and just recommend you do allow some air exchange and just let people that might not otherwise be away of this..

Its just something that is good to remind/alert people of so they don't fully enclose their system and have problems..

Just how its not a bad idea to mention palytoxin to those working with/handling zoas/paly corals,etc...
Or how its a good idea to remind people that ATO water should be fresh water as not all know that the salt doesn't evaporate..
Or many other things in life.. Wear your seatbelt.. Helmets on motorcycles... Condoms

I still don't get this. If you have a sump you can see how much air is getting pulled down. Its a lot. That air has to be getting sucked into the space under your cover. No way the cover is going to be air tight and no way that air isn't going to be fresh enough to to handle any CO2 exchange. Add a skimmer and it just seems ridiculous to fear covering your tank.

Condensation on the lid and how that affects the light, well that's a legit concern.

 

[ramseynb]

The problem I had with a covered tank is salt creep and ugliness. It didn't really bother me with my old JBJ 12g nano but I had a 185g with a glass center brace and hated that damn thing (the brace, not the tank). First, water would evaporate and leave droplets on it, then salt creep. I'd never put a glass or similar cover over my tank (I have a DIY mesh screen).

To OP, buy an ATO. I consider it essential gear in this hobby. Not only because it makes your life much easier, but also because it keeps your salinity stable.

 

[EMeyer]

Make or buy an ATO. You can DIY an ATO for about $40. Salinity fluctuations have a huge impact on everything in the tank and an ATO is basically the only way to prevent them. I would no more run a tank without an ATO than I would without a sump.

Skimp on the overpriced trinkets like lights that simulate thunderstorms; dont skimp on the ATO. $40 for a float switch, relay, and pump and youre in business.