Need a VERY slow-drip gravity driven ATO

[redfishsc]

I have a 10g nano that evaporates, sometimes, two liters a day.

I am using a 1-liter bottle as my ATO, simply with airline tubing tapped into it and a small airline valve at the end, dialed down to 1-2 drop per second (about the lowest I can get it).



I would like to buy or build one that can be dialed down to 1 drop per 15-30 seconds, or even slower. I really want to avoid rigging up the standard float-switch ATO--- this tank is small and I'd really rather not have a tragedy with a stuck float switch. I kinda live by Occam's Razor, the simplest option is usually the best. So I'm hoping for a gravity feed...


Any suggestions?

 

[reefplicate]

gravity feed is even more dangerous IMO

go get yourself a tunze osmolator and safe all the hassle and BS....
u will have more time to relax infront of your tank then to work like a slave for it....

u will thank me for this advice 1 day....

 

[redfishsc]

I'm certainly all about products like the Tunze that are obviously well made and have a good reputation.

Why do you say gravity feed is more dangerous? I suppose if the freshwater chamber had a large amount of water (say, a 3-5 day supply of top-off) it would certainly be dangerous.

I'm really looking for something that will drip over a 24-hour period, so I would add some water once a day and have a more stable salinity throughout the day than my current twice-a-day top off and larger salinity swings.

I'm looking into the Tunze right now, I had not looked at it before.

 

[redfishsc]

Well, the Tunze runs about $150 on average. My tank is a 10g nano, I think that would be cost overkill (though granted, you are 100% right about it being easier, that's for sure).


Being a grad student with a one-month old baby, lol, I'm shooting for somewhere between cheap and easy (you can't usually have both in this hobby). What I'm doing now is cheap as heck ($2 for all the parts!) but not quite effective.


What I'm really hoping to find is a method of dripping the water very, very slowly that is reliable.

 

[netboy]

I use an aqualifter with a RO valve partially open to slow things down. Everything should costs you less than $20

Gravity feed will give inconsistant drip rates due to water level in the reservoir.

 

[rbnice1]

I did gravity feed through a float. Works great.

That way if something happens and the float gets stuck It will over fill a bit but not enough to nuke the tank. I only keep 2 -3 days worth of fill in the bottle.

 

[Chymos45]

Get an I.V. line from a doctor or a vet. They have a roller shut off that can be dialed WAY down. I use one for drip acclimation.

 

[redfishsc]

Great idea Chymos45.

Do the IV drips stay consistent over weeks/months or do they wear out/clog (if using pure RO or distilled with no kalk)?

 

[Chymos45]

Never used one long term, but I would imagine the plain RO would be pretty safe. The line itself is pretty small though...

 

[redfishsc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13873708#post13873708 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rbnice1
I did gravity feed through a float. Works great.

That way if something happens and the float gets stuck It will over fill a bit but not enough to nuke the tank. I only keep 2 -3 days worth of fill in the bottle.

This sounds interesting. How do you rig a float valve to operate a gravity-driven system?

 

[jcollins]

You can buy manual floats. I have the same type of ATO. I actually have about 18 gal of RO/DI in my reserve. I have used this set up for over a year now with no problems. The float is about 20 bucks.

 

[maynardjames]

i was thinking about using kent aquadoser same thing as iv drip.
they have a 2 & 5 gallon size i think. anyone have any comments or experence using one. description says can be used for topoff also. i have to add half gallon or more everyday

 

[redfishsc]

maynard, I was looking online last night at a medical supply place, and IV drips are literally $6 each. I dunno how much the Kent Aquadoser is, but I'm willing to bet it's a heck of a lot more than $6 plus a cheap one gallon container (I would not use a flimsy milk jug but I'm not sure yet what I'd use).

 

[rbnice1]

Gravity dosing is pretty easy. I use a cheap float valve and just run it to my small holding tank that sits higher then the tank. Then let gravity do its thing. Works great.

 

[spsfreak]

Use a 5 gallon RO water container stashed above it somewhere and gravity feed it. This is the way I do mine:

And it has a small needle valve (typically used for air pumps) to control the flow. There is nothing dangerous about that... unless some small squirrel crawls into my house and turns the valve knob.

EDIT, here is the needle valve:

GL

 

[redfishsc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13881562#post13881562 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spsfreak

And it has a small needle valve (typically used for air pumps) to control the flow. There is nothing dangerous about that... unless some small squirrel crawls into my house and turns the valve knob.

GL

:eek2: Grief, and I thought I was the only one that ever happened to....





Nice system, BTW. I have a very, very much downscaled version of that (except with cheap airline valve to regulate drip rather than the IV drip you show). Mine only holds a liter.

I will likely be going with the IV drip type since they can supposedly drip VERY slowly (1 drop per, I dunno, 10-30 seconds instead of 1-2 drops per second). And I'll be using a 1-gallon container instead of a one liter.