Prep for Vacation

S

ssky

New member
Hi guys,
Got a quick question. I am planning to go on vacation for 3 days and I am concerned about the evaporation in my tank. My DT is 75 gallons and the sump is 20 gallon and I do not have a ATO. I loose about 1/4 gallon (4 cups) daily and know that it will need to be topped off during my absence.

So what should I do? Any suggestions? There is no fish buddy around me so that is not possible. I do have other friends whom I can reply but only as a last resort.

Thanks
 
You don't need to do anything..
Assuming 75G of total water at 1.026 and loosing 1/4 gallon per day left to evaporate for 3 days will change the salinity to 1.0263

relax..Have fun on your vacation.. your tank will be fine while you are gone assuming the loss of 3/4 of a gallon doesn't cause your return pump to run dry (and it shouldn't)

Heck just add an extra 3/4 of a gallon before you go and all problems solved..

And darn it.. you made me think about a margarita again.. Only 2 hours till I'm home..
 
Your tank is covered right? glass top of some sort..
That amount of evap is pretty low for a 75G tank... It must be covered..
My 80G tank/40b sump and I loose 2 gallons a day now.. Home stays at 50-55% humidity on average..
 
Yeah, I would just add an extra 1/2 gallon of water before you leave...or don't. I agree 3/4 gallon won't make any difference.
 
Great mcgyr, I was hoping to get a response from you. I always read your comments and you always give a very no nosense advise. Thank you so much you and nereefpat. Yes my dT is covered with glass. Sump is not. Yes, my concern was the return pump running dry hence asked the question. I will add 1/2 to 3/4 gallon of water before I leave.

I am bit nervous. This is the first time I am leaving my tank on its since I set it up ( 10 months ago) so please understand it.

Thank you
 
ssky said:
Great mcgyr, I was hoping to get a response from you. I always read your comments and you always give a very no nosense advise. Thank you so much you and nereefpat. Yes my dT is covered with glass. Sump is not. Yes, my concern was the return pump running dry hence asked the question. I will add 1/2 to 3/4 gallon of water before I leave.

I am bit nervous. This is the first time I am leaving my tank on its since I set it up ( 10 months ago) so please understand it.

Thank you
Click to expand...

You are welcome..
Enjoy your vacation.. Nothing to worry about..
All will be fine..
 
I have my sump marked with both a normal fill line and with a maximum fill line so that when I go away for up to a week I don't have to worry about it. Sure, the salinity will be a little low for a day or two but by the time I get home it is back to normal. Longer than I week and I'll have a trusted neighbor come in and top off for me. (No ATO for me either)
 
For only 3-days I would just feed the day you leave, and not worry about it.

If you really want, add a few extra cups of make-up water so with evaporation you will stay in a closer realm of your normal salinity... Or if your pump will run dry, just add the extra before you leave.

I high recommend an ATO for the future. :thumbsup:
 
As others have stated, I wouldn't worry if just 3 days. you can make a ATO easily with a 5 gallon bucket and a float valve.
 
All very good suggestions. For the time being I will add extra few cups of water. Once back I will investigate ATO.
 
Yea easiest solution for that is just add the top off now, dilution is so small it won't affect a thing. Then look into an ATO later.
 
mcgyvr said:
Your tank is covered right? glass top of some sort..
That amount of evap is pretty low for a 75G tank... It must be covered..
My 80G tank/40b sump and I loose 2 gallons a day now.. Home stays at 50-55% humidity on average..
Click to expand...

2 Gallons seems like a lot. I have about 100 gallons net and i lose 1 gallon per day.
 
I want to thank all of you guys. I came back from vacation and found the tank was just a tad bit lower than the fill line. All fish, corals and everything was normal. Now I have to look into an ATO in case of a longer vacation.
 
ssky said:
I want to thank all of you guys. I came back from vacation and found the tank was just a tad bit lower than the fill line. All fish, corals and everything was normal. Now I have to look into an ATO in case of a longer vacation.
Click to expand...

Would be a great help to you indeed, especially if you have to take a longer vacation.
 
So I checked a few ATO and am completely confused as to which is good. I don't want to spend 200 bucks for Tunze so that is out of question. I also don't want the AutoTop.com stuff as well since I don't like splicing power cords and do hookey shortcuts. My budget is approx 100/-. Can anyone recommend a good ATO?
 
The JBJ is decent, you can use any small pump with it for your top off. However, the float switches that come with are not very long lasting as they can fail without warning, so be sure to stock up on extras and clean them every now and then.

I have the hydor smart level auto top off system. It has a three prong sensor that you place inside the sump where your water level drops (near the return pump) with the second prong just below the water line. When water drops below the lower prong, the system will activate the pump and raise the water line until it contacts the second prong again and shuts off. If the water level reaches the third prong, it will sound an alarm and keep the pump off until the water level drops back down.

However, you have to use a small flow rate pump like a aqualifter or restrict the output with a valve, the system has a internal timer which times how fast the system is being refilled, if it fills too fast it will stop the pump. The slow fill rate gives the sensor time to measure the temp differences, and cut the filling before it reaches the topmost sensor.

Hope this helps you
 
I have the Auto Aqua Smart ATO Micro Automatic Top Off System. I've had it two years. I had a problem with the pump but they replaced it no problem. They sent the pump out the day I told them about the problem and I had it 2 days later. Been working for 2 years without any other problems. Was $124 at aquariumspecialty
 
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