Water Evaporation Question....

[sfilingeri]

Sorry if this has been beaten down to the floor already but I have to ask anyway.

See I'm setting up a 90 gallon and this evil little voice in my head keeps telling me to go to 210/220 gallons and use the new 90 gallon as a sump/refugium.

Well the other more cautious voice is telling me that "you know your way toooooo lazy to top off everyday, especially on something that much more bigger"

So roughly what would be a good "guess-timate" on what to expect ? Im thinking about from 2 to 5 gallons a day?

 

[Beaner3]

In my 180 I'm topping off about 1 1/2 to 2 gallons a day.

 

[sfilingeri]

What about if the weather is hot and humid? Does that figure go up or stay the same?

 

[MN. Reef crzy]

if you are to lazy, just install a float and you wont have to do it ever. let your R.O. do all the work for you. It is really simple. But you will have at least 2 gallons a day i bet depending on lighting.

 

[Red Sea Purple Tang]

2-3g a day depending on my outside temperature. I agree with MN Reef....don't tell any of my cheesehead friends though.... :rollface: ....

I have a 10g tank that my RODI feeds into. The powerheads is controlled by float sensors in the sump. If you choose to go this route, make sure you cut a hole in the powerhead tubing as to break the syphon. Learned that one the hard way. DOH!

 

[sfilingeri]

Hey Red Sea that looks like an awesome setup!

 

[Beaner3]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11101568#post11101568 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sfilingeri
What about if the weather is hot and humid? Does that figure go up or stay the same?

You are right, It does go through fluctuations throughout the year, I have forced air heat (kind of sucks) and I notice that when the heat is on at night I lose more to evap that I do in humid summer months, with this evap comes a little bit of a rise in SG as well, I top off with prepared RO/DI mixed with kalk, no salt. If I am going to be away for more than a couple of days I fill the sump with enough to compensate for the evaporation. I also found that if I cover my sump, I can recapture some of that evaporation in the form of condensation, which then just trickles down the side of my sump and back into the recirculating water. But I like to tinker with the tank every day, so I really don't mind a more hands on approach. I spend enough time in front of the thing, I figure I might as well play with it anyway!

 

[rlabriola]

i have installed a DIY auto top-off on my tank as well...when going with a tank as large a 210..it is a necessity

 

[SVTour]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11117009#post11117009 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rlabriola
i have installed a DIY auto top-off on my tank as well...when going with a tank as large a 210..it is a necessity

Yep, fully agree. Top off is the way to go and does not need to be extravagant. I currently use a 15 gallon aquarium for the top off, and use my 32 gallon mixing can if I go on vacation.

My 220 takes about 1 1/2 to 2 gallons in the summer and will drop down about 1/2 gallon for the winter.