How much Evaporation?

[Rufio808]

I'll be leaving to Germany today and totally forgot to ask the forum about evaporation. I have feeding directions and everything else ready for my pet sitter, but not top off water. How much top off water should I leave for the tank? I'll be going for 2 weeks. I'm trying to make the directions and simple as possible. I'm telling my pet sitter to pour the top off water into the filter chamber of my HOB. I don't want my sitter accidentally dumping half a gallon directly into the DT :grumble:

I'm mainly worried about my little pair of clownfish. I'm thinking of putting the damsel in the breeder net. He's been a real pain towards the pair ever since he's grown. :frustrat: I promise he's been lifting weights. I call him the buff damsel.

 

[bjohanson1234]

How much do you usualy top off in that period?

I would leave more water than that just incase.

 

[ltljoker]

I go thru about 5 gallons every 2 days, which is kinda average i think :bowdown:

 

[Rufio808]

I never really kept tract before HAHA such a fail.

 

[ErinCahir]

Aw. Fail.
I agree with joker... but I think we're more like four gallons every three days...

 

[bjohanson1234]

It is dependant on your tank size also. The smaller the surface area, the slower the evaporation. I go through about 5 gallons a week. I have a 29 gallon tank.

Just make sure you have plenty there, and also a mark on the tank where it needs to be filled to. If you are still worried that you might need more, leave some money and a note saying to buy some distilled water from the grocery store.

When I leave town, I usually have like 5-10 gallons of water depending on how long I am out for.

 

[dcantucson]

I go through 6-7 gallons a day. Everyone is different though.

 

[Rufio808]

Holy! I am rethinking getting a huge tank now. I assume everyone has a ATO though.

 

[bjohanson1234]

I dont, but if I didn have a big tank, I def would have an ATO

 

[scummy]

I go through about 6-7 gals a day. Got tired of hauling all of that water so I went the ATO route.

 

[Rufio808]

I guess you really need that ATO when your tank is so big. Where do you guys store the ATO water? I couldn't imagine a huge trashcan of water next to your tank's sump in the living room.

 

[ErinCahir]

I don't do ATO. I do it by hand every couple days...

 

[tankedchemist]

I've been going through about 4-5 gallons per day for the last several weeks. I have a 125g, and I don't use an ATO because the last one I used went totally wacko within a few weeks.

Evaporation rate depends on temperature of your tank, surface area of water exposed, humidity and temperature of the surrounding environment,and amount of surface agitation of the tank. Everyone's rates are going to vary.

Having said that, you only have a 20 L tank, right? So that's roughly 5.5 gallons. You're probably not going to lose more than a gallon a day, I'd guess. So get like 15g of RODI.

 

[bjohanson1234]

I thought it was a 20 gallon long tank. Could be wrong.

 

[Piratefish]

I use about a gallon a day. I built a dripper system out of a 5g bucket with lid and air line. That way I dont get any swings in salinity and temp, and I only have to fill the bucket once a week.
I use an air valve at the end and set it to drip about one drop per second. Although that did take some playing with.

 

[ltljoker]

I dont use ATO either, I just go to my LFS and buy 10 gallons at a time and it cost me a whopping $3 bucks. :frustrat:

 

[scummy]

My RO/DI is hooked up to a 10 gallon bin with a float switch that keeps my top off water supply full. When my sump level drops to about a gallon, my ATO turns on a pump in my RO reservoir and fills the sump back up.

 

[tankedchemist]

I thought it was a 20 gallon long tank. Could be wrong.

oooohhhhh..... hahaha. You're probably right, BJ. :mrgreen:

 

[Rufio808]

Yea 20L. Evaporation suuuucks!

 

[Bifferwine]

I lose 5 to 10 gallons a day. I have no ATO. Just a bucket and my massively strong arms.