evap.

[joerdie]

Hello. i havent had time to log on in a few weeks and this morning i just saw the new look. i like it ! anyway. im setting up my new 150 reef and was wondering if when water evaporates from the tank will the water level go down in my sump. i would thik it would because there would be less water flowing through the overflows but does it drop the level in the sump?

 

[cwfish]

Evaporation will make the level in your sump go down but not the level in your tank or your flow rate go down.

 

[rockster]

Yes, I agree with CWfish. Display tank levels will stay the same because it is maintained by your return pump. The level is determined by the level of the overflow. The water level in your sump will decrease with evaporation...Just curious, you haven't noticed yet?

 

[slick]

Like said you tank level will remain the same. The level in the sump will go down. If you let it go your pump will start sucking air thus filling your tank with little air bubbles.

 

[joerdie]

well i havent noticed it yet because i havent put water in it yet. the reasion for my question was because i want to figure out a way to hook up my houses plumming into the tank without me acually filling it to myself. i have the ability to run a pipe or hose from my main wetwall in the house to the tank. my idea being that if i introduce water slowly the reef will handle it much better.

 

[jond]

You do not want to top off your tank with tap water. Only use quality RO or even better, RO/DI water. You will regret using tap water.

 

[joerdie]

i know i probably going to honk a few of you guys off by saying this but i think its time i said it. i have never and will never use ro/di. the reasion is two fold. first i live in cincinnati and fo some reasion the water here is perfect (except obviosly chloriene). the other reasion is just that ive kept some very hard corals in the past and they have grown and split. ive accualy had an anenome split on multipal occations. also the cost is horendous. all i do is aerate the water for about 10 hours and SLOWLY (about a gallon every 10 hours) drip it in. mabey now that ive said this its time for a disscussion on this topic. there has got to be someone else that agrees with me out there and i dont think i have ever seen a thread on this topic. P.S. sorry for the length

 

[broomer5]

joerdie
You using tap water doesn't honk me off at all
I consider you to be one of the luckey ones - and if you are having good success with your tank(s) - then more power to you.
Some of us don't have as good of municipal tap water, some of us are on well water and other's just like using RO or RO/DI water for the peace of mind ( control ) of our freshwater.
My tap water here is unpredictable.
It has tested positive for nitrates and phosphates.
You apparently have good tap water. One of the lfs here in town that specializes only in saltwater fish and corals also uses tap water straight out of the faucet, and only adds a dechlorinator.
It all depends on where you are at, and how good or bad your tap water is - plain and simple.

 

[joerdie]

yes i am lucky. i dont know how closley you guys follow other municipal water systems but my brother lives in new orleans and works in the coast guard. he was telling me a few weeks ago that ther are 3 unidentifiable substances in there tap water as well as phosphates, trates, and get this 2 calories!!!! thats foul and dont understand how anyone could drink that. if i lived there i would deffinatly invest in an ro/di unit. thanks for the reply though because as i was writting it i felt i was commiting heresy or something.

 

[njdiver]

J-
Kent Marine makes a pretty simple plastic float valve that you can put into the sump. I have it set up on mine and it does a fair job of keeping the level stable. The only thing I found is that my water source needed to be fairly close in its height to the sump tank. If it was much higher then the sump then the siphon action was great enough to sneak past the float valve.
I know they also make a full kit available to set it up with a sulinoid to turn the water supply on and off which would be nice on a bigger set-up.
-Scott

 

[joerdie]

njdiver-
thats sounds cool i might look into one of those setups but for this tank i think im going to stick with a float. but im suprised to hear that water can sneak past. ive never heard this before. are there any past threads about it?

 

[bang guy]

Hi Joerdie - You're not going to honk me off either. Our reservior is pretty good here in Western NY. The tap tests high in Silicates, Phosphate, and Nitrate. Undetectable on Copper, some Iron.
To breed the snails that I sell (Stomatella varians) I had to find an easy (read CHEAP) way to increase the Diatom population. I unhooked the RO/DI and tried the tap water for topoff. It's been working great for over two years now. I harvest Caulerpa from the refugium to export phosphate and nitrate and the snails get the silicate via the Diatoms.
Everybody is happy.
I definately recommend RO/DI for most everyone else unless you've not experienced problems with the tap.
Guy

 

[njdiver]

J-
I have not read anything about anyone else having any float valve issues. I just know that when I first set mine up I was using a gallon jug on top of the hood which is I guess three to four feet above the sump. With that much of a drop the flow rate into the sump would certainly slow down, but didn't seem to stop. I now use a narrow 1.25 gallon container that fits behind the stand and is sitting just about 4 or 5 inches above the sump and have not have any problems.
-Scott