PLEASE HELP ME WITH IDEAS...Going out of town

[jden092901]

Hey everyone,
My wife and I are going out of town the 29th for a medical procedure, for about 9 days. My bro-in-law has a tank, and said he would stop by and check it everynight. However, I would feel better if I had some type of water top off system, a simple one. I only have a 30 gallon tank, no sump. I have heard of the "Sun Tea Jar Auto Top-off", any more ideas that would be easy and not too $$?
Thanks for your help,
Josh

 

[tome]

If you pre mix the saltwater, couldn't you just ask you brother-in-law to put a gallon or two in every other day?

 

[ryuson99]

Originally Posted by Tome
If you pre mix the saltwater, couldn't you just ask you brother-in-law to put a gallon or two in every other day?

If its only for top off you DO NOT" want premixed water, unless you trying to bring up your salinity.
RO/DI water for the top off is good and your brother should be able to keep your tank topped off without needed the auto top off "if you trust him".

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by ryuson99
If its only for top off you DO NOT" want premixed water, unless you trying to bring up your salinity.
RO/DI water for the top off is good and your brother should be able to keep your tank topped off without needed the auto top off "if you trust him".
Yeah, I'm always amazed at the number of comments that refer to topping off with SW. When water evaporates, the salt mix stays behind. So, of course, you top off with FW. This is so easy, I'd even trust my ex-in-laws to do it. If you can't take a jug or water and fill a tank up to a certain spot, you shouldn't be allowed out on your own. BTW, even tho he has a tank; I'd put little cups of pre-measured food in the freezer, or somewhere for him. Everyone likes to feed the fish; especially when the fish aren't your own.

 

[swalchemist]

Buy yourself a Tunze Osmolator, it will be the best money you ever spend on an auto top off. They work great, have 3 levels of safety, and the only thing that will need replaced is the little pump it uses which is good for several years and cheap to replace. I don't trust any other ATO system especially if I'm not there to monitor them as they use a float switch, Osmolators use an electronic IR (eye) that watch the water level and are not prone to sticking like a float can. It has an emergency float which you set In case water level raises which cuts off the Osmolator. Also has a run dry shut off prevention if your reservoir runs out which protects the Osmopump. I set a tote full of fresh RO/DI water out and head off for vacation the Osmolators little computer mind does the rest salt level stays where I set it there is never an issue. Don't want to pay full price? Grab one on a popular website where they sell lots of things, they sell pretty reasonable on those site I hear. When it comes to an ATO you don't want cheap, you want reliable and dependable IMO.

 

[srfisher17]

When it comes to an ATO you don't want cheap, you want reliable and dependable IMO.
The best advice, on any piece of equipment anyone can ever give or get in this addiction. I can be pretty frugal, or downright cheap; but, with fish stuff, "cheap" always comes back to bite me in the tuschie!

 

[snakeblitz33]

Trust your brother

 

[puffer32]

My hubby is a LFS and he gets people in the store all the time with extremely high salinty because they thought they were supposed to top off with salt water

We are going to Disney world in March and are trusting our tank to our grown son. His "what to do daily list" will be idiot proof. I still worry though he has performed simple maintance on our tanks before.