The Gerbil Topoff System

sparky101

sparky101

Member
I read about this in a marine magazine. Using a gerbil water bottle as a topoff or kalk dosing device.
Apparently you fill the bottle up with appropriate liquid and secure it upside down so that the tip part is just touching the water, taking care in securing the bottle very well. Also make sure that you place it in an area of the sump/fuge that has little surface movement.
When the water level drops air goes up the bottle and the liquid comes out 'til the level rises back to normal stopping the flow of liquid.
Sounds very simple and fool proof. Would this be a good/safe idea?
 
socalnano24

socalnano24

Active Member
Most are metal tips with a metal ball and I doubt they're good enough stainless to resist corrosion due to salt. That and if you've ever seen one in a hamster cage they typically don't dispense water unless the ball is rolled. You could try in a test bucket I suppose.
 
ifirefight

ifirefight

Active Member
Absolutley not.... My daughter had a hamster,and I bought "top of the line" equipment...including many waer bottles. Even the BEST water bottle was junk....they will leak and drip no matter what you do. Very un reliable and not advised for this hobby. My .02 cents
 
sparky101

sparky101

Member
what if you used a 20oz pop bottle with some air line glued into the cap and set it up the same way? I think it could work.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
I always refer to this one when the topic comes up. Taken from a poster at marine aquarium.
"Construction
First of all, you need a food safe container with a "snap-on" lid. The largest I could find was a 4 litre container, but you may be able to get bigger.
I then drilled a hole on one side to take a 22mm 90 degree tank connector from B&Q. This was siliconed in place to ensure a water tight seal (VERY important!).
I then measured the distance from the connector to the surface of the water in the sump and cut a piece of 22mm plastic pipe. This pipe is inserted into the 22mm tank connector. The pipe is sufficiently tight fit to be waterproof, so is not glued into place. This means that the pipe can be removed and shortened if needed.
Before you use it, you need to make sure that air cannot enter the container by any route other than the end of the pipe. Otherwise the water will just leak into the tank.

How to use
The container is then filled with RO water. By placing my finger on the end of the pipe and carefully lowering it into the sump I can ensure that the pipe is below the surface of the water before removing my finger. The container rests on the edge of the sump. When the water level drops, enter enters the container and water fills the sump!

Parts list
Parts required:
* Container - £5.99
* Tank connector - £1.80
* 22mm pipe - already had a short piece, but about £4 for a 2 metre length
* Silicone sealant - already had this, but would cost about £5 for aquarium safe sealant.
Total cost:ca. £8 to £17
Improvements
A valve on the pipe would mean that I wouldn't need to place my finger on the end of the pipe, but have not had time to find a suitable plastic 22mm valve yet. A valve would also mean that I wouldn't have to wait until the container is empty before I refilled it!
You could also connect multiple containers together by using tank connectors between them. This would increase the water holding capacity."
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by sparky101
http:///forum/post/3193884
I read about this in a marine magazine. Using a gerbil water bottle as a topoff or kalk dosing device.
Apparently you fill the bottle up with appropriate liquid and secure it upside down so that the tip part is just touching the water, taking care in securing the bottle very well. Also make sure that you place it in an area of the sump/fuge that has little surface movement.
When the water level drops air goes up the bottle and the liquid comes out 'til the level rises back to normal stopping the flow of liquid.
Sounds very simple and fool proof. Would this be a good/safe idea?


I got a 10g aquarium and put it under my stand. I keep it filled with RO water. I run a tube from a power head to the fish tank above. I have a sensor, very cheap...when the water drops the sensor trips the power head to begin pumping top off water to the tank. When the DT is filled back to the sensors level it shuts off. That is how an auto top off unit works. By putting the tube and power head in a plastic can, say 37 gallons, you can go on vacation.
It is very simple, very easy to do. any little bottle like what you are talking about...even a gallon jug..would have to be refilled so often it is useless, you might as well just top off manually.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3194344

I got a 10g aquarium and put it under my stand. I keep it filled with RO water. I run a tube from a power head to the fish tank above. I have a sensor, very cheap...when the water drops the sensor trips the power head to begin pumping top off water to the tank. When the DT is filled back to the sensors level it shuts off. That is how an auto top off unit works. By putting the tube and power head in a plastic can, say 37 gallons, you can go on vacation.
It is very simple, very easy to do. any little bottle like what you are talking about...even a gallon jug..would have to be refilled so often it is useless, you might as well just top off manually.
To Flower this would depend on the amount of evaporation that happens. I have a system with an ATO but in my open top 29 gallon biocube I only evaporate about a gallon a week.
To the OP yes the container must be air tight.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3194348
To Flower this would depend on the amount of evaporation that happens. I have a system with an ATO but in my open top 20 gallon biocube I only evaporate about a gallon a week.
To the OP yes the container must be air tight.
HEY...I thought you only had 1 tank?
 
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