Water Top Off Rate? How often and how much water do you top off with?

[diane4]

I am curious folks, have a question to ask you. For the dry winter months where the heat in the house is churnin', what is your average top off rate. Or how much water do you find yourself needing to add and how do you do it?
I have a 90 gallon fish only tank and a 75 gallon reef tank and it seems like I need to add a gallon or so every 2-3 days. Does this sound average or normal for you too? And do you do the top offs manually or do you have a machine to dispense the top off water when the water gets below the metered level in the sump? Your thoughts?
Also, as we ad top off water, we need to keep an eye on the PH. Constantly adding top off water will reduce PH which can then cause problems.
Whats your top off process and timing for your tanks?

 

[rhomer]

I also have a 90 and guess I lose about 1 gallon a day. As for the process I just re built my setup so that I can auto topoff. I added a kent float valve to my sump and ran a 1/4" tube to the basement where I have my RO unit. I then added a T to the tube so that my water storage tank and my sump will auto topoff.
Originally Posted by diane4
Also, as we ad top off water, we need to keep an eye on the PH. Constantly adding top off water will reduce PH which can then cause problems.
Whats your top off process and timing for your tanks?
You should not have a problem with the ph going down due to dehydration. The water that is dehydrated is fresh water PH of 7.0 and when you replace that water it too is a PH of 7.0 the water in the tank should be 8.0 - 8.2 regardless of dehydration (obviously to a point). If you need to buffer your tank due to top-off you have some other issue with your chemistry.
Rob

 

[jdboy]

I'm adding around 1g to 1.5g a day in my 90g. Never had to worry with PH buffer. I use a small bucket to add my RO water as my sump is marked where it needs to be with the pumps running.

 

[azocean709]

i add about a gallon a day to my 55 <with 30gal fuge> it was only every other day or so, but i upgraded to 2 , 175 watt MH's and WOW..every day now..lol...but im putting something together for auto top off. hopefully i can get everything to work right! lol

 

[hot883]

I run 260w of PC's on my 55 with a 29 gal. sump/refugium. I loose 1 gallon a day. I pour the top off straight into my back overflow which goes into the sump. Any temp. difference gets equaled out before it goes back up into the tank.

 

[thegrog]

I have a 125 reef with a 40 sump.
Now, I NEVER have to top off with water!!!!!! :jumping:

:joy:
I built an auto topoff system that runs straight off my RO/DI. It has been running flawlessly for almost 2 weeks now. It has kept the water level within 1/4" in my sump/fuge return chamber!!! I will get pics tomorrow or Sat and post a DIY topic on how I built it.
Stay tuned!!!!!!

***)

 

[diane4]

WOW, great replies and thank you everyone. I appreciate the feedback.
I at one time, with a lot of top offs, noticed my PH dropped to about 7.8. I thought the top off diluted the PH balance, that seemed to make sense to me. What else would have caused a drop in PH then if not dehydration, and then replacement. I thought the top-offs diluted the PH balance over time. I do water changes about ever 2 weeks. Water changes replinish the PH, but the gallon a day top-offs I thought is what caused the drop in PH. I learn something new all the time on this forum. Good stuff.
I am SO jealous of you folks that have the R/O water rigged up in the basement as a top off for the tank and as a source for the R/O. WOW, I would love to learn how to hook something like that up and would appreciate any pictures you have of the arrangement. A pictures speaks volumes.
Our process is to manually hook up our R/O to the sink and it fills into a 40 gallon garbage can we use for water changes only. The big can sits in the kitchen for a day for two while it makes up. Gee, there has to be a better way, would love to do the basement thing. Both my 90 gallon fish only and my 75 reef are on the main floor of the house.

 

[squidd]

Kent makes a "float valve/shut off kit" (float valve and pressure shut of solinoid( that can be adapted to any RO system...then you can hook your RO in the basement to keep your tub full all the time without worrying about overfilling or continous waste water run off...
Then you can hook a pressure tank with air bladder ( like from a well pump) to a "T" in line and run additional lines and float valves to your tanks/sumps for ATO....
Between my 210 aggressive with 80 sump fuge and my 54 reef with 66 sump fuge, I was topping off 3-4 gallons a day...that got old "real fast"...

Now it's all auto...

 

[rhomer]

Originally Posted by Squidd
Then you can hook a pressure tank with air bladder ( like from a well pump) to a "T" in line and run additional lines and float valves to your tanks/sumps for ATO....
I have a T directly off my output of my RO with no air bladder. The RO unit I have has an automatic shut-off. So if it detects back-pressure it stops. This way I can have an auto top off in my storage tank and an auto top off in my sump. BTW the sump is up one full level in my house and the water pressure is enough to push it up 15 feet or so.
Rob

 

[edwar050]

Great thread@-!!! the only concern I would have to using the RO direct is that the float valve failing and flooding the sump/diluting the salt out to much. Any failsafe for that?

 

[thegrog]

Originally Posted by edwar050
Great thread@-!!! the only concern I would have to using the RO direct is that the float valve failing and flooding the sump/diluting the salt out to much. Any failsafe for that?
Stay tuned......getting digital pics tomorrow. I have a built-in safety for a stuck float.