Easy DIY auto top off

[Brandon8521]

I am looking for ideas for an easy auto top off for my tank. With the skimmer installed i cant put the hood back on and im loosing about a 1/8 to a 1/4gal a day roughly. Does anyone know of an easy way to make one that does not need a pump?

[J-P]

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... ter+change

I didn't read the entire thing but he had a float valve in there.

I am researching the "automatic water change" thingy .. and stumbled across that thread.

[SammyDee]

Some ppl use a drip bag to top off. U kno like an IV drip. Ive seen em in my LFS. Just didnt like the idea of it having to be above the tank. It must be hott where you are. Seems like my tank hardly ever needs to be topped off. Actually seems like my FW tanks evap more than my reef tank. IDK...

[Brandon8521]

I was thinking about some sort of long container i could have on the back of the tank but not sure how to do the drip method. Something about 20in longx4in deepx4in high.

[Mek0ng]

A needle valve connected to any container can make a easy safe top off. I used a Kent Aqua Dose for a while, its a 2.5g container with pinch valve. I have seen people use just a waterbottle with a siphoned air hose for a top off. When I setup my 90g again its going to have a 20g rubbermaid brute trash can as kalkwasser reservoir, needle vavle, all connected to a float vavle with an electric float valve fail safe. It can be as simple or complicated as you need.

[J-P]

I always thought of installing something similar to a toilet tank with a bob type shut off. Since there is no down drain to clog it would shut itself off when it reached par.

The down side is that the mechanics of a toilet elude me

[Brandon8521]

I was thinking of finding a container i could put at the top back of my tank with a tube sitting at the hight i wanted the water to stay. When the water went below this level it would let air in and water out. But im not sure if it would just eventually mix with the water and lower my sg lol. This may be answered easily my others but its the only reason i havnt tried this.

[J-P]

if it was pre mixed it shouldn't change the sg, but as Mek0ng mentioned the salt doesn't evap... you should just be adding fresh water for top offs.

AFAIK you SG increases with the more evap you have...

[jdak]

Ya, don't add salt to your topoff water...

[Brandon8521]

so if i add a container of freshwater with a line running to the top of my water were i want it to stay it that should work. That way when the water evaps low enough for air to enter the top of container then it would stop once the water reaches the line again right, and it wont slowly leach the freshwater in the tank unless the water drops.

[Mek0ng]

I miss the logic on that, maybe I am not understanding correctly.

With out float valves there is no way for that to happen to the best of my knowledge. #1 You can use a needle valve to set a drip rate = to your evap rate or #2 use a float valve, I am not aware of any other method.

Got a link or pic of what you are talking about?

[jdak]

I am not seeing what will stop the water from just continuously flowing. You might flood your tank with FW and that is when your salinity will drop.

[Brandon8521]

What im saying is kinda like filling a plastic bottle with water and put the mouth underwater where you want your water line to stay at. As long as its underwater there is no way for the water comeout. When the water evaps to below the mouth of the bottle air can get in and water will comeout untill the water line in your tank is above the mouth of the bottle again. I dont want to just stick a bottle of water on my tank but that is the same principle.

[jdak]

I see. Might not be sightly and you would have to use a hard plastic maybe. I could see something like a milk carton collapsing over time and that could possibly flood. Let me know if you have success because my puffer tank definitely would benefit from an auto topoff.

[Mek0ng]

I dont know if my description was clear, so here is a pic for probably the easiest ATO you can make. All thats needed is a water bottle, air hose and a air hose needle valve. Just set the valve to a slow drip, you will need to adjust it to find a suitable drip rate.



(sorry for the crude drawing, took 10sec in photoshop...)