Evaporation?

hello, i been having a problem with my water level since i started, more or less i have to be putting a gallon of ro/di water each day, now i checked for leaks and i have none. I would like to know if I add an acrylic hood on my main tank will it help? also in my sump the pipe from the overflow creates alot of bubbles and i have been cleaning off the walls dry salt so i believe the bubbles pop and make the water and salt evaporate faster! any ideas?

 

A gallon of water in a 55 gallon system is not bad at all. I lose 2 gallons of water out of my 40 (with no sump) per day. Just the way it goes sometimes. An acrylic hood would not be a good idea on many levels, most of all would be heat and gas exchange.

 

+1 exactly ! well put.

 

i add water to my 20 gallan about every 2 to 3 days i'm running double filters one draws low closer to bottom and the other i shorted the intake to draw right at the surface and lets me know when its time to add water

 

ok so its normal, good to hear that! thanks!! now i been thinking of making a direct water line into my sump from the ro/di with a valve like or toilets, one that when the water level decreases opens the valve and water will pour in and when the level is back to normal the valve will close! lol anybody seen something like this?

 

They are called auto-top-offs (ATO's). You can buy pre-made systems or build one yourself. Do some searching around and you should be able to find what you are looking for

 

sounds good but is it stored water or strait out of a water system. you would also have to keep close watch on salinaty very very close.......also would it be a manual valve or set to fill on its own. if not manual i'd worry about malfunction. and paramitors

 

Hello el, before thinking of an auto top off (although I am not opposed to them) try an acrylic cover for the middle and right side of the sump. You can make it easy with a cut out for the pipe on the right side. Also, if your top is open you can utilize a half open top by adding glass (better light penetration) to either the back or front, whichever works out best. I have my 55 gal. set up this way and I now only use about a quart of water a day.

 

well im all into DIY but the thing is to get the circles made on the acrylic for the lid of the sump wont be easy, i covered it today with glad cling wrap and tape, and now i can see big drops forming in it, hope it will decrease the evaporation. and i will try to add to the main tank a glass to cover half of it.

 

K+....Exactly

You don't have to keep an eye on the salinity actually, the ATO is going to be just RO water. No salt in it. The salt does not evaporate from the system. So if you have been topping off your system with water containing salt mix...STOP!!!!!! You will drive your salinity up and up and up. Just use RO and things will be right as rain.;D