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Reducing Evaporation


Planeden

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I usually top off my tank so that it has a salinity of 1.022 and then in two days it increases to 1.025 and i top it off again. i am going out of town for thanksgiving and will be gone for 4 days. i would like to save 1 days worth of evaporation to keep my salinity from getting about 1.027, which seems to be about the upper limit. i don't think anything in the tank is exactly fragile. in fact, everything has been from 1.020 - 1.027 with no troubles.

i have a fuge that runs lights three CFC (24W total? curly cue) bulbs 12 hours a day and LEDs 24" above the water running, the return pump, two power heads, and a GAC reactor on a separate pump. here is my plan, let me know what you think.

1. top off a bit extra so the salinity is 1.021 when i leave.

2. turn off the fuge lights (or perhaps pull out two of the three bulbs). i think this is one of the main sources of heat as it is in an enclosed stand. leaving the doors open is not a good option because of swimming cats.

3. put pellets in an autofeeder.

if you don't think that will by me enough, i can:

4. cut off the GAC reactor MJ600 pump. (i don't think anything in the tank will poison anything)

5. turn off one power head.

if i must:

6. cut off the DT LED lights. i really don't think this will by me much, though.

3 airstones will probably be added to account for loss of light/agitation.

if everything is linear, i increase salinity of 0.015 per day. over 4 days this is an increase of 0.006. increasing the range from 1.021 to 1.027 is already 0.006. so, cooling the tank will really just be some insurance.

i have no concerns with the sump running dry at these evaporation levels. so, i think this should be able to work without troubling anyone to come top off the tank or troubling myself to set up a temporary ATO.

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Airstones might increase water loss depending on where they are, but I don't think that that water loss will decrease salinity (as it’s being ejected with the chemicals in the water).

yeah, i have been running air stones while treating cyano and did not get a lot of loss (until i moved one to what i thought was a better place). but, as you said it should not have any affect on salinity, just sanity. also, it wont be enough to run the sump dry.

Maybe it's time to get that ATO... smile.png

well, you've seen where the tank is. if you want to come over and help subdue the committee while we move the cabinet or punch holes in the wall...she's small, but she knows how to shoot.

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i). sure, you get to leave, but she knows where i sleep.

ii). i don't see any place i can put a reservoir in the same room with the tank.

iii). it also seems a bit extreme makeover for something that is rarely going to be an issue. we rarely travel, and this time we just so happen to be traveling with our house sitter.

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I'd be happy to come over and top it off, I still owe you. Also I have an ato on the pico now. You can borrow that ato while you're gone. It's not that much trouble to top it off like I used to.

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Have a house sitter come over and top it off! Just an idea

It's an option. I was just seeing if I can avoid it. It's just so close to not being a problem I'm just figuring I can make it work.

I'd be happy to come over and top it off, I still owe you. Also I have an ato on the pico now. You can borrow that ato while you're gone. It's not that much trouble to top it off like I used to.

You do not owe me anything. You have paid me back so much I'm pretty sure I owe you now :). If I decide It need i topped off ill, though, I'll let you know.

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I say have some one top it off but you could go a home made ghetto-ATO . Bucket, hole, small tubing (like for a drip acclimator), set to very slowly add water, drip drip drip...

Its been done before and doesn't look pretty but works.

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Interesting idea. I have what I'd need to do this. Not sure I need to poke a whole in he bucket as opposed to just syphoning it like the acclimation does. Clothes pin and a rock to make sure it stays on the bottom. Besides. No need for it to look pretty since no one will be here to see it.

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Airstones might increase water loss depending on where they are, but I don't think that that water loss will decrease salinity (as it’s being ejected with the chemicals in the water).

Evaporation is distilled water. If no other changes are made, the water lost to evaporation will increase the salinity of the salt water left behind.

Patrick

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  • 3 weeks later...

Success. The combination of the cooler temperatures, as documented by victoly, and cutting off GAC reactor, I got home to a tank with a salinity of 1.027 and no problems. Everyone is alive and no one appears to be unhappy.

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