2 gallons a day evaporation? Is this right?

[shrive81]

Hey guys,

so I have a new tank and trying to dial it in. I’ve been monitoring the water level in the sump and trying to decide if my drain isn’t adjusted correctly or is the system is evaporating a lot.. I have a 48”x24” rimless tank that holds 100 gallons and a 36”x17” sump. The total system volume between the two is roughly 100 gallons total... I’ve been struggling to keep water level consistent in the sump and in the last day I’ve calculated about 2 gallons of water loss in the sump but no major noticeabl change in the display tank.... the house is always set at 70-72 degrees but the heater tends to run at night as it’s winter and I’m cycling the tank so the water temp in the tank is at 83 degrees. At this rate I would be roughly losing 14 gallons a week or 14% does this seem right? I have an ato but don’t have it on yet as I’m not sure do the drain isn’t matching the return pump or if this is just evaporation

 

[Darren in Tacoma]

That's just a tad more than I lose with about 90 total gallons.

 

[litenyaup]

With having the open top tank you will evap more water than if you had a hood. Do you currently run an auto top off system? That will keep you tank water regulated and salinity steady throughout the day. The bigger the ato tank the less often you have to fill it.
I have a 220 gallon system with hood and closed stand, I evap about 2 gallons a day.

 

[shrive81]

Gotcha I assume it would be a little higher rate due to the water temp being higher but this seemed excessive

 

[shrive81]

With having the open top tank you will evap more water than if you had a hood. Do you currently run an auto top off system? That will keep you tank water regulated and salinity steady throughout the day. The bigger the ato tank the less often you have to fill it.
I have a 220 gallon system with hood and closed stand, I evap about 2 gallons a day.

Ya I have an ato setup but due to the adjustment period trying to get the tank dialed in I haven’t turned it on yet till I figured out if the drain was regulated with the pump yet

 

[litenyaup]

Also with you water temp being that high when you do add fans to cool if that’s the route your going, you will lose even more water throughout the day.

 

[Mical]

On my 120 with glass lids, temp at 79 deg, it evaps 3.5 gals week in winter

 

[litenyaup]

On my 120 with glass lids, temp at 79 deg, it evaps 3.5 gals week in winter

dang my evap drops almost in half during the winter due to the fans not kicking on for cooling. I tend to open the windows as well to let the cool fresh air in.

 

[shrive81]

Ya my house stays pretty consistent at 72 degrees the water temp is only high right now for the fishless cycle and then will be put down to 78

 

[shrive81]

I have no lid and open sump but their are panels around the stand usually

 

[homer1475]

I lose about a gallon a day in an 80 open top cube.

 

[HaveFishWillTravel]

My tank is 50 gallons + sump = 11 gallons with auto RO top off. I have a glass top. My tank is a square.
I lose ~ 1/2 gallon per day.
House temp = 67 degrees F
Tank temp = 78 degrees F
Salinity remains constant at 34ppt.
Does your Salinity remain constant?

 

[pseudorand]

I have a 120g -- 60x18 covered with plexiglass + 20g sump, covered. I refill my 5g ATO at least once a week. I'm in Colorado (very dry). So 2g / day doesn't sound out of the range of possibly.

That said, I've discovered my skimmer tuned too high as a source of water loss before. I have my ATO refill plumbed to my RO/DI, but I turn it on and off manually specifically to make sure I noticed of that happens again.

I'd test salinity a few times a day for a few days. If it's going up, it's probably evap. If not, think about what else may be leaking that you might not notice.

 

[stanlalee]

Fairly normal for an open top with reef lighting and decent surface agitation.

 

[Jonas Bergkvist]

Hey guys,

so I have a new tank and trying to dial it in. I’ve been monitoring the water level in the sump and trying to decide if my drain isn’t adjusted correctly or is the system is evaporating a lot.. I have a 48”x24” rimless tank that holds 100 gallons and a 36”x17” sump. The total system volume between the two is roughly 100 gallons total... I’ve been struggling to keep water level consistent in the sump and in the last day I’ve calculated about 2 gallons of water loss in the sump but no major noticeabl change in the display tank.... the house is always set at 70-72 degrees but the heater tends to run at night as it’s winter and I’m cycling the tank so the water temp in the tank is at 83 degrees. At this rate I would be roughly losing 14 gallons a week or 14% does this seem right? I have an ato but don’t have it on yet as I’m not sure do the drain isn’t matching the return pump or if this is just evaporation

I have about a 180 gallon tank with no top, and i have to refill every day with 5 liters of water (1.3 gallons) so i think it sounds like it is ok with your tank. If you have a lot of surface agitation, light and maybe a home with a good ventilation an aquarium evaporates a lot I must get myself an ATO!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I get at least that much on my large tank. My other large tank is about a gallon a day with use of heat as tank now acts like a dehumidifier.

 

[Mical]

Here in Minnesota if I were to take the glass lids off during winter both of my tanks evap almost 6 gals per week. With glass lids on it reduces evap to 3 gals per week. Both of my tanks run at about 79 degrees year round.

 

[Gtinnel]

I have a 14 gallon ato reservoir and before I set it up to auto refill I had to fill it up weekly, so I guess I am around 2 gallons a day in my 125. When evaporating that much keep an eye on the humidity in your house. I have to run a dehumidifier 24/7

 

[terraincognita]

TLDR all respones I've also noticed how much the recent weather change effected my evap.

I went from refilling a 5G ATO once every 10 days to once every 5 days.

It was less evap during the summer even though it was 121F outside.

But the cold mixed with the extreme dry in California made my evap double. that's on a 45G Open top just like yours.

 

[CanuckReefer]

On my 120 with glass lids, temp at 79 deg, it evaps 3.5 gals week in winter

My 90 awfully similar, with glass lids 3.5 to 4 gal per week. Temp at 81. Room temp at or around 72.