Water evaporation

[Pat Clark]

I have a ninety gallon tank and use a jug with a drip line. You can get drip valves from the depot for like a buck apiece. Might take some tweaking but be the cheapest you could do if you don't have the cash for a ato.

 

[Catchemall]

I wish mine was just a cup!!!! I have a 90 gallon tank with 40 breeder sump and loose about 1 to 1 1/2 gallons a day.

My setup is like yours evaporates about the same amount.

 

[Bunnee911]

I use a simple drip TO on my nano and it works ok for me, my ER is similar to yours and with some tweaking I have mine dripping TO water at about a cup per day.. Only holds a few cups of water so I don't worry about overflow or salinity issues like you would with a ATO system and the best part it only cost me like $5 in materials to make

I believe this is your best option. Egg crate material and a cup with a pinhole in the bottom. Fill it to a measured mark once a day with rodi water. Keep it simple.

 

[ndz98]

I use a simple drip TO on my nano and it works ok for me, my ER is similar to yours and with some tweaking I have mine dripping TO water at about a cup per day.. Only holds a few cups of water so I don't worry about overflow or salinity issues like you would with a ATO system and the best part it only cost me like $5 in materials to make

Gotta any pictures and materials that you used?

 

[Hunter S Thompson]

Evap is your choice. Cover your tank and have little to no evap. Or go "rimless" and deal with problems. If you live in a dry area or an area where you have to heat/dry your air, you better find a better solution than ATO. There is no reason for the top of your main tank or refugium to not be covered in my experience. Assuming your lights and salt creep/spray can handle cover. There is no difference between dissolved oxygen or gas exchange rate between a covered or uncovered tank. Measured. An airpump doesn't even make a diff. If you have a top and bottom tank, trap all the water you can by covering it.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Gotta any pictures and materials that you used?

Just a simple travel cup from Wally World.. I use air line tubing and control valve to deliver water to my tanks sump although it's hard to get a good slow drip with these type of valves in my case it works fine as I'm using lime water as my TO source and after starting the drip at around 1 drop every 10 seconds it slows down as the valve gets clogged with calcium to about 1 drop every 20+ seconds.. This works fine on my 14 gal nano and I used this same type system on a larger scale for my 90 gal system for over 10 years with no issues.

I just blow into the cups "spout" to start the siphon, adjust the drip and hang it on a hook behind my TV that you can see on the left side of this pic and its completely out of sight..

 

[ndz98]

Just a simple travel cup from Wally World.. I use air line tubing and control valve to deliver water to my tanks sump although it's hard to get a good slow drip with these type of valves in my case it works fine as I'm using lime water as my TO source and after starting the drip at around 1 drop every 10 seconds it slows down as the valve gets clogged with calcium to about 1 drop every 20+ seconds.. This works fine on my 14 gal nano and I used this same type system on a larger scale for my 90 gal system for over 10 years with no issues.

I just blow into the cups "spout" to start the siphon, adjust the drip and hang it on a hook behind my TV that you can see on the left side of this pic and its completely out of sight..

Now that's the creative and cheap idea I'm looking for lol. Might try to round up the materials later and see what happens. When you put the airline tube into the bottle is it sealed so no air comes out or in? Nice tank btw man!

 

[Retro Reefer]

Now that's the creative and cheap idea I'm looking for lol. Might try to round up the materials later and see what happens. When you put the airline tube into the bottle is it sealed so no air comes out or in? Nice tank btw man!

Thanks.. That cup has a small chamber in the lid for a flavor cartridge, it has a rubber bladder at the bottom of the chamber with a small hole in it.. I just push the air line tubing through the hole in the rubber and it seals it and keeps the tube from moving however the cup must vent for the siphon to work so I just leave the spout open and the cup also has a small pin hole in the lid. It's a little fiddley but I'm retired and have lots of time to fiddle Bottom line for me it's cheap, foolproof and I don't worry about flooded floors or lost tanks due to stuck ATO floats or sensors failing..