Daily Water Loss

Mish1 · 08/14/2009, 07:03 AM

I have noticed my tank seems to be losing about 1 gallon of water a day due to evaporation. I have an ATO system hooked up to my aquarium so I don't have the chore of topping off the system manually.

Does this seem like too much water loss? I am curious as to how much daily water loss others experience.

sedor · 08/14/2009, 07:09 AM

That's about right on a 75.

Sugar Magnolia · 08/14/2009, 07:10 AM

Yep...sounds right. I evap about a half gallon a day in my 30g.

sruiz · 08/14/2009, 07:42 AM

Nothing wrong with evaporation, it happens. Just keep an eye on your salinity. How long do you run your lights (schedule) ??

der_wille_zur_macht · 08/14/2009, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sruiz
Nothing wrong with evaporation, it happens.

Not only is there nothing wrong with it, it can be pretty helpful.

Evaporative cooling is extremely powerful - that gallon per day is more or less like having a large chiller running on your tank. It takes around 8,500 BTU to evaporate one gallon of water, which is about what a 1/2 hp chiller can do in an hour. So, for example, using fans to increase evaporation can effectively get you the same benefit as running a large, costly, energy-hungry chiller.

Plus, evaporation gives you the opportunity to top off with kalk water, replenishing Ca and alkalinity. Of course, you can only add kalk as fast as your tank is evaporating pure water, so more evaporation is again beneficial, since it gives you a chance to add more kalk.

Kinda off topic but wanted to mention these points anyways.

Sisterlimonpot · 08/14/2009, 08:36 AM

der_wille always expands with great information. I get about 2 gallons of evap on my 72 and have to manually top that one off!!!!

Mish1 · 08/14/2009, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sruiz
Nothing wrong with evaporation, it happens. Just keep an eye on your salinity. How long do you run your lights (schedule) ??

I have a 6 bulb T5 fixture and I have the following light schedule:

2 bulbs on at 10 am
4 bulbs on at noon with an 8 inch fan that blows across the top of the light.
4 bulbs and fan off at 7 pm
2 bulbs off at 9 pm

Obviously I notice the most water loss when that fan kicks on from noon to 7 pm.

Thanks everyone for the helpful info!

der_wille_zur_macht · 08/14/2009, 11:05 AM

Can you describe exactly how the fan is situated? T5HO bulbs are very picky when it comes to active cooling.

(again, maybe not totally relevant to the original subject, but it might be another useful tangent.)

Mish1 · 08/14/2009, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht
Can you describe exactly how the fan is situated? T5HO bulbs are very picky when it comes to active cooling.

(again, maybe not totally relevant to the original subject, but it might be another useful tangent.)

I have the fan mounted on the wall about 2 feet away so that it blows across the top of the fixture from one side to the other. I can take a picture of the setup once I get home since it is kind of hard to explain.

I had no idea there might be a probelm with my fixture cooling. The fixture I have does not have any built in fans so this was my DIY to try and fix the heat problem.

der_wille_zur_macht · 08/14/2009, 01:13 PM

No worries about it being "wrong" - it just might not be the most optimal in terms of extending bulb life and performance.

If the fans are external to the fixture, it won't really matter. The real tricky part is if you have moving air right next to the lamps, you want it hitting the right spot on the lamp. In your case, it won't really matter.

Plan>B · 08/14/2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht
If the fans are external to the fixture, it won't really matter. The real tricky part is if you have moving air right next to the lamps, you want it hitting the right spot on the lamp.

Sorry, I don't mean to railroad but could explain a little more in detail as I am considering a 8 lamp T5 DIY, and cooling is a BIG concern for me

gowingsgo · 08/14/2009, 01:39 PM

I have about 1 to 2 gallons of evaporation a day on my 125
Sruiz is right you do need to keep an eye on your salinity it can rise very fast if you don't top off every day. one of the best things I did was add a ATO system. In the winter I lose even more and with my ATO system my salinity has not changed.

der_wille_zur_macht · 08/14/2009, 01:41 PM

You may get better answers from people more in to T5 than me, but the basic idea is to cool the ends of the bulbs, not the middles.

If you look at any of the really good commercial units, they all either have fans right at the endcaps, or a fan in the center with ducting such that the air only crosses the endcaps and the first inch or two of the bulb.

sedor · 08/14/2009, 01:48 PM

Quote:

one of the best things I did was add a ATO system.

I agree, I LOVE the ATO...keeps everything nice and stable, and makes the tank more enjoyable

wooden_reefer · 08/14/2009, 04:53 PM

There is such a thing called evaporative cooler here in the desert, actually semi-desert. This thing is more energy efficient than AC.

So the drier the air the more evaporation. The rate of evaporation also is decided by the airflow and the degree the tank is covered.

Mish1 · 08/15/2009, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht
No worries about it being "wrong" - it just might not be the most optimal in terms of extending bulb life and performance.

If the fans are external to the fixture, it won't really matter. The real tricky part is if you have moving air right next to the lamps, you want it hitting the right spot on the lamp. In your case, it won't really matter.

Here are the pictures of my DIY fan cooling for my fixture. The fixture does not have built in fans so this was my solution.

Any input is appreciated.

08/14/2009, 07:03 AM	#1
Mish1 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 169	Daily Water Loss I have noticed my tank seems to be losing about 1 gallon of water a day due to evaporation. I have an ATO system hooked up to my aquarium so I don't have the chore of topping off the system manually. Does this seem like too much water loss? I am curious as to how much daily water loss others experience. __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1676820 Current Tank Info: 75 Gallon AGA - 20 Gallon Sump - T5 6 Bulb Fixture - Vertex IN100 - 2 Vortech MP10 - JBJ ATO - AC Jr

08/14/2009, 07:09 AM	#2
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	That's about right on a 75. __________________ Ryan

08/14/2009, 07:10 AM	#3
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Yep...sounds right. I evap about a half gallon a day in my 30g. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

08/14/2009, 07:42 AM	#4
sruiz Reef'R Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Searching... Posts: 1,381	Nothing wrong with evaporation, it happens. Just keep an eye on your salinity. How long do you run your lights (schedule) ?? __________________ Don't forget your water change.

08/14/2009, 08:36 AM	#6
Sisterlimonpot R.C. Fraternity President Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Litchfeild Park AZ Posts: 11,490 Blog Entries: 2	der_wille always expands with great information. I get about 2 gallons of evap on my 72 and have to manually top that one off!!!! __________________ Jimmy MASVC President Dishes are done man! Current Tank Info: 300 in progress

08/14/2009, 11:05 AM	#8
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	Can you describe exactly how the fan is situated? T5HO bulbs are very picky when it comes to active cooling. (again, maybe not totally relevant to the original subject, but it might be another useful tangent.) __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

08/14/2009, 01:13 PM	#10
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	No worries about it being "wrong" - it just might not be the most optimal in terms of extending bulb life and performance. If the fans are external to the fixture, it won't really matter. The real tricky part is if you have moving air right next to the lamps, you want it hitting the right spot on the lamp. In your case, it won't really matter. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

08/14/2009, 01:39 PM	#12
gowingsgo Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: cincinnati Posts: 175	I have about 1 to 2 gallons of evaporation a day on my 125 Sruiz is right you do need to keep an eye on your salinity it can rise very fast if you don't top off every day. one of the best things I did was add a ATO system. In the winter I lose even more and with my ATO system my salinity has not changed.

08/14/2009, 01:41 PM	#13
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	You may get better answers from people more in to T5 than me, but the basic idea is to cool the ends of the bulbs, not the middles. If you look at any of the really good commercial units, they all either have fans right at the endcaps, or a fan in the center with ducting such that the air only crosses the endcaps and the first inch or two of the bulb. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

08/14/2009, 04:53 PM	#15
wooden_reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 4,670	There is such a thing called evaporative cooler here in the desert, actually semi-desert. This thing is more energy efficient than AC. So the drier the air the more evaporation. The rate of evaporation also is decided by the airflow and the degree the tank is covered.