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Top Off Guidance?


SideCar_Falcon619

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SideCar_Falcon619

My 14 gallon biocube has been topless now for about a week *giggidy*

very happy with the change.

 

But I notice my water level dropping and needing top off CONSTANTLY!

 

I upgraded my pump to the Hydor Centrifugal 300 GPH. So I don't really use the min/max lines on the side for the pump anymore because the hydor will pump with barley any water present. But When I do my water changes I keep the water level to the very top of the clear min/max panel.

 

So I'm topping off constantly with fresh water to keep the level the same, because my understanding is that its a good way to keep your salinity in check.

 

Is this ok? Should I be concerned or making changes?

Don't really want to buy an ATO right now... maybe down the road....

 

advice please fish gurus?

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HarryPotter

I don't really understand your question. Yes it will have a lot of evaporation now that it's rimless and you are doing it right by adding fresh water. No need to be concerned.

As you said an ATO would be great, making you only need to refill the container every week or so (depending on how large).

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SideCar_Falcon619

When I get home from work the level is obviously a bit lower. Then I add freshwater to bring the water level back up to where it was.

 

Is it creating large salinity swings whenever it drops? Since its so frequent.

 

If I have to add a decent amount of freshwater to bring it back up is that dangerous?

 

Is it a bad idea to be keeping the 3rd chamber full? I know the min/max lines are just for the pump which is no longer an issue.

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CronicReefer

You could always test the water to see how much of a salinity swing it causes but it probably won't even be noticeable or maybe 0.001 difference. You aren't really adding as much water as you think, if your tank has 10 gallons of actual water that is 160 cups and I doubt you are adding more than 1-2 cups at a time (1/80 - 1/160 the total volume). You can keep the chamber at whatever level you like, usually the min max lines have to do with keeping the water level constant for a protein skimmer (at least that what the water line in my return chamber is for).

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SideCar_Falcon619

so once I again it seems like I'm over thinking this...

 

there is so much to "over think" in this hobby.... lol

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CronicReefer

so once I again it seems like I'm over thinking this...

 

there is so much to "over think" in this hobby.... lol

Lol yes, I top of my 75 gallon by hand and usually add around a gallon per day.

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Now that is warmer outside and we have been running the AC a lot in my house, my tank seems to evaporate a lot faster, but I still only top off with way less than a gallon, and like Cronic said, it's too tiny of a swing to make a difference. I've tested mine before and it rarely even shows up as a .001 difference. Usually it's still 1.025 (before and after top off).

 

I have a Biocube29 so it is similar, but I have a closed top.

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SideCar_Falcon619

Now that is warmer outside and we have been running the AC a lot in my house, my tank seems to evaporate a lot faster, but I still only top off with way less than a gallon, and like Cronic said, it's too tiny of a swing to make a difference. I've tested mine before and it rarely even shows up as a .001 difference. Usually it's still 1.025 (before and after top off).

 

I have a Biocube29 so it is similar, but I have a close

 

yeah if you take that top off it evaporates sooooo fast!

 

I'm in dallas so right now we have to run AC 24/7 plus I have a ceiling fan and a regular fan also going 24/7.... its hot... lol

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Oh wow.

 

I would never want to go topless-I like the stock look better, and I'd be afraid my fish would jump out (and wouldn't want to get some weird netting just for that). When I upgrade my lights I will use something I can retrofit into the original hood. It's totally just a personal preference, though! I have seen a lot of cool tanks.

 

I am in Indiana, it's usually between 70 and 100 degrees this season I suppose. It's extremely humid though, so I run the AC no matter what (unless it's cooler at night, then I try to open up the house).

 

We have ceiling fans in almost every room including the room with the tank, but my tank isn't directly under the ceiling fan, nor does it have any vents directly pointing at it.

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SideCar_Falcon619

Oh wow.

 

I would never want to go topless-I like the stock look better, and I'd be afraid my fish would jump out (and wouldn't want to get some weird netting just for that). When I upgrade my lights I will use something I can retrofit into the original hood. It's totally just a personal preference, though! I have seen a lot of cool tanks.

 

I am in Indiana, it's usually between 70 and 100 degrees this season I suppose. It's extremely humid though, so I run the AC no matter what (unless it's cooler at night, then I try to open up the house).

 

We have ceiling fans in almost every room including the room with the tank, but my tank isn't directly under the ceiling fan, nor does it have any vents directly pointing at it.

 

trust me... I didn't want to go topless lol

 

But I'm just not a DIY type... lol and I've made some pretty bad messes of DIY projects... So I had to skip the retrofit kits...

Went with the AI Prime lighting which I love!

I was REALLY trying to keep the hood tho....

 

However my Watchmen Goby seems to show no interest in breaching the water... sometimes he will explore the top of the tank but never breaches. Thankfully...

Next paycheck I'm ordering a custom net top from artfully acrylic! I love their clear view tops!

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trust me... I didn't want to go topless lol

 

But I'm just not a DIY type... lol and I've made some pretty bad messes of DIY projects... So I had to skip the retrofit kits...

Went with the AI Prime lighting which I love!

I was REALLY trying to keep the hood tho....

 

However my Watchmen Goby seems to show no interest in breaching the water... sometimes he will explore the top of the tank but never breaches. Thankfully...

Next paycheck I'm ordering a custom net top from artfully acrylic! I love their clear view tops!

Thanks good!

 

I want a nanobox retrofit LED kit but it's like $365, so maybe in a year or so if I'm still super committed to this hobby and I've done some more research, I'll take the plunge. For now, I'll just keep what I can under stock lighting.

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SideCar_Falcon619

Thanks good!

 

I want a nanobox retrofit LED kit but it's like $365, so maybe in a year or so if I'm still super committed to this hobby and I've done some more research, I'll take the plunge. For now, I'll just keep what I can under stock lighting.

 

to be honest...

 

the stock lighting was a lot less headache and seemed to work great lol

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trust me... I didn't want to go topless lol

 

But I'm just not a DIY type... lol and I've made some pretty bad messes of DIY projects... So I had to skip the retrofit kits...

Went with the AI Prime lighting which I love!

I was REALLY trying to keep the hood tho....I have a watchman goby in my 10 gallon topless tank and he doesn't try to jump at all,I think your good to go! When I do my top off I take a salinity reading before I add water then add till I match it at 1.026,as I always keep it there,with the topless tank I top of daily.

 

However my Watchmen Goby seems to show no interest in breaching the water... sometimes he will explore the top of the tank but never breaches. Thankfully...

Next paycheck I'm ordering a custom net top from artfully acrylic! I love their clear view tops!

 

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to be honest...

 

the stock lighting was a lot less headache and seemed to work great lol

Yeah, I imagine LEDs would be fairly simple as well, but again I feel like I have a lot of research to do before making any final decisions.

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The more often you can top off the better. I went 3 years before finally deciding to get an ATO. Best investment I've made for my tank. I have a covered tank so my evaporation is not as great. Can't imagine having to manually top off an open tank. Get yourself an ATO. Best $100 you will spend for your tank.

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Its a normal process.

 

I top up every morning. Yes the sg will chsnge slightly but as long as you aren't leaving it to evap for 2 plus days, I wouldn't overly worry.

 

If you want constant top off you need an ato

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HarryPotter

I manually topoff three gallons per day in a 300g freshwater tank. No worries about sanity swings but the pump can run dry. It's a pain in the ass!!!

 

Auto top off on my saltwater tank. Lasts a bit over a week, couldn't run a reef without it!

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SideCar_Falcon619

The more often you can top off the better. I went 3 years before finally deciding to get an ATO. Best investment I've made for my tank. I have a covered tank so my evaporation is not as great. Can't imagine having to manually top off an open tank. Get yourself an ATO. Best $100 you will spend for your tank.

 

do you have any recommendations for a good ATO?

I don't want to spend a ton since its only a 14 gallon Biocube

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do you have any recommendations for a good ATO?

I don't want to spend a ton since its only a 14 gallon Biocube

 

I have the Tunze nano. It's basic. comes with it's own pump. I keep it in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and a hole cut out for the tubing (you don't want to lose any of the water to evaporation here either) , With a 14 gallon, you could easily use a smaller container.

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I had the top off of mine for a while and also had a lot of evaporation. The salinity change didn't bother me but the water I put in had low ph, alkalinity, no calcium nor magnesium. It caused all those levels to drop and could have caused the ph to drop if the alkalinity got low enough. I agree the original hood and lights work pretty well. There is no evaporation and the levels of those things stay good and increase with water changes. I got the ai prime recently and went to lowes and had a glass top cut to fit the top of the tank. It cost six dollars and then I went to a glass shop and they rounded the corners of the 15.5" side and smoothed the glass around the edges. They had some cork standoffs that I used to keep it slightly raised from the tank for gas exchange. I'm still testing it but I think there is still a little evaporation. The dimensions were 15.5" x 15" for a biocube 14. What are the settings on your ai prime?

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If you do do top off another option is gravity fed. Putting something above the tank with a tube and valve to the tank and set a drip rate. You have to watch this one.

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SideCar_Falcon619

If you do do top off another option is gravity fed. Putting something above the tank with a tube and valve to the tank and set a drip rate. You have to watch this one.

Nice! I was thinking about getting a top made too... Can you post a pic of your tank with the top? I'd love to see it!

 

I made up some random settings on my prime that looked good to me. Probably not ideal, but nothing is complaining yet

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Sure. I might have to wait until tomorrow. For the top off people have made those but at one point I got a kent aquadose. Its a two gallon container that has a drip tube, tubing and an iv controller to adjust the drip rate. Its pretty expensive but if you were to get it, I'd ditch the iv plastic thing and put a small valve on the end that you can adjust. At one time I dosed kalk to keep the ph, alkalinity and calcium up. The only thing missing there is adding magnesium which I never did because I hadn't really learned enough to find out about it.

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