Automatic Water Top-Off

[Reefstalker]

What's kind of automatic water top-off systems works best for a Nano? I've checked out the Ultralife Float Switch being sold by Premium Aquatics, but it requires about a 2" clearance between the top of the tank to the high water mark. Since a nano tank would only have 1/2" clearance at best, this wouldn't work.

 

Have you guys figured out which brand/system works best for a Nano (little or no clearance between top of tank and high water mark)? I'm planning on traveling for a couple of weeks, and without an auto top-off system, my Nano would self destruct. Thanks.

[Mr. Fosi]

http://www.autotopoff.com/ ?

[MarineManiac]

i use a digital timer, toms aqua lifter pump, and those 2.5gallon distilled water containers. cost me $20. timer is set for 8min a day. tops off my 20H for a week.

[Formerly MikeR.]

i use a digital timer, toms aqua lifter pump, and those 2.5gallon distilled water containers. cost me $20. timer is set for 8min a day. tops off my 20H for a week.

 

 

and canyou give a general idea onhow to set it up?

[funnyguyMI]

Will a float valve fit in a 24g nano?

 

 

-Mike

[neanderthalman]

DIY your own setup. www.floatswitches.net has all the parts and the schematics you need. There are also a couple of good threads in the DIY forum of similar ATO designs.

[Izzue]

HEHEHE---- FLAME ME IF YA LIKE

 

Auto top offs on nanos are a waste...IMO

 

These little systems need a little TLC at least x2 daily... so why not just add a little fresh RO_DI then....

Opps I guess I should mention I dont have a CUBE... they may be harder to keep a constant water line without a cassette skimmer on overflow

 

Izzue

[neanderthalman]

HEHEHE---- FLAME ME IF YA LIKE

 

Auto top offs on nanos are a waste...IMO

 

These little systems need a little TLC at least x2 daily... so why not just add a little fresh RO_DI then....

Opps I guess I should mention I dont have a CUBE... they may be harder to keep a constant water line without a cassette skimmer on overflow

 

Izzue

 

I disagree with you Izzue - my 1.6 runs for 3-4 days before needing a topup, and that's all I ever to do it. Every few months I take care of the coralline, but I have zero nuisance algae growth. If I had an ATO on it, all I'd ever do was change water every Sunday. ATOs are great on open-top tanks that need topping up every day - a nano doesn't need work done every single day, let alone twice a day.

[funnyguyMI]

neanderthalman: Yeah, I've seen the float switches, but I would like to use a float valve which is run straight from your RO/DI unit. You don't need a pump if you use a float valve, but I think they're a bit bigger, and I was just wondering if anyone knew for sure if it would fit in one of the chambers on a 24g nano. I'm picking up a used nano tonight, so I guess I'll find out then for sure

[Izzue]

Well Neander--- IMO only

I dont work on my tank daily... but as a general rule for me .. I top off everymorning plus add my daily CA+ALK....

Everyafternoon I check on everything again... you know spend time with fishees

I guess what Im trying to say is that If I check everything to make sure everything is happy... just as easy to do the above then instead of auto pilot for me... this way nothing HOPEFFULLY gets out of hand.. like a floating fisshee or knocked off coral etc.

 

Izzue

[Biotoper]

For the cheapest method, I have a bucket above my 20H with an IV drip controlling gravity-fed top off water. It still requires a little tweaking every day or two to keep the drip rate consistant with evap, so not really auto. I'm planning on installing a float valve if I can find one I like.

 

Ryan

[horseflesh]

I decided that I was not interested in float switches, because I wanted a very low maintenance solution. And I don't have a good way to hang a bag or bucket over the tank. So, based on some other peoples' posts I decided to get a dosing pump. It's one of those hospital feeding pumps, and it was $100 shipped from a classified ad on this forum. (I think if you are patient and hunt eBay you can get them for more like $60.)

 

Anyway, it's great. I have it drawing from a 2 gal drinking water container, and it drips 35 mL/hr of top-off water into the tank. That's enough for over a week.

 

The only tricky part was finding the correct dosing rate. I had a rough idea based on measuring my average daily top-off water, so I started a little below there and turned it up every day until the water level stabilized.

 

I add a little baking soda to the top-off water to keep my alk up. For my tank, the correct amount is about 7 g/gal. (A dosing pump is not good for dripping kalk though, the buildup messes up the drip sensor. Luckily, I don't need Ca supplements.)

[neanderthalman]

That......doesn't make any sense horseflesh. An ATO that is based on a float switch does not need regular maintenance, only a refill of the top-off reservoir.

 

A drip based ATO needs adjustment to compensate for seasonal and daily shifts in temperature and humidity. A float switch based ATO will automatically compensate for a change in the weather, but a drip or dosing pump does not.

 

It would seem to me that a float switch based top-off is both cheaper than $100, lower maintenance and less finicky.

 

At any rate, glad you got the system operational.

[andykee]

That......doesn't make any sense horseflesh. An ATO that is based on a float switch does not need regular maintenance, only a refill of the top-off reservoir.

and the occasional (monthly maybe) float-switch cleaning to keep it from sticking due to salt creep / other gunk

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

correct me if i'm wrong, but i thought the idea of having an ato is all about keeping your salt levels consistant.

 

topping off for 8 mins (enough water for a week) or topping off every 3-4 days seems a waste of time. why not just add water to your tank once a week, instead of your freshwater res. once a week?

 

i realize that fish and inverts deal with a sudden drop in salinity better than a sudden rise in salinity, but if your gonna shell out the cash for an ato, why not purchase one that works?

 

how sensitive to changes are the float switches? how much does the water level have to drop before the sensor goes off?

 

1/2" water loss in a 100g wouldn't cause much of a rise in salinity, however 1/2" water loss in pico would.

 

i'm in the process of purchasing/building an ato(havent decided as of yet) but i'd like something that will top off my tanks as the water evaporates.

so far the slow drip seems the most effective, replacing single drops of water as they evevaporate.

is this line of thinking incorrect? is it a pipe dream to find a fully automated ato that will replace very small amounts of water multiple times a day?

[neanderthalman]

The float switches that I have are very sensitive to the position of the float, in testing. A change in approximately 1mm (~3/64") switches the state of the switch. There is no histeresis either, the on position is the same as the off position. It *should* cycle on and off throughout the day. I have yet to complete my float swtich ATO circuit because of school. Three weeks.....three weeks.....argh!

 

 

The drip method works, and it works quite successfully for many people. I don't believe it is lower maintenance at all, however.

[newreef8584]

Try this system. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29093 I have mine built just waiting for the floatswitches to arrive. I have tested it using a piece of 1/8" OD rigid tubing and even with dying batteries it has no problem emptying a 2 Lt water bottle. The pump was pushing about 30" of head pressure and was still getting fairly good volume.

 

And if you want to save even more money, I got my pump from a tackle shop. It was part of a kit for an inflatable live well. Cost me 9.99 Canadian. Hagen bettery pump was $25.99.

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

thanks guys, all this talk of 3-4 day top offs had me worried i lose a gallon a day (very dry winters here in canada, base board heater dont help either.lol) less in summer. neander, which float switches did you get? they sound like the'll be perfect for my needs.

 

thanks guys for clearing that up.

[neanderthalman]

They are from www.floatswitches.net.

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

thank you.

[horseflesh]

and the occasional (monthly maybe) float-switch cleaning to keep it from sticking due to salt creep / other gunk

 

Exactly. And you have to make sure the switches are snail-proof... There is more to go wrong in a float switch system. Maybe it isn't very likely, and maybe it isn't a lot of work, but a constant flow system seems easier to me.

[newreef8584]

Are there many other Canadian reefers on this site? If so I was wondering what area your in. It is a lot cheaper to a bulk order of float switches. I would like to buy about 7-10 for myself. I'm going to do a little tinkering with a top off/doser/resovoir refill system for my 120G DT.

 

I am in the GTA. Newmarket.

[andykee]

Exactly. And you have to make sure the switches are snail-proof... There is more to go wrong in a float switch system. Maybe it isn't very likely, and maybe it isn't a lot of work, but a constant flow system seems easier to me.

 

good point - don't have this problem if the floatswitch is in the sump though

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

Are there many other Canadian reefers on this site? If so I was wondering what area your in. It is a lot cheaper to a bulk order of float switches. I would like to buy about 7-10 for myself. I'm going to do a little tinkering with a top off/doser/resovoir refill system for my 120G DT.

 

I am in the GTA. Newmarket.

 

london ont. i'd take 4 or 5 myself. i have friends in t.o. that visit parents here in london on a bi monthly basis.

[neanderthalman]

Hamilton/Barrie, depending on the season. My girlfriend lives near Newmarket, up in Georgina. I see a fair number of Canadian reefers on here, particularly from Southern Ontario. Check out some of the local clubs, I'm a member of the MASB. They've got a club forum on the Aquarium Obsessed forums, and there are a few people there from the Newmarket area.

 

In a properly designed ATO, both float switches, including one that is never exposed to water, must fail simultaneously. Odds of failure are similar to a dosing pump freaking out or a knot/valve loosening. I also would not trust a drip if I was not around to double-check the water level - humidity changes a lot, and it changes your evaporation rate significantly.