Evaporation? ATO Question

[term_paint]

I have a 75 gallon tank drilled, 12 gallon sump approx, 10 gallon refuge. I run two MH over the canopy with just holes cut in the top of the canopy. The back of the canopy is open. Additonally this tank is in the basement so I have not had to run any fans for cooling. Of course the sump and refuge are not covered. But i am evaporating approx 1 - 1.5 gallons per day. Is this normal. I am just concerned because i have to size my ATO for vacations. I just wanted to make sure this is normal....



Additionally i am running a reefkeeper elite that is controlling my ato. I had a problem once with a junky ato system that it overfilled too much fresh water. The unit stuck on. This destroyed all my corals of course but my fish survived. Is there any fail safe. I try to keep only 4 gallons in my top off bucket to prevent this but i again worry about vacation where i might have to keep 15 to 20 gallons for safety. Any suggestions and again Thanks.

[E Rosewater]

Keep an eye on craigs list. You may end up being able find a small used aquarium cheap or free. 10-20 gallon will help keep the ATO going.

[rogermccray]

Can you set up your your reservoir to fill up straight from your RODI unit? I have mine going to a Brute trash can with a float valve that keeps it filled to certain level and never have to worry about it getting empty.

Does the Reefkeeper Elite have an attachement for a SG probe? If you can get one of those then you can set up something to alert you when your SG gets below a certain point or to not top off any more.

[RocketEngineer]

rogermccray, I would never directly connect my ATO to the RODI. If the ATO got stuck on then the tank would get flooded with RODI water and empty onto the floor. Also, you want to run RODI for long periods vs short spurts as the first few gallons out of the unit have higher TDS due to sitting over time. With short runs you are likely to use up the DI resin much quicker than if you had it running for a few hours to refill the container from empty.

term paint, I recommend using an ATO with two cutoffs and have the reefkeeper control how much time the ATO is allowed to run. For example, have two float switches where one is always above the level you want and the other is used for control. That way if the first switch fails shut you only have a little extra water. Then if you know the flow rate of the ATO pump, you can have plug the ATO into a reefkeeper controlled outlet and only have it turn on enough time to top up plus maybe a little extra.

Just a thought.

[Saltydrip]

I have my ATO with a secondary backup switch so it will shut down if the primary switch fails. I also only have a 5gal bucket for ATO because in my 80gal system 5gal won't cause an overflow or lower salinity to low. Maybe low enough to stress but not kill.

[Palting]

But i am evaporating approx 1 - 1.5 gallons per day. Is this normal. I am just concerned because i have to size my ATO for vacations. I just wanted to make sure this is normal....


Yes. I have a 200 gallon system, and evap about 2-3 gallons a day. I have a 22 gallon rubbermaid as an ATO reservoir, good for about a 10 day vacation.

Additionally i am running a reefkeeper elite that is controlling my ato. I had a problem once with a junky ato system that it overfilled too much fresh water. The unit stuck on. This destroyed all my corals of course but my fish survived. Is there any fail safe. I try to keep only 4 gallons in my top off bucket to prevent this but i again worry about vacation where i might have to keep 15 to 20 gallons for safety. Any suggestions and again Thanks.

I use Tunze, and it comes with several failsafes. First, there is a kill float switch. If the water level gets to this level, such as the ATO pump stuck on, it shuts the unit off regardless of anything. Then, if the unit runs for more than 10 minutes, it also shuts off. Alarms go off in both instances. I believe you can get any ATO system and set it up simillar failsafes with your reefkeeper elite.

[twf0369]

Your evaporation doesn't sound off. I have a 180 gallon w/ 40 gallon sump, both open, and I am about 5 gallons every other day. Putting a top on would help but may cause a slight increase in temp.

[rogermccray]

rogermccray, I would never directly connect my ATO to the RODI. If the ATO got stuck on then the tank would get flooded with RODI water and empty onto the floor. Also, you want to run RODI for long periods vs short spurts as the first few gallons out of the unit have higher TDS due to sitting over time. With short runs you are likely to use up the DI resin much quicker than if you had it running for a few hours to refill the container from empty.

term paint, I recommend using an ATO with two cutoffs and have the reefkeeper control how much time the ATO is allowed to run. For example, have two float switches where one is always above the level you want and the other is used for control. That way if the first switch fails shut you only have a little extra water. Then if you know the flow rate of the ATO pump, you can have plug the ATO into a reefkeeper controlled outlet and only have it turn on enough time to top up plus maybe a little extra.

Just a thought.

That is very true, mine is in my unfinished basement so for me it is not a big deal. Also a little higher TDS and using more resin is a small price to pay for not having to do anything to take care of my ATO.