Reducing Evap

[kirru]

I am using a lot of water due to evap. What is the best way to reduce evap?

I think i am using about 15g a week due to it.

Tank is set at 80 and room is about 70 most of the time.

Its a 40 breeder with a 20 long sump/fuge.

If I had an RO/DI unit i don't think I would worry about it as much but I have to make a weekly trip to kroger to get water and I just want to limit that trip a lot.

Any help is appreciated. thanks.

 

[ericmcj31]

yeah, my 100 and 135 only evap. about 1 gallon /day; in the winter it's worse, though-maybe 1.5 gal/day;

 

[jcusmarine]

^What ares said

I loose aprox. 4 gallons of evap every 10 days on my 55 + 5 gallon system.

 

[skriz]

I would venture to say that you have either a massive heat problem or a leak.

I would raise your lighting or add a chiller. If you're relying on evaporative cooling to keep your tank at 80 degrees, then you are going to evap as much as it takes to keep it at that temp. What are you using to tell what temp the tank is? What lighting?

 

[drnecropolis]

Thats what I was thinking.. I only lose about maybe 1.5gallons a day in my 120 with 2x250 MH 3" off the water..

 

[budsreef]

That is a lot. Are you intentionally maintaining the tank at 80 degrees? That's a little high and I'm sure a contributing factor. If you can cover a portion of the sump rather than the tank and that might help as well.

 

[kirru]

Well, if I don't intentionally heat the tank then it stay awefully cold. like 70-75. I have kept my oher tank at 80 and never had this much evap.

No leaks that I know of. Looked all over and no water anywhere I can find.
My lights are 4x39w T5s; no fan on the fixture(gets warm but not scorching hot); no fan blowing over the water. I have a top like acroholic has on his.

I'm going to check around again for leaks just to be sure.

I'm going to get some pictures to give ya'll an idea of my set up.

Give me a few to get the taken and uploaded and posted

 

[skriz]

Kirru;291026 wrote: Well, if I don't intentionally heat the tank then it stay awefully cold. like 70-75. I have kept my oher tank at 80 and never had this much evap.

No leaks that I know of. Looked all over and no water anywhere I can find.
My lights are 4x39w T5s; no fan on the fixture(gets warm but not scorching hot); no fan blowing over the water. I have a top like acroholic has on his.

I'm going to check around again for leaks just to be sure.

I'm going to get some pictures to give ya'll an idea of my set up.

Give me a few to get the taken and uploaded and posted

That doesn't mean you have to keep it at 80. Drop your temp to 78 degrees and you'll see a major difference.

 

[crew]

ya, I have a 70 gallon system, open top.. 1 gallon per day

 

[kirru]

Ok, found a small bit of salt creep, sealed that off so hopefully it won't happen there again, looked all around for other leaks and none were found. going to get more water so it'll give that pvc glue time to dry a little before I start water through it. adjusted the therms to 78(i think, using a digital temp prope so i will adjust from there. two 100w heaters(one in return of sump/fuge and one in over flow box) and a 50w(over flow box)

 

[ericmcj31]

if you had a leak you need to cut and redo it--just putting glue over won't fix it--BTW I would prob. get rid of one of those heaters too-prob. either the 50 or one of the 100's

 

[kirru]

I know that, i guess I should have said I missed one section to glue when I first put it all up. my bad. I have both 100w set on 76 and the 50 set really low(can't tell exactly as it doesn't have the number written on the it.

I guess I will just see if I produce anymore leaks or what. The temp seems to be holding at 78-79.

 

[jason sartain]

OK guys,I don't mean to rob the thread but I have a 240 gal display(open top with no canopy) with a 100 gal sump and a 25 gal fuge and I evap about 5 gals a day.I keep my temp at 77-78,I have 3-400 watt MH and 2-54 watt T-5 actinic's.
Is this in line?
Thanks.

 

[drnecropolis]

jason sartain;291095 wrote: OK guys,I don't mean to rob the thread but I have a 240 gal display(open top with no canopy) with a 100 gal sump and a 25 gal fuge and I evap about 5 gals a day.I keep my temp at 77-78,I have 3-400 watt MH and 2-54 watt T-5 actinic's.
Is this in line?
Thanks.

Sounds about right

 

[jason sartain]

Thanks doc!

 

[budsreef]

Also I'd check your temp probe. If it is a Coralife Digital they are notorious for being inaccurate.

 

[acroholic]

Kirru;291049 wrote: Ok, found a small bit of salt creep, sealed that off so hopefully it won't happen there again, looked all around for other leaks and none were found. going to get more water so it'll give that pvc glue time to dry a little before I start water through it. adjusted the therms to 78(i think, using a digital temp prope so i will adjust from there. two 100w heaters(one in return of sump/fuge and one in over flow box) and a 50w(over flow box)

Cory,
Just because you found a bit of salt creep doesn't mean you have a leak. Everyone that has a sump has salt creep. If you had a leak responsible for a water loss of 10 gallons in a week or so you'd be walking on a huge wet spot on the floor. Leaks like that are nearly impossible to miss. If your floor area around the tank and around the sump is dry then you don't have a leak, period, at least not a leak responsible for any appreciable volume leaving the tank.

Barring any easily noticeable wet spots around the tank, I would guess that you are overestimating the evaporative loss. I would mark the side of the sump at a normal water level, probably near the return pump location. Don't add or remove any water in that period. Then in exactly 24 hours refill the sump to that mark and measure the volume you use. that isyour daily. Multiply by 7 and you have your weekly.
Dave

 

[acroholic]

Budsreef;291106 wrote: Also I'd check your temp probe. If it is a Coralife Digital they are notorious for being inaccurate.

+1.

 

[kirru]

Acroholic;291112 wrote: Cory,
Just because you found a bit of salt creep doesn't mean you have a leak. Everyone that has a sump has salt creep. If you had a leak responsible for a water loss of 10 gallons in a week or so you'd be walking on a huge wet spot on the floor. Leaks like that are nearly impossible to miss. If your floor area around the tank and around the sump is dry then you don't have a leak, period, at least not a leak responsible for any appreciable volume leaving the tank.

Barring any easily noticeable wet spots around the tank, I would guess that you are overestimating the evaporative loss. I would mark the side of the sump at a normal water level, probably near the return pump location. Don't add or remove any water in that period. Then in exactly 24 hours refill the sump to that mark and measure the volume you use. that isyour daily. Multiply by 7 and you have your weekly.
Dave

I am actually going to do that now. But thanks for the math part cause thats not my field

Budsreef;291106 wrote: Also I'd check your temp probe. If it is a Coralife Digital they are notorious for being inaccurate.

How would you suggest I test the accuracy? I had one before that was correct then dropped dramatically, went from 80 to 65, then i got another but it maybe failing again. What's a good alternative to the Coralife one? Digital preferably.

 

[derek_s]

Honestly I would not rely on a digital one unless it was buit into a controller or a very high quality unit. I think those cheap glass ones are nearly infallible, assuming you can read the tiny numbers. I still keep one to compare to my controller from time to time.