Bad Vacation Return

[christmasclowns]

Came home from 4 days in Maine and my salinity was at 40ppt definitely not how i wanted to end my vacation.

[Erik]

Lots of evaporation this time of year.
What is your top off setup?

[christmasclowns]

manual i check my salinity daily and add as needed. mom is still learning

[Erik]

An automated top-off system is one of the best things you can do for your tank... and yourself
You can have a pretty good setup for under $100.

Let me know if you need some help.
-Erik

[joel1234567]

Sorry man. Just got back from ME myself. Hopefully at least the vacation went well?

[christmasclowns]

Vacation went great!!! I like the auto top off idea but i'm nervous about the opposite happening has anyone had any experience with the salinity being too low after running their auto top off for a while.

[firewarrior565]

Vacation went great!!! I like the auto top off idea but i'm nervous about the opposite happening has anyone had any experience with the salinity being too low after running their auto top off for a while.

I've always wondered about that too!

[joel1234567]

At the most basic level, the auto topoff consists of a float switch, controller unit, pump, and a container full of fresh water. The water level in your display tank goes down, the float switch tells the controller to turn on a pump in your container of fresh water, pumping fresh water back into the display tank until the float switch goes back up. So you're only replacing the water that is lost to evaporation. Your salinity won't go lower than what you started with, making it stay constant.

It's sort of like a sump pump, in reverse. The water level in your basement rises, it trips the float and pumps it out until the float drops again. But, in the case of the aquarium, the water level lowers and it pumps water back in until it is back to normal.

There's always risk of malfunction- but the benefits far outweigh the risk.

[christmasclowns]

I have been having issues with salt creep and my protein skimmer sucks out salt water into the cup. That is one of my concerns with setting up an auto top off. do a lot of people run them? Could any one post any pictures of their setups?

[joel1234567]

I think salt creep is more or less inevitable, thru any space that stays damp and is not water tight.

If you skimmer is sucking water into the cup, it's out of adjustment. But the adjustment will typically be based in some part on the depth of the water that the skimmer pump is in. If you have it dialed in for your pump at a certain depth, and then your water level fluctuates, it could cause the skimmer to be out of adjustment again and then start sucking water. An ATO would help with that. But it could also be that something else is in play- maybe your venturi or airline is clogged or the pump needs cleaning or something.

I've got one of these, and it's never let me down: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/p ... atid=13959. For $80 (plus the cost of a pump) it's a good investment. For a pump, I went with the mini-jet 404. You don't need much.

Here are some example install diagrams: http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod-ato.html

[joanstone]

I have two different ATOs. One is the same that Joel has indicated and one is a one from Bulk Reef Supply (Level Loc) which I have on a timer set to operate for a period of time at night. I prefer the latter if you have the right sump setup because there is a possibility of the float sticking or coming off whatever it's attached to with the one from F & S (both have happened to me). On the other hand, it all depends on what your sump is. If it's a tank the one from BRS would be my choice, if it's a stock tank or something without rigid vertical sides to attach the level loc to then the other one would be better because you could suction it to your skimmer or wherever. The F & S one requires more "gear" to keep it operational though. I have a bucket for the pump and in the bucket I have a float valve with RO water going into it so the bucket is always full. The BRS one is directly attached to my RO, no pump, bucket or additional float needed. I cannot imagine operating my systems without an ATO of some sort, especially if you have to go away.