Evaporation

[Tategrant]

How many gallons of water will evaporate from my 90 gallon tank in a week? Also how often do I have to do water changes? Every time the nitrites, nitrates, or ammonia goes up?

 

[bill302]

water change 10 percent a week on average.....and evaporation depends a lot on setup, do you have an open top, Glass top and what type of lighting...I have a 55 gal. with open top egg crate and led lighting with a wood top and filter fans in top... I evaporate 2 liters a day.

 

[Tategrant]

water change 10 percent a week on average.....and evaporation depends a lot on setup, do you have an open top, Glass top and what type of lighting...I have a 55 gal. with open top egg crate and led lighting with a wood top and filter fans in top... I evaporate 2 liters a day.

Plan on glass top... Water change is for what?

 

[bill302]

type of lighting matters a lot on evaporation metal halides burn hotter than t-5 and leds. A 10 percent water change per week is to maintain proper water balance you also need ro/di water.... read this http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/stock-list-and-tips-for-maintaining-your-sw-tank-73477.html

 

[Fishhooked]

Crap I'm adding 10% water to mine weekly just to take care of my evaporation.

 

[bill302]

have you tested for ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates or the ph??? plus its better to replace water evaporation daily to maintain stable water chem....

 

[Tategrant]

So 10% for 6 months then wait for the levels to even out and to put water back in you just mix the salt in the water your going to put in and heat it to the temp and pour it in?

 

[carey]

My ATO reservoir is 5.5g and goes low every 4 days or so. I have open top and a quad T5 fixture. Also depends on the ambient room temperature in your house, I notice when it gets really hot here I go through more water, of course. But on average I go through about 10g a week I'd say on that tank.

On my open top 125g I go through almost 20g a week, I also have a 12 bulb fixture on that tank so it does get kinda hot under there.

Hope that helps

 

[carey]

I do a 40% water change on my 90g every month. Its a fish only system so the parameters stay pretty good, except the nitrates will get a little high which in a fish only system is kinda ok. lol I would suggest going every 2 weeks as every week can be a bear to do, at least for me.lol If you are doing a reef tank you really do need to do water changes frequently as the change doesnt just take out bad things it also adds elements that are in the salt for the corals such as iodine, calcium magnesium etc etc....

 

[Tkey3425]

Crap I'm adding 10% water to mine weekly just to take care of my evaporation.

I hear you on that one haha. Open top 180 gallon reef with 3 halides. I add a gallon a day at least

 

[Gregcoyote]

Temperature of your tank, number of square inches of surface layer, amount of surface agitation and the houses humidity level, along with airflow will dictate evaporation rates. Glass tops reduce evaporation at the expense of good gas exchange that can effect ph negatively.

 

[Callen]

Another great question tategrant!

Everyone: what is the best way to tell when you need to add more water? I've just been watching the return pump down in my sump to make sure it stays covered with water...but haven't been very exact in how full I keep it.

Can y'all give us the pros and cons of glass tops? I have one, but the other is missing. I was planning on making the second, but I'v read that you may not want to cover the tank completely...needs exposure to air?

 

[Tkey3425]

How many gallons of water will evaporate from my 90 gallon tank in a week? Also how often do I have to do water changes? Every time the nitrites, nitrates, or ammonia goes up?

Your ammonia and nitrite should not ride once the tank cycles unless you add some fish and you will get a slight ammonia spike depending on the size of the fish. But the nitrates and phosphates will and need to be removed by way of water change. If the nitrates and phosphates get too high your behind the 8 ball already. You need to find a routine that works for you. I run chaeto in my sump to help with nitrate and I do a 20 gallon water change on my 180 every other week. And that keeps everything in check. You don't ever want to be playing catch up on your parameters.

 

[Tategrant]

Your ammonia and nitrite should not ride once the tank cycles unless you add some fish and you will get a slight ammonia spike depending on the size of the fish. But the nitrates and phosphates will and need to be removed by way of water change. If the nitrates and phosphates get too high your behind the 8 ball already. You need to find a routine that works for you. I run chaeto in my sump to help with nitrate and I do a 20 gallon water change on my 180 every other week. And that keeps everything in check. You don't ever want to be playing catch up on your parameters.

Once every two weeks sounds good what's a chaeto

 

[Tkey3425]

A type of algae that will grow absorbing nitrates.