Rsm 130d water evaporating

Ralphj

Member
Hi
I would like to know what is the best option to for the evaporation of water:

- water top off pump(if yes which one suits)
- chiller

I will be going on holidays for 15 days, how should I do for the feeding.
Thanks
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
A chiller will not do much to prevent evaporation. You'll need a water top off system. However, make sure you get it installed and well tested before you go away. You don't want to have problems with something while you are away.

I'd just let my reef run by itself for vacations of 15 days. Usually that better than having someone that has no idea about reef systems try to take care of them. The one exception to this is if you have fish or other livestock that must be fed everyday. There are not too many fish like that though. If you must have someone else take care of the tank, have them feed about 1/2 the normal amount.
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
As already noted the chiller wont stop evaporation unless.... you're using evaporative cooling (adding a fan blowing across the surface to increase evaporation and help cool a warm tank). In that case a chiller would help.

I think Dave's advice about getting an ATO installed and "TWEAKED" ahead of time is the key. Also I've found that this menu works well for me and my tanks for out of town trips:

  • #1 educate someone you trust on what the tank SHOULD look like (water levels etc etc)
  • #2 have extra gallons of RO/DI water there in the office for top-off just in case
  • #3 Premix and freeze the Mysis and Cyclopeeze mush that I feed them. I'll freeze it into small "pucks" in an ice tray. This way the feeder can simply drop a "puck" into the water and it will melt slowly releasing the concoction to the tank.
  • #4 Give the phone # of the LFS or a "Reefy" friend for emergencies or questions

I have someone "look" at the tank every day just in case something is wrong but I only have them feed about every 2nd or 3rd day. A well balanced tank will go longer than this without food but I still like to have them fed at least those days. I had my 90g go almost 2 weeks with no food because the guy "sitting" the tank was putting the food in the ATO and in such a way none of it was going into the tank ever.

I also want to note that once I started using my ProfiLux to control the tank I don't worry nearly as much because it alerts me to many situations automatically (heat issues, pH, etc) and I can log in and LOOK at the status at any time. Money well spent there.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Personally, I'd only get someone else involved with my reef if I was going to be away longer than 2 weeks. It's just not possible to educate a non-reef person and get them up to speed quickly. Someone that doesn't know your system can easily cause more harm than good.

I do like the ideas of extra RO/DI water, and if you do need someone in to feed, making up single feeding "pucks".

Giving an inexperienced person the phone number of an LFS is, in my opinion, looking for a stomping. All to often the advice is bad. A reef keeping friend would be good though. Also, if they did see something wrong, they can often email or call you, depending upon where you are and what your doing.

Controllers can monitor a lot, but not everyone has one, or can afford to spend the money. I like the idea, but not the cost involved.
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
How much cost the controllers and where can i find them

They can cost as little as $200 or as much as..... well whatever you want to spend. It all depends on the features you want and find worth while.

GHL ProfiLux is the brand I use

There's also:

APEX
Reef Keeper

and some others that are new that I don't remember the name of right now.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
How much cost the controllers and where can i find them

In my opinion, adding a controller to an RSM130 is not cost effective. The RSM 130 sells new for about $850, and used for about half that. By the time your done with a controller, you will have spent about $300 - 500 or more depending upon options. You will have spent a large percentage of what the whole system is worth, just on the controller.

Do people still get a controller anyway, even on a small tank? Yes, some do. Was it a wise investment in their reef? In my opinion,no.

Now if we were talking a much larger system, say 150 gal or so, then a controller could he a good idea.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Think of a basic controller as a bunch of timers you can set to turn things on and off. A more advanced controller can monitor temp, pH, ORP, float switches and so on, and turn other units on and off. An even more advanced controller can connect to you home network and even let you monitor things with a remote laptop or smart phone.

The next question comes down to, do you really need all that functionality for your reef?

As for Digital Aquatics specifically, the unit your looking at is a very basic controller. For control of lighting and heating or chilling it will be fine. If you want to do more, you'll need to get some add on modules, so the total cost will go up. If all you want to do is have a basic ATO systems, then just getting a dedicated one will cost lots less than a controller.
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
I use a Tunze Osmolator in my RSM250. Works great to keep the water levels where I want them. Only issue I had is that the instructions aren't that clear or intuitive, maybe it's a translation issue, but I had to read through them several times and literally sketch out how the unit would work in my tank (connections to pumps, out flow, in flow, etc.). If you are evaporating more then the amount that your container can hold, it would be wise to have extra water on hand and have someone check on the tank and the water levels while you are gone and fill it up the ATO container if needed. The advise that someone else already posted above I agree with - have the ATO all set up and running long before you leave, you don't want any issues occurring while you are gone.

As for feeding, I also agree that having food sliced and diced into sizes that are appropriate for your fish is useful to have for someone else feeding them. Be very strict with them on the amount to feed your fish no matter if they see all the fish eat or not. I had a friend feel sorry for a fish that didn't get any food and feed extra, the tank was a mess when I got back.
 

catran

Well-Known Member
I have a Tunze 3155 also and absolutely love it! Best investment I ever made!


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