Ideas for a Large top up Reservoir

[Todd]

I am going to be gone for a week next week, and may be gone for alot longer then that in August / September. My tank does well by itself as the lighting is timed, and I don't dose daily as well everyone eats flake so having a auto feeder does the trick for a short while.

The problem is that with 2 x 400w of lighting and the warmer temperatures I go though alot of top up water. I am currently using a gravity fed top up with a 5g reservoir on a float valve in my sump. But as I am going though 2-4 g a day I am going to need something alot bigger then that. Does anyone have any ideas?

I was thinking of taking a Rubbermaid and installing a waterline connector on the bottom - has anyone tried this? It would be nice to have something that fit under my stand and over the sump as the 5g does, but I haven't been able to find anything quite right. I looked at some water tanks at Industrial Plastics that would work well, but they are much too expensive (Start at around $100). My tank is too far for me to run a line from my RO / DI unit as well.

[Jason McK]

I use a 60G drum. one of those big blue drums. I got it through Chin on this board but I think a lot of garden centers may have then too.

you may want to consider a topoff system that involved a pump and a controler to rule out any possibility of the float failing and you end up with a fresh water tank and a saltwater floor.

J

[Snappy]

On my top up system the float in the sump sometimes fails so I now have it hooked it to a timer so that it will only fill for a limited time each day, that way no flooding.

[Todd]

Jason - I have thought about useing a large drum like that, but I think I would like something that I could fit into the stand, beside and above the sump. I

Jason / Snappy - I have had this sump running for awhile and havent had a problem with the float (even if I did with the current set up it would likely only result in 4 g being added to a total volume of about 90g so it wouldnt do too much damage).

How would the float valve fail? It looks like a pretty simple set up with not much that could go wrong. That being said I should look into it before I change something so that I could end up with a 'fresh tank and salt floor'.

[KrazyKuch]

Sometimes the float will get clogged from debrie or algea growth...I have had my fail a couple times

[Pescador]

You could use an air pressure activated style sensor like this Tsunami (http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=254)and then use any container you can get a small powerhead in. I haven't had to touch mine in years and it has never failed. Don't rely on the suction cups though, I made a bracket from a Maxi-jet hanger.