Lighting and Salinity in small aquariums

[ivanlm78]

Hi all,

I find myself topping up my small 10 gallon saltwater aquarium with water every 3 days or so to keep SG levels at 1026.

I have a cheap Led light (yellow) that runs 8-10h a day, a normal heater running at 25C, I don't keep any coral, just two clown fish and a small prawn.

My questions are:

1. is topping up so frequently normal? My gut feeling tells me water is evaporating fast due to the small size of the tank and heater running at 25 degree Celsius.

2. Are there any other reasons for such high evaporation?

Thanks
Ivan

 

[~MD~Reefs~]

1. I’d say that is pretty infrequent. You should be topping up daily in such a small tank

2. Warmer water and more surface area evaporate faster. Also depends on a lot of other conditions like your humidity

Why not just get a cheap $40-50 ATO from Amazon and a 5 gallon bucket and let it do the top of for you? Less work and it’ll keep your tank more stable.

 

[Tahoe61]

Most individuals have some type of top off system. Look at Clscea adaptor if unable to aquire an automated ATO.
Replacing the evaporated water is one of the most important aspects of keeping a healthy marine system.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Water evaporates constantly, never stops, so yes it is normal to need to top off every day which is tedious but necessary. That is why most of use an auto top off (ATO) system to take care of topping off for us.

 

[Kooma]

I’d bet my auto top off runs every 45 minutes for a few seconds. Every 3 days means you will have salinity swings.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I would highly recommend investing in an Ato system. I use the TUNZE osmolator for my 20g tank. I have a 5g bucket underneath my tank that has RO water in it and the Ato. All I have to do is fill the bucket up every week and a half, and never worry about topping water off for my tank.