How to prevent water loss?

I am about to go on my first week vacation since getting into the hobby and I am concerned about water loss while I am gone. My 30 gallon bc should be ok (I have done some testing). However, my 8 gallon bc loses water quickly through evaporation and I am not sure how to stretch it the full week. Do any of you have any suggestions or practices that can assist with water loss?

Unfortunately, I do not have anyone around my home that I would trust while I am away.

Thanks in advance!

 

Get an ATO system. Out of the 8 gallon tank, you could easily lose several gallons of water which would be tremendous for that size tank. Even the 29 gallon, I would be concerned about that too. You could potentially rig up a temporary drip system to replenish some water, so at least it won't be the full week without top offs. I would also dilute the water to so that when evaporation takes place, it will take longer to get to a dangerous level, although I fear it will. Hopefully things turn out for the best.

 

i agree ATO is the way to go. the SG swings will be terrible for any shrimp or dusters you might have.


barring that...

get a lid that will go a long ways.

turn off the skimmer (b4 I got ATO, I noticed my skimmer made a difference of around 1/2 day that evaporates)

reduce lighting period of the daylights.

get a friend to top off for you?

 

Be careful closing the system up to slow down evaporation, because it also cuts down on gas exchange which means less oxygen and more CO2 generally, this could drive your pH down and make it difficult for any fish (if you have them) to breath.

I would say look into an ATO of some sort, there are relatively cheap options that are available but you may have to DIY it, but also I would say if you make any changes let it run for at least a week or two before you go on vacation so you can get comfortable with how it works and to make sure no problems crop up.

Too many times I've read about people adding a new ATO system or something a day or two before vacation and it ends up failing while they were away and crashes the tank.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will look into the auto top off system. Any recommendations on an inexpensive one for the 8 gallon? The BC 29 does not have the bioballs so the back can be filled to the top which helps on reducing the water loss too much (usually have to fill every 2-3 days).

 

You can make an ATO for the price of a float valve ($20 @ LFS), 1/4" tubing ($3 labeled as ice maker lines at home depot), a water reservoir, a 1/4" x whatever pipe thread connector ($4 at home depot by the tubing), and some GE 2 silicone ($3 at home depot in the paint section).

These gravity feeds work awesome if you have a sump, if not I would go with the more expensive JBJ ATO or the Tunze one.

~Will.

 

If you're just looking for a temporary fix I would just look at doing a cheap DIY one like was mentioned. Since it's only 8g I doubt you have a sump and adding a real ATO is going to put some more equipment in the tank so it's really up to you what solution you like.

 

It could just be temporary, until he gets back.