water going down

[DylFunk]

maybe this is normal and im just being paranoid, but ive been having to add water to my tank fairly regularly because it seems to go down about a gallon every day. i checked all around the tank for leaks or traces of water but couldnt find any. i guess it could just be evaporating but it just seems to be going down too fast for it to be evaporation.

 

[Dwarfs]

You'd be surprised how fast water can evaporate

 

[bccromer]

Yeah your water will evaporate, but a gallon per day is a bunch. I normally add one more gallon than I take out on my weekly water changes, so I am puzzled by the gallon per day. Maybe somebody else will come along and help.

 

[maestro]

how big is your tank? do you use an evaporation tray? are you using powerfull lighting that gets really hot?

Check around yout tank but if everything is dry etc then there cant be a leak,

 

[DylFunk]

yeah ive checked everywhere for leaks i'm almost positive there isnt a leak. its a 55g tank, i dont have lights, and its at about 78 degrees. i dont know what an evaporation tray is so im assuming i dont have one

 

[The-Wolf]

evaporation trays are normally refered to as condensation guards.
These can be a plastic or glass cover that sits between the waters surface and the hood. basically they stop most of the moisture from escaping by providing something to condense on and therefor drip back into the tank.

 

[DylFunk]

well then i guess i dont have an evaporation tray. although i may have to invest in one because i'm having to add water atleast twice a week and its getting annoying.

 

[FishDan]

Depending on your location, this time of year can often be very dry so evaporation will often happen much more rapidly. A gallon a day on a tank with a large surface area doesn't strike me as that much. In my area my tanks generally lose about 2.5 gallons every few days this time of year. I let them get a little lower than I might if I was "showing off" my tanks to anyone other than me, my girlfreind and our cats. The tank with an almost complete seal (glass cover, cutouts in back cut as close as possible to the components in back, heater, filter, air line tubing) does loss water less rapidly. If you have radiators to heat your home/apartment you could add a water pan to help humidify the air, or use a humidifyer. Either thing will generally lesson the evaporation from your tank(s). Also they will help prevent dry skin.

\Dan

 

[freshmike]

Does it have a lid?

 

[DylFunk]

it doesnt have a hood right now i am currently building one to put on it.

 

[Aquamick]

I find water evaporates more quickly with an airstone than it does with a powerhead.

 

[DylFunk]

i dont have either of them.

 

[Aquascaper]

Once you have finished your hood you should find that cuts down the evaporation a fair bit. I would get a condensation tray as well as this will not only keep the water in the tank but it keeps it away from your lights which is always a bonus

 

[DylFunk]

only thing is i've never seen them at the stores near me ill just have to check online i guess.

 

[FishDan]

All you need is something like this. I don't know where you are from, but I do know that WalMart, PetSmart and PetCo all have these. Not necessarily this brand, but all have some variety of glass canopy. These work great IMO. I have one tank with one and one without, the one with losses water much slower than the one without. And it was pretty inexpensive. I imagine most shops that carry aquariums would carry this type of product.

\Dan