# Disaster on the reef



## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

I went away for four days last week, i kinda expected and didnt expect problems with the reef but worst did come. I dont have any sort of automatic top off installed yet, but been looking into one. Four days on a 29g with no top off took it's toll, i have only one fish left that is healthy now a purple firefish









But all the corals are perfectly fine go figure:? 

I've been looking at this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/TSUNAMI-AT1-Auto-Top-off-System_W0QQitemZ7756450574QQcategoryZ3212QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Now just a pump large enough to pump from bottem floor to say 6ft in the air, any suggestions? I'm going to have a 5g resevior


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## Reefneck (Oct 15, 2005)

Dude, That sucks! So sorry to hear that. If you need anything I'll cut you a break on pricing and can ship through the store. I can special order any fish you want.


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## i have crabs (Apr 30, 2006)

what size tank is this 4 days shoulnt be enough to cause all the fish to die,the sg would have to go into the 30's which unless it's a 10g or smaller with no lid i just cant see that being the problem.


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## Reefneck (Oct 15, 2005)

Read his post! It say's it's a 29G tank!

MP, A Mag 9.5 will do what you need with ease.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

Thanks for the offer Reef! 

Yes it's only a 29g with a 175w MH running 10hrs a day on a timer. I prolly shoulda shut that off. A mag 9.5 i will have to look at one of those! Thanks.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

you only have 6ft head? you can find a ton of pumps to run that, just for topoff??

im really sorry to hear about your losses, im about to go on a vacation over the weekend myself. did your sump dry out or something? or was it just the SG getting to high?


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

yea im pretty sure just 6ft it's just taller then i am. and im 5ft6"

No sump just the MH's running, water evaopration just really flies out of there, sg got way too high. auto top off is a necessity now i believe.


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

I'm not sure if that unit uses a direct connection the the AC, or a relay - you probably want to go with a unit that uses a relay and a 9v circuit (you don't want a sensor in your tank hooked up to AC current - have a sensor hooked up to a 9v curcuit that trips a relay/soleniod that turns on the AC current.

I'll see if I can dig up the website that has the one I'm thinking of...


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

found it
http://www.aquahub.com/store/product25.html
or
http://www.aquahub.com/store/product26.html

http://www.aquahub.com/store/diygaquarium.html

There are premade systems that follow the same principle - just make sure it includes the 9v relay or a similar system to protect you.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

Thanks.

Was looking at something like that what is the scoop with two sensor's? is the one that sits lower to ensure the pump shuts off in case the reseviour runs out?


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## fishfingers (Apr 10, 2006)

Sorry to here about the tank MP. It's always a worry when you have to leave your tank for an amount of time. I've just come back from a week's holiday to fnid out that my skimmer leaked all over the floor and my mum top up the tank with freshwater to replace the lost saltwater. Fingers crossed I can keep eveything good :S


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Dang, dude..that sucks.

You know, you can make a cheap little top-off system of your own for practically nothing, using some 3-liter soda bottles. fill a bottle with fresh water and turn it upside down in the sump. Notice how the water stays in the bottle. You can even use if with the cap on, with a hole drilled in the cap, to help retard any diffusion. Anyway, if you suspend the bottle just below the water's surface, the bottle will release a bit of water as evaporation lowers the level. Once the level is restored, the flow stops.

It's not as automatic as a pump & float valve arrangement, but it can do in a pinch.


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

MalawianPro said:


> Thanks.
> 
> Was looking at something like that what is the scoop with two sensor's? is the one that sits lower to ensure the pump shuts off in case the reseviour runs out?


One sensor is to turn the pump on when the water in the sump (or tank in your case) gets low. The other is to turn the pump OFF if the first sensor sticks  - nothing sucks like having all of your "top-off" water (or kalk) pumped into your system at once... so the second sensor is mounted upside-down to the first, at the highest level you want the water in the sump to be able to reach.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

TheOldSalt said:


> Dang, dude..that sucks.
> 
> You know, you can make a cheap little top-off system of your own for practically nothing, using some 3-liter soda bottles. fill a bottle with fresh water and turn it upside down in the sump. Notice how the water stays in the bottle. You can even use if with the cap on, with a hole drilled in the cap, to help retard any diffusion. Anyway, if you suspend the bottle just below the water's surface, the bottle will release a bit of water as evaporation lowers the level. Once the level is restored, the flow stops.
> 
> It's not as automatic as a pump & float valve arrangement, but it can do in a pinch.


holy crap thats genious!! im gonna do that!!


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Sorry to hear about your loss man, it always sucks to come home to a dead tank... 

On a good note though, all of mine made it through the 5 day vacation I went on, thank god for friends who come to your house twice a day! But on the good side I did buy some monti digitata, and plate monti's as well as acros and a dragon's eye zoa (how did that get in my box??? Its not SPS!) Going to be exciting how the big tank turns out now!


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## cheseboy (Aug 5, 2005)

Sorry to hear about your tank but I was looking into auto top-off systems also and came across this website. http://www.top-off.com/ Their products look good and I'm loving the prices!


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

TheOldSalt said:


> Dang, dude..that sucks.
> 
> You know, you can make a cheap little top-off system of your own for practically nothing, using some 3-liter soda bottles. fill a bottle with fresh water and turn it upside down in the sump. Notice how the water stays in the bottle. You can even use if with the cap on, with a hole drilled in the cap, to help retard any diffusion. Anyway, if you suspend the bottle just below the water's surface, the bottle will release a bit of water as evaporation lowers the level. Once the level is restored, the flow stops.
> 
> It's not as automatic as a pump & float valve arrangement, but it can do in a pinch.


Wow, that's a trick and a half! Thanks for sharing.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

wow, I hate to hear that.


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