DIY Water top up system

[JRT]

After making an acrylic overflow that is working very well
Have decided to make a water top up system
As electrics are not a strong point of mine i will stick with a simple mechanical device using a float and valve.

 

[isu_guy]

I am contimplating building one for when I leave and cannot tend my fish for multiple weeks at a time.

I got my inspiration from a cat's water dish that remained full. It used an inverted 2-liter bottle that was full of water. If the waterlevel of the cat dish fell below the level of the bottle's opening, some of the water inside the bottle would be released because air could get into the bottle.

I was thinking of making something to this effect that would hang on the side of the tank and allow for a few gallons to be released into the tank as water evaporated.

My tank is a 20gallon so I don't think I would need too many gallons to make a difference

 

[ste2k3]

A simple way would to have a bucket of water, say 3 gallons+ on a shelf above the water and connect a piece of hose from a tank connector to a float valve in the aquarium. Kent make one for aquarium use (pictured) and they are available from DIY stores. I know B&Q sell one that john allen use in there tanks. Just be sure that if you buy one from a DIY shop that it dosn't have any chemicals that could poison the tank.

ste

 

[impur]

I DIY'd an air driven topoff. I bought a floatswitch from floatswitch.net, used a pill bottle as a snail guard, and connected the wires to a battery powered air pump. I use a 1 gal container from walmart for the resevoir. 2 holes were drilled in it, one has a stiff piece of airline tubing going all the way to the bottom, the other is just a short piece, about 1" inside the resevoir. The float switch turns on the air, air is pumped into the container pressurizing it, and water in turn flows out to the tank. Here is a link:

http/www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...ight=air+topoff

 

[JRT]

Thanks guys going to stick with the mechanical float valve and a reservoir on the top of the tank.