[danduhman]

i have been noticing in the last few days the water level has been dropping....slightly..but it has been dropping nonetheless.


im new to keeping fish and i know that water care is very important.

that being said, do i just add more water and then prime it...
do i prime it and wait...

WHAT DO I DO>????


HELP PLEASE!!!!!!

 

[mrkell]

information

Can you provide a little more information. Fresh or salt? Assuming you have no leaks, water will evaporate, and you have to replenish to the level that it was before with fresh ro/di water. I dont really recommend using water conditioners or tap water. I believe you can get ro water at Walmart.

 

[Regalblue41]

It is called evaporation,just add some more water.....

 

[danduhman]

its a fresh tank...

 

[danduhman]

im not to sure what ro/di means??

 

[Regalblue41]

It means reverse osmosis/de ionized water...just add tap and you will be fine,If it was salt or a specialty tank ro/di would be the way to go,to cut down on nutrients that cause algae growth,or possibly mess with the ph.....

 

[anthonydrew]

If You Add Tap, Make Sure You Treat It With Prime First. Unless You're On Well Water.

 

[danduhman]

i am on well but i treated it anyway...lost about 2 gallons in the last week...

 

[DBreefs]

I don't know how big your tank is but that sounds like a reasonable evaporation rate. You could always invest in an ATO (Auto Top Off) they are well worth the money since topping off a tank can be one of the more tedious tasks of keeping an aquarium.

 

[danduhman]

where would i even start to look for one...and what should i look for when looking for one?

 

[LightEmUp]

I have a 110 g tank. On a normal week, I loose 2 gallons. The ATO was my best investment. BRS has some great ones.

 

[anthonydrew]

What Size Tank? Do You Have A Sump? Any Sensitive Fish Like Discus? I Wouldn't Worry About Auto Top Of On Freshwater For The Most Part. My 210 I Would Just Add 10 Gallons Every Two Weeks. I Had Canister Filters So The Water Level Didn't Really affect Them. If You Have Hob Filters, The Sound Can Get Annoying As The Water Level Drops. Adding 10 Percent Or So Of New Water To A Freshwater Tank At One Time Will Not Hurt Anything. Unless You Have Some Really Sensitive Livestock.

 

[danduhman]

the tank is a 40g breeder and no i dont have a sump or sensitive fish...i was mainly worried about adding untreated water to treated water and harming my fish...its all new...


i thought sumps were mainly for saltwater tanks? (still new...and now confused..lol)

 

[anthonydrew]

sumps Can Be Used For Either. But Mostly Salt Water. I Wouldn't Worry About An Ato. Probably Don't Even Need To Treat The Water Since You Are On A Well. If You Can Find SomeOne To Test The Well Water You Would Know For Sure. Rodi Water Would Help Prevent Algae Blooms. But If You Aren't Having Algae Just Stick With The Free Well Water.

 

[rle68]

the only other question i would ask is do you have a top on your tank? 2 gal a week loss seems kinda high to me.. i have a 15 column and a 30 reg and i havent lost anywhere near that in months.

i do have tops on both of mine

 

[magicpenny75]

Evaporation rate depends on a lot of factors - temp of the water, temp and humidity levels in your home... My 90 gallon saltwater tank goes through about 4-1/2 gallons of top off water in a week. My 50 gallon FW tank loses about a gallon a week, but it has less water moving and only a very small area exposed to the air due to a semi-enclosed top, so most of the evaporation condenses inside and drips back into the tank.
Anyway...point is your results will vary. As others have said, you can just top it up when you notice it getting low and go on with life And no matter what anyone tells you don't start a saltwater tank lol...worst best thing I ever did.

 

[LightEmUp]

And no matter what anyone tells you don't start a saltwater tank lol...worst best thing I ever did.

^^^+1 :surrender:

 

[gerald]

Or you can invest in a couple sheets of glass or polycarbonate to cover the tank, instead of Auto Top-Off. A cover will keep your fish from "evaporating" too (on the floor) -- ATO wont do that. (I prefer glass covers, but if you choose plastic instead Polycarbonate doesn't warp quite as bad as acrylic (plexiglas).

 

[danduhman]

I have a 40g breeder...how would i go about getting a cover? will it fit the tank with light and filter on?

 

[rle68]

depending on dimensions.. petco and petsmart have adjustable glass and plastic lids.. the smaller ones start at about 16 bux and go from there.. and im not talking the generic light hoods