Drip System - Tie Into Cold Supply Or Use Mixing / Tempering Valve?

[keepinfish]

i find it interesting as most people (me included) at first thought if 10 gallons are going in then 10 gallons are coming out, but..... 10 gallons of diluted water is coming out....

Before drips i would do 50% twice a week so 100% a week... i shoot my drips for about the same. as it has always worked and kept a steady PH and nitrate.

 

[Egon]

i find it interesting as most people (me included) at first thought if 10 gallons are going in then 10 gallons are coming out, but..... 10 gallons of diluted water is coming out....

I try to minimize this dilution by dripping fresh water right into my tank as far away from the drain as possible and I have my drain on my sump going out to my yard. The most important fact is the water quality and second is me not using a hose and bucket

There's no better water change system

 

[sponger_2]

i run a 4gph drip on my 500. I run 1/4" line off my faucet outside (cold water) and that goes to my chlorine filters from the filter guys. It then runs 50' which is coiled up in my overflow, and THAT heats up the water to the same temp as the tank water. I have it then enter my tank through two 2gph drip emitters.

 

[Egon]

Woah! That sounds so easy! The 1/4" line? Is that the plastic stuff run for RO systems and ice makers? Do you have to reduce pressure or just connect straight to the house water supply? I just set up my swamp cooler to run water from my cold incoming line of my hot water heater. It was super easy to set up with the "PEX" line connectors. Is this the system your doing?

 

[T1KARMANN]

It also depends on how Many pumps uvs and other bits of kit you run
I was dripping about 150 gal per day with 4 small pumps and my heaters were always on
I swapped to 4 big 18000 lph pumps and 4 x 25w uvs the temp stayed hotter and the heaters are now never on
I run 150-200 gal per day via a hma filter right from the cold tap

Try to keep it as simple as poss

 

[skynoch]

This is a hard question to answer as it depends on the equipment and livestock you have and where you live. For me gas is way cheaper than electrical so I drip a mix of hot and cold and depending on the time of year to what temp I drip. I have two systems, one is a open pond the other is well insulated so the drip verys in temp. I drip 24/7 but have overcrowded tanks. My rate of drip is varied by my nitrate level and also wether I'm trying to change my rays behaviors.