Evaporation Question

[bobblehead27]

The air tends to be a lot drier In the winter and with the water temperatures being higher than the air evaporation is increased.
I have to top all my tanks more in the winter.
I need better covers.

This...
The dry heat pumped into your house would definitely increase the evaporation, plus if you're like my dad... And put a dehumidifier in the room with the tank... That'll drain it with the quickness. (granted, it was the basement, so I see why he put a dehumidifier in there, just counter productive when I had 3 tanks in there with it)

 

[bobblehead27]

Plus without a lid you could have some splashing out from your new filter....

 

[The Morning]

Hahahaha. The tank is indeed in the basement and I do run a dehumidifier in the summer. However when I switch the furnace on I put that away and I do have a humidifier on the furnance. The new filter a FX6 has the outputs submerged well below water line for circulation so there is not any splashing.
I am really thinking that it is from the removal of the strips and evaporation. I am just surprised how much of a difference it is making. I also realized last night that we have a gas fireplace in the basement which is turned on frequently this time of year. This may also contribute to the drier air.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Could be advantageous if the air in your house is too dry and you're needing to run a humidifier.

 

[skjl47]

air tends to be a lot drier In the winter

Hello; This is correct. In a sense the drier air (low humidity) will pick up moisture much more quickly than in the more humid summer.

Also you may have the tank temperature significantly higher than the air temperature. Say the air is 68 degrees F and the tank is 78 F.

I had a house before with an oil fired furnace. Never had much humidity build up even with tanks cooking and showers. Moved into a house ten years ago with a heat pump. Not only does it rarely feel warm to me but I had serious humidity buildup the first winter. I now run a dehumidifier during the cold months to keep the humidity down.
In the summer when we run central air that system actively removes moisture from the air by it's normal action.

Also surface agitation can make a difference. Bubblers and power filter splashes can make a fine mist and since you changed the cover may have provided a place for these small splashes to escape. I have had this happen. I like to have a bubbler hit the surface under a cover rather than where the tank is open to the air.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Yep. If you have forced air heat and it's running a lot, you will loose some water due to evaporation.

I've got hot water baseboard heat, multiple tanks, kids, etc. My house doesn't get dry enough that I notice much evaporation in my tanks between weekly water changes. All my setups have glass tops with some gaps for equipment.

 

[Seedy J]

Can you cut the plastic strips to fit around the filter?

 

[The Morning]

I think that is what I will end up doing. I removed it to add filter and just never got around to replacing. It is definitely not losing an inch a day but it is every 3-4 days which I guess isnt that alarming.

 

[CarpCharacin]

The thing is, when water evaporates from an aquarium, it makes the concentration of the fish waste chemicals stronger, since there is a lower water volume to dilute them, so it isn't good to let a tank evaporate down significantly. You could just get some polycarbonate pieces, like what they build greenhouses out of, and cut them to fit. Polycarbonate sheets are pretty cheap, and it would stop or at least significantly slow the evaporation.

 

[The Morning]

I am still doing water changes two times per week so not overly concerned with the concentrations. I was just amazed how much of a difference removing the plastic strips made. I am going to be putting them back on cut to fit the filter this week.