Water holding tank.

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C

chemicall

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 26, 2008
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canada
I have a 30G water holding tank, for auto top off, and water changes.... I aerate it 24/7 and there's a heater in there to warm the cold water.

My question is, do I absolutely need aeration in there? or will a small powerhead work in place? or no air/powerhead, just the heater?

The tank has about 1-1.3 inches of water automatically pumped out each day. I top it off once a week with cold water and a 30G dose of prime. Then a WC each week which also empties it. so it's emptied about 2 times a week in total(7 days), atleast.

So, think I can get away with just a heater in the holding tank? or possible heater + small power head

Thanks
 
I would suggest you use some form of water movemr in the tank... it could be an airstone, powerhead, HOB, canister... anything... but do use something...

Just as "hot air rises", hot air also rises. So there will be some degree of watermovement as the heter heats the surrounding water. But this will be such a very very small amount of movement I wouldn't even acknowledge it.

If there is no water movement the heater will heat the water closest to it but allow the water on the far side to remain cool.

Also any body of water without movement risks becoming stagnant. With weekly top offs I wouldn't expect it to become 'nasty', but a healthy gaseous exchange is important for healthy water. Even the Prime you are using relies on a gaseous exchange to fully function.
 
Thanks nc_nutcase

I just put a power head in, in the bottom left corner with a piece of tubing on the output going to the top right corner of the tank.... lots of water movement. Took the airstone out.

Thanks for your input...
 
If you put the heater in the bottom, the warm water will rise, creating "natural convection" currents.

That being said, I don't heat, aerate, or move the water in my 50 gal drum at all. In the winter, I'll fill the sump (where the heaters are) and pump the water from the sump to the tank once it's warmed up. Then I fill the sump again and repeat until the tank is full. During warmer weather, I don't bother heating the water in the sump but I add the replacement water gradually over the course of a day, sometimes two days. I'll throw an airstone (and heater if it's cold) in the main tank to aerate it while the wet/dry is off.
 
When my 480L holding tank is 75% full of RO water i top up with hot tap water then 8 or so hours before i do a wc i put the heaters on and a small pond pump to circulate,when i get home i do the wc then turn the RO on and it starts again.


Steve
 
I would concur that if you are adding less than 3% of your total water volume you should no need to heat it.

Would there be any other reason to have water movement/aeration?
 
Thanks all.....

Everyone is right it doesn't make a difference when your topping off so little at a time. Only difference it made for me was when doing a W/C(use the whole reserve tank)

I might take the heater out since it's getting warmer out now, but in the winter that great lakes water comes out of the tap awful darn cold.

I don't like using hot water, but that's just my preference, I've seen the inside of some old hot water tanks - not the nicest thing I ever saw....

Thanks again everyone!
 
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