I am hearing that you need some sort of drip system to replace water that evaporates. Is it that big of a problem if i just add a pitcher of water as needed. Will this have an adverse affect on corals. My tank is 55 gallons.
Some people prefer the " Drip Method " to replace evaporated water from their systems since it adds fresh water SLOWLY and will not cause a sudden (though brief) shift in salinity. Just dumping in a pitcher now and then could have this effect if the dumper is not careful. Dripping is also a good way to add kalkwasser or any dosed additive. It all boils down to personal preference.
Being married to the most wonderful woman in the world (who also loves our reef aquarium), I have the ideal situation.
I didn't have room for a top-up system under the tank, so.... She let me commandiere a substantial portion of the linen closet which is conveniently on the opposite side of the wall that the aquariuum is placed against. In the linen closet I have the RO/DI filter going into a plexiglass 10 gallon storage tank. That is gravity fed through the wall into the sump, controlled by a float valve.
Oh yeah, I also have two timer-controlling dosing pumps for b-ionic alkalinity and calcium supplements in the linen closet, also fed through the wall and dripped into the overflow.
Eat your hearts out guys!
PS. I did build out two closets downstairs to more than compensate for the lost closet space <grin>
Mike and Donna: Where did you get your 10 gallon plexiglass storage tank? I have a setup similar to yours. (My girlfriend gave up her pantry, which is on the other side of the wall from our living room, and I put in a bar as compensation.) I need a larger RO/DI reservoir than the 5 gallon one I am using.
