| Freshwater Makeup System |
One of the biggest problems in maintaining a reef tank is keeping the proper water level in your sump. The reason I say this is because more than once I have come home from work and found those little bubbles swirling in my tank as my sump ran almost empty. Once, I came home from a few days away and found my sump pump running dry and no water movement in my tank. I lost several fish and that convinced me to find an answer to this problem.
The answer was a NatuReef® freshwater make up system. The system consists of a special dual float switch that you place in your sump and a controller. When the water level drops the controller will either activate an electric valve which you can connect to an RO filter or the controller can activate a powerhead that can pump water from a water tank into your sump.
NatuReef® thought of everything with this new system:
The water level sensor is mounted on a sliding track so you can easily adjust the water level in your sump.
The system uses low voltage so there is no possibility of getting you or your fish shocked.
The dual level sensor was designed not to "hammer" your solenoid valve or the powerhead in you storage tank. Cheaper switches on the market only have a single float. This means that when the water level is at the exact set point the solenoid won't be turned off and on 100 times in row.
The controller has a manual override switch and a flashing light that tells you when the water is on.
The switch and the controller are made of superior quality parts.
| Dual float switch level sensor, cable, controller with solenoid. (Use this model if you have an RO filter and want to automate its operation. This provides you with a "set and forget" method of maintaining your sump water level.) Use this model if your RO solenoid is located near your tank. Model FW-2 | |
| Dual float switch level sensor, cable, controller with solenoid. (Use this model if you have an RO filter and want to automate its operation. This provides you with a "set and forget" method of maintaining your sump water level.) Use this model if your RO solenoid is located away from your tank. Model FW-1 | |
| Dual float switch level sensor, cable, controller with ac outlet for a powerhead. (Use this model if you have a storage tank and want to pump water from the tank into your sump.) Model FW-3 |
Some suggestions:
"Instead of just dripping the feed from your RO filter into the sump why not add some Kalkwasser first. All you have to do is set up a 2-5 gallon bucket. Have the water from the RO drip into the bucket. Add a few tea spoons of NatuReef® Reef Former powder. Add a cheap powerhead to stir the powder in the bucket. Drill a small hole near the top of the bucket and tap it with an air hose. Have the air hose drip the freshly made Kalkwasser into your tank.
Now every time your RO comes on you are adding Kalkwasser automatically. "
This tip was submitted to us by Brian Martin of Colorado.
04/24/04 01:39:38 PM