Originally, as you'll see in the video below, I included a blue recycling bin as a top-off tank in the cabinet so I would have a supply of filtered water to fill up the aquarium system, as water naturally evaporated, through an Auto Top Off (ATO) run by the controller. I would periodically fill up this blue tank by carrying a water cooler jug of filtered water to the aquarium and pouring it into this tank.
💡Lesson Learned:
I have since run a long water line from the Reverse Osmosis unit in the back of my house to the aquarium located in the middle of my house. The line runs to a fill valve normally found in a toilet reservoir inside of the blue tank. This valve works like you would expect by stopping the flow of filtered water when the tank is full.Why not just run the water directly to the aquarium and skip having an extra tank? Water changes! It is very convenient to have a full tank of filtered water ready to go when I change out 15 gallons during a water change. I do not lug water around for any reason anymore.If you follow a similar approach I highly recommend using SharkBite PEX line, rather than running a polypropylene line. Over time a standard line can become brittle, particularly if you run it outside where it is exposed. This SharkBite line is incredibly strong.
