Reservoir Watering system?

I was wondering if anyone had some info on these, ive had bad luck at searching online while half asleep.

Ive been thinking about it, and beyond convenience I dont feel like buying another 30-50 water bottles when there could be a better way.

thanks in advance.

http://www.agselect.com/

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

http://www.agselect.com/

-adam

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Thanks Adam!

http://www.agselect.com/ED/Features.cfm?DID=11&QAID=1

No problem.

Definitely a lot easier/better than water bottles IMO, but the systems comes with it's own set of problems. Jammed sippers cause floods and escaped rats chew water lines. Be prepared.

-adam

If you havent ordered yet the drinking valves are alot cheaper at http://www.bassequipment.com/edstrom.htm. Id suggest getting the tank connector at bass as well. The standoffs and valve clips are cheaper at Agselect. For the rest call up a local sprinkler store and buy 1/4 OD line, tees, elbows, and drains. (instead of the $60 at either online place it is closer to $10). This is for the 3/16 barbed system.

The one thing I wish I had done differently was to get clear tubing instead of black. These systems will get algae build up and its hard to tell in black tubing.

Bryan

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Originally Posted by Bdadawg

If you havent ordered yet the drinking valves are alot cheaper at http://www.bassequipment.com/edstrom.htm. Id suggest getting the tank connector at bass as well. The standoffs and valve clips are cheaper at Agselect. For the rest call up a local sprinkler store and buy 1/4 OD line, tees, elbows, and drains. (instead of the $60 at either online place it is closer to $10). This is for the 3/16 barbed system.

The one thing I wish I had done differently was to get clear tubing instead of black. These systems will get algae build up and its hard to tell in black tubing.

Bryan

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Awesome!

-adam

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Originally Posted by Bdadawg

The one thing I wish I had done differently was to get clear tubing instead of black. These systems will get algae build up and its hard to tell in black tubing.

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Wouldn't the clear tubing encourage algae growth? I thought algae needed light? Maybe not...

Algae doesnt need light to grow ... it does help a bit though. My python (for changing water in fish tanks)literally never sees light ... however once a month I have to clean the algae out of it.

As long as you are watering them out of a city water system (that has chlorine or chloramines in it) it will slow the algae growth. But with any water source algae will eventually grow, clear tubing would make it easier to see rather than waiting for the algae to block a drinking valve.

Bryan

Thanks Bryan, great info. Do you have any pictures on your setup yet? I dont think there is any way I would go with the auto bucket fill feature. 5 gallons is enough to pour into a tub :P plus a hose would make it easy to fill

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bdadawg

As long as you are watering them out of a city water system (that has chlorine or chloramines in it) it will slow the algae growth. But with any water source algae will eventually grow, clear tubing would make it easier to see rather than waiting for the algae to block a drinking valve.

Bryan

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The chlorine in tap water does help with the algae growth, and adding a little bleach to the reservoir water also helps keep it from growing. I add about 2 teaspoons to each 5 gallon bucket. Since doing this, I have less problems with leaky valves. I would also recommend setting up your system so that you can easily flush all of the lines. Flushing the entire system every now and again can save you a lot of headache and flooded bins too. Hope this helps. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/imag...es/biggrin.gif

I had problems with the round 5 gallon buckets so have temporarily taken it down until the square buckets arrive. The square buckets hold 3.5 gallons, so it should only flood 3 of the 4 tubs if there is ever a problem ::grins::.


I did have each line set up so I could do a full drain.

Unscented bleach is just 100% chlorine (some brands may have a few extra additives). So it makes sense why adding extra would help ... however the chlorine will have dissipated from the water within 2-3 days (unless your city water uses chlormamines instead of chlorine). Chloramines are chlorine binded with ammonia and is quite stable.


Bryan

What kind of problems did you have with the round buckets? I'm still in the drawing plan stage of things, and will test it on a small scale first once I come up with the time/money to implement it. I'm getting tired of the random water bottle leaking, and not because of a nest or bedding forcing it to leak. + the time to refill 50+ water bottles = oy and soon it will be 120+


I figure a 3.5 gallon reservoir would last one of these racks for a full week, but that would require 10 buckets just for one section.

ah well, I have time, and regular water bottles for now heh

Basically I just cant get a good seal on the round buckets (and didnt allow myself enough room room to drill the bottom of the bucket). If i tighten it enough to get a good seal on the round bucket then I have misshapen the bucket and either the bucket cracks or the valve slips.


Noone said that one bucket had to water only one rack ::grins:: 1 3.5 gallon bucket should last 16 tubs 1.5 to 2 days (really depends on the temp of the room they are in ... over 76f and they are going to drink alot more).

HH HHOHH
O Aisle
HH HHOHH

If the racks are set up like either of the above diagrams it can easily water 16 tubs with only a little extra tubing. (H are the racks O is the bucket). The bucket would be on a 8-10" raised platform (upended milk crates work well as a platform).

You can get the 3.5 gallon buckets here. They are a flat rate shipper so you can order 11 buckets (19lbs) for 5.95 shipping. The buckets are $1.75 each.
(I spend alot of time researching for best prices).

Bryan

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Originally Posted by Bdadawg

Basically I just cant get a good seal on the round buckets (and didnt allow myself enough room room to drill the bottom of the bucket). If i tighten it enough to get a good seal on the round bucket then I have misshapen the bucket and either the bucket cracks or the valve slips.


Noone said that one bucket had to water only one rack ::grins:: 1 3.5 gallon bucket should last 16 tubs 1.5 to 2 days (really depends on the temp of the room they are in ... over 76f and they are going to drink alot more).

HH HHOHH
O Aisle
HH HHOHH

If the racks are set up like either of the above diagrams it can easily water 16 tubs with only a little extra tubing. (H are the racks O is the bucket). The bucket would be on a 8-10" raised platform (upended milk crates work well as a platform).

You can get the 3.5 gallon buckets here. They are a flat rate shipper so you can order 11 buckets (19lbs) for 5.95 shipping. The buckets are $1.75 each.
(I spend alot of time researching for best prices).

Bryan

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Yeah my calculations are that a full rack of 3x2' tubs (4) goes through about 1 gallon every 2 days in a 68-72 degree environment (in this case it is around 20-28 large rats), so in that case 3.5 gallons would last 3.5 racks for 2 days, or 4 racks for almost 2 days, which works for me.

Thanks for the links and info. Im thinking I might give this a shot soon, as soon as i finalize a few things. I want to use it for my mother racks as well, but I may be better off sticking to water bottles with them. (15 tubs in a 4 wide, 14 inch deep rack)

Just an update.

Found one more site with good pricing on the valves.

http://www.klubertanz.com/Catalog.htm

from here click on feeding and watering.

They also have 1/3" hardware cloth (really hard to find). 1/3" is good for both mice and rats.

Bryan

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Originally Posted by Bdadawg

Just an update.

Found one more site with good pricing on the valves.

http://www.klubertanz.com/Catalog.htm

from here click on feeding and watering.

They also have 1/3" hardware cloth (really hard to find). 1/3" is good for both mice and rats.

Bryan

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I ordered watering valves from these guys last week.. great service and the shipping was cheap

chris

Did you get your system with the square buckets up and running? I keep having other priorities trump my plans for building these, but now that i have nearly 100 bottles to fill, it is becoming something that needs done heh

Ive been working on a "shop" to expand again for the last 3 weeks or so. So no, havent got it back up yet (no point in putting it back together when Im going to move it again shortly).

The shop will have shelfs set into the wall about a foot above the cages to provide the gravity feed. But most of my caging is now 5+ feet tall ... so ill have to use a ladder to fill them. Im still trying to think of another method that doesnt involve a pump (with gravity feed I only have to worry about 4 gallons of water instead of 40 getting pumped through a stuck valve). Ive still got 1/2 a wall to plywood (interior), so I have a few days to figure it out.

Even though I'm over 6' its still a pain to work with some of my top levels that are 5 1/2' tall, so I may work with a step ladder anyhow.

And yeah, im with you on the 100 bottles. Ive got about that many for my mice ... and another 80 or so for the rats. Takes about 2 hrs a day to fill em all now (and do a quick check of their tubs).

Bryan

I have my rat rack on a auto watering system..

This is what i made so i dont have to keep filling the 5 gallon bucket:

get a floatless toilet water valve from HD and rig it up and adjust it to your water height.

Also, i put a valve and a hose at the very end of the system and have it on a slow drip ( i mean very slow)so fresh water will always flow and the bucket get fresh water in it. It helps the lines fresh

just some ideas i use

Chris

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Originally Posted by Sevo

I have my rat rack on a auto watering system..

This is what i made so i dont have to keep filling the 5 gallon bucket:

get a floatless toilet water valve from HD and rig it up and adjust it to your water height.

Also, i put a valve and a hose at the very end of the system and have it on a slow drip ( i mean very slow)so fresh water will always flow and the bucket get fresh water in it. It helps the lines fresh

just some ideas i use

Chris

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Have any pictures of your setup?

Im willing to refill the reservoirs manually, would rather not have 50 gallons in my basement :)

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Originally Posted by SnakeySnakeSnake

Have any pictures of your setup?

Im willing to refill the reservoirs manually, would rather not have 50 gallons in my basement :)

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That is why I converted it back to a 5 gal bucket. I didnt want it to keep running if it had a leak

so now i just fil the 5 gal bucket. WHat I am having problems with is finding a good way to attach a valve to the bucket. Mine leaks around the seal no matter what type of calk i put around it... Any suggestions

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sevo

so now i just fil the 5 gal bucket. WHat I am having problems with is finding a good way to attach a valve to the bucket. Mine leaks around the seal no matter what type of calk i put around it... Any suggestions

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Dry it completely and use 100% bathroom and kitchen silicone caulk from Home Depot. Does the trick. ;)

-adam

B. Are you still filling up 1.2 million water bottles by hand :O


Adam is right, caulk is awesome!

I am using a gravity fed system with brass nipples that I put together. What a breeze :D

Ideas. I tried the 5 gallon bucket. Worried about the height. Also never really got a good seal and I found that dust would clog the nipples and cause them to leak. I went to walmart. Got a 15 gallon rubbermade container. Very short and a little longer than some of the others. I stopped worrying about the height and was able to fill it less frequently. I also cut some pieces of pvc. The way the rats had less slack to pull the lines into the cages. Had one leak in the last six months and it was my fault.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Dry it completely and use 100% bathroom and kitchen silicone caulk from Home Depot. Does the trick. ;)

-adam

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adam, thanks for the info. i appreciate it

Chris

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Originally Posted by cueball

B. Are you still filling up 1.2 million water bottles by hand :O


Adam is right, caulk is awesome!

I am using a gravity fed system with brass nipples that I put together. What a breeze :D

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Still doing it by hand, havnt had time/mind power to decide on what i want :(

Thanks for all the help guys, about to order all the parts


Bryan - doh, the square bucket isnt on that site anymore, that was a great price and would have been perfect :) ah well, can figure that part out later, lots of edged containers around.

Just a question, does anyone use crosses for side by side rack shelves? I didnt see any of those on any of these sites.

It occured to me after typing that you were referring to a 4 way valve. I dont know why they arent used in any setups except for it may be harder to equalize pressure splitting off both sides rather than just 1.

Most people using the valves run them side to side rather than top to bottom and I would think this is the main reason that "T" valves are used instead of 4-way valves.

Bryan

Heres a couple other sites with the square buckets. Price is higher and no idea on shipping.

BePrepared

CPS

USPlastic

If I get tired of moving the critters to the new shop tonight Ill do a bit more searching and see if i can find some better prices.

Bryan

Clear tubing

http://www.plumbingsupply.com/cleartubing.html

3/16 is 13.28 for 100' so just over 13 cents per foot

Well I did my own little test on algae growth on water systems. I noticed I had 2 water bottles that were right under a light that were growing an algae inside. Which made me think of the clear tubing and black tubing conversation. So I put black electrical tape around the one bottle and left the other clear, I left them for 2 weeks. The clear bottle is absolutely gross with algae and the bottle with tape is almost completely void of it. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wild Bill

Well I did my own little test on algae growth on water systems. I noticed I had 2 water bottles that were right under a light that were growing an algae inside. Which made me think of the clear tubing and black tubing conversation. So I put black electrical tape around the one bottle and left the other clear, I left them for 2 weeks. The clear bottle is absolutely gross with algae and the bottle with tape is almost completely void of it. ;)

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hrmmmmmm


What kind of light were they under?


I guess the question here is, if I went with black hose instead, if I had even minimal growth I would have no way of knowing how much was growing, Then again I dont want to be cleaning out 200' of hosing every 2 weeks either :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wild Bill

Well I did my own little test on algae growth on water systems. I noticed I had 2 water bottles that were right under a light that were growing an algae inside. Which made me think of the clear tubing and black tubing conversation. So I put black electrical tape around the one bottle and left the other clear, I left them for 2 weeks. The clear bottle is absolutely gross with algae and the bottle with tape is almost completely void of it. ;)

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I probably should add both bottles were cleaned out before the test and were set back in their positions and not used during the test. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnakeySnakeSnake

hrmmmmmm


What kind of light were they under?


I guess the question here is, if I went with black hose instead, if I had even minimal growth I would have no way of knowing how much was growing, Then again I dont want to be cleaning out 200' of hosing every 2 weeks either :)

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Just a regular flourescent light.

I am planning on using the black tubing and when I clean tubs just check each valve to make sure I am still getting water flow.

My reservoir is clear and the tubing is clear. No artificial lighting. No direct sunlight though, only fill light. No algae.


Could you use a fish anti algea type treatment?

I like the clear better ... let's you see just how much "gunk" is in the lines so that you know when to blow them out.

We test sippers each week as we clean tubs regardless ... "gunk" can get in those things and really clog them up ... it's a must to check them.

-adam

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I like the clear better ... let's you see just how much "gunk" is in the lines so that you know when to blow them out.

We test sippers each week as we clean tubs regardless ... "gunk" can get in those things and really clog them up ... it's a must to check them.

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I thought you farmed out the feeder supply? Do you keep a few around for late night snacks?

Anyway, I guess I'm glad my high school bio class taught me something about algae. As a solution to the black vs. clear issue, perhaps you could splice a short section of clear tubing onto the black stuff. This would inhibit algae growth in the lines, but still allow you to see when the black stuff would need cleaning. If you're worried about algae growing only on the short section of clear, you could just cover it up using electrical tape and uncover it periodically.

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Originally Posted by xdeus

I thought you farmed out the feeder supply? Do you keep a few around for late night snacks?

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I pitch in at my suppliers rat barn ... he takes care of me, so I like to return the favor as much as I can. ;)

-adam

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xdeus

As a solution to the black vs. clear issue, perhaps you could splice a short section of clear tubing onto the black stuff. This would inhibit algae growth in the lines, but still allow you to see when the black stuff would need cleaning. If you're worried about algae growing only on the short section of clear, you could just cover it up using electrical tape and uncover it periodically.

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Adding splices in would really only create a bottle neck for the algae and other "gunk" to catch on/in.

0.13 a foot is a really good price for clear tubing. Cheaper than buying it through any of the suppliers with the valves, and almost as cheap as using sprinkler line.

Algae grows fastest in stagnant water in direct sunlight. The best way to limit it is to use water fairly quick and keep it out of direct sun. The stuff for aquariums tries to reduce the amount of nitrates in the water. As normal tap water shouldnt be too high in nitrates it really wouldnt be effective. (I was running 7 fish aquariums for about 10 years and got to know algae real well ::grins::)

Having to clean out tubing lines is one of the trade offs of using drinking valves instead of water bottles. But then water bottle manufacturers recommend cleaning water bottles and drinking nipples weekly in soapy water.

Bryan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I pitch in at my suppliers rat barn ... he takes care of me, so I like to return the favor as much as I can. ;)

-adam

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You are a Prince among Kings :sabduel:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bdadawg

Adding splices in would really only create a bottle neck for the algae and other "gunk" to catch on/in.

0.13 a foot is a really good price for clear tubing. Cheaper than buying it through any of the suppliers with the valves, and almost as cheap as using sprinkler line.

Algae grows fastest in stagnant water in direct sunlight. The best way to limit it is to use water fairly quick and keep it out of direct sun. The stuff for aquariums tries to reduce the amount of nitrates in the water. As normal tap water shouldnt be too high in nitrates it really wouldnt be effective. (I was running 7 fish aquariums for about 10 years and got to know algae real well ::grins::)

Having to clean out tubing lines is one of the trade offs of using drinking valves instead of water bottles. But then water bottle manufacturers recommend cleaning water bottles and drinking nipples weekly in soapy water.

Bryan

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My water bottles never tend to hold water for more than 2-3 days max, so Ive never had issues with it growing in them.... then again this is all in a basement :)