Is there a trick to topping off tanks?

[SuperProofer]

Hi,

Just want to make sure I'm not doing something wrong. Is there a limit to how much distilled water you should add at any one time to top off evaporation loss in a tank? Or is it ok to just dump in as much as you need to bring it back to level?

I noticed my jar tanks were a little low today, so I added some distilled water (the same water I've been using since I started the tanks). But this is the first time I've had anything alive in while I've done it. I only added a few dropperfuls to each tank. Before I did that, the shrimp were just hanging out, picking away at the sand, etc. But after I added the water, they are all going nuts! Swimming around, darting quickly back and forth. Just highly active. They don't seem to be in distress, just moving faster. Is this normal? Or did I add too much at once?

Thanks!

[jcfrank922]

It seems like any time you disrupt the tank, you will get more activity from the shrimp. They should calm down in an hour or two. My rule of thumb is to top off the tank after you see about 10% evaporation. Only add distilled water, as the salt does not evaporate.

[SuperProofer]

Great. Thanks! Yeah they've calmed down now.