Im looking to buy an ATO soon and woundering what you guys/girls have on your systems. I am looking for something of good quality that will not fail. I have been looking at the JBJ but there are alot of option out there. thanks for your input!!
I use the JBJ’s on all my tanks for the money you can’t beet them. only thing i don’t like is the censers get stuck some times. I have to clean them like every month to keep them from doing that, but i really like them.
Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 probably the best one out there
but even better is dosing pump with timer, no overdosing, stable addition, no maintenance.
do you plan on getting a controller? Jon swayed me away with a better thought for the long term by using the controller for the ATO…just a thought
in contrast to zona, sorry. my jbj ato would work fine for a few days, then stop. no critters in the float. just never worked right for a month straight. the only thing that helped was a timer that turned the sensor off and on every 15 minutes, so it reset itself. it’ll only push water for 3-4 minutes, so as to avoid too much fresh going into the tank, but it operated very inconsistently.
If you think a controller is very very far off from your list of things to pick up then you could use one of the controllers from AutoTopOff.com. They are made with the highest quality floats in the hobby. The floats they use are the same type I use with my controllers.(for both my tanks and my clients)
Ultimatly if you are even considering a controller any time soon it may be wise not to spend the money twice. If you buy a couple surge strip, a timer, an ATO, feed timer, pH controller, nice temp prove, independent controller for your heater, a leak sensor, and a couple of other parts independent you have spent the money you would have otherwise been able use to buy a complete controller that is capable of doing a lot more. That being said if you don’t think you will need anything else for your tank ever again and have no desire for anything additional and have your heart set on an ATO. AutoTopOff.com
The only thing possibly better is something I myself haven’t spent the money on yet which is the combination of a float and optical sensor like the one used with the Tunze system in conjunction with a Neptune controller with the proper programming. I haven’t found anyone yet that has done the above mostly because the opitcal sensor is expensive, not easy to fine, and requires a complicated set up.
Well, no discusion is complete without a couple low tech options. like
Alarm goes off, you top off tank.
Or more practical for a few days. This is what marty has used for his 125 the past 10 years.
He has a 5 gallon water jug on a stool next to the tank. and runs an air line tube with micro valve,as a syphon from the jug to drip into the sump. its tied off so as not to fall out. then knowing your average evaperation per day, set a drip rate that is close to that. continuous drip. start by figuring 20 drops per Ml to figure out a drip rate for your daily makeup volume. and adjust acordingly. you have to refill the jug every 3 days or so. so you cant go too far wrong. about one drop per second will feed one gallon per 24 hr. day.
Now come on Brett. how often do you go a whole day without checking your tank?
not too long ken. I test salinity about once a day. Usually top off in the morning before school around 6.40, once i get home around 2.30, and before i go to be around 9 ish.
I have about 1 gallon evaporation everyday. I think that’s a very good idea Ken, no float switches to fail.
Jon- I will not be getting a controller until at least this summer, might even get part of it for christmas next year.
I have a 5 gallon dosing container on a shelf above my sump. It has one of those knobs on it like an IV tube which makes adjusting the drip rate very easy.
Now if I would just remember to fill the 5 gallon container - I generally just end up dumping a 5 gallon bucket of RO water in the sump every couple days.
Yes I do have severe salinity swings.
I have to second the Autotopoff.com unit. The price is right, and mine has been flawless for the year or so I have had it. Mine is in the sump, and I was able to set the emergency backup float for only about an inch and a half over the primary to minimize salinity drop should it stick. I haven’t had to clean it yet though.
I agree about Auto Top Off. Have been using mine for over 6 yrs. It turns on a small PH that I have in a 20 gal tank of fresh RO water. Really has worked well. I also installed a shut off float in the 20 gal tank with a on/off valve going to my RO unit, so when the fresh RO water is almost empty in the 20 gal, just turn on valve from my RO unit to refill 20 gal tank. When the fresh RO water hits the float. it automatically turns off my RO unit. Making things work on auto is the way to go.No buckets, no spills.
I actually have mine hooked directly to my RODI, and a separate feed from RODI to the trash can i use for nano tank topoff and to draw from for mixing salt.
rainmaker what happens if there is a leak in your tank?
Ken I thought you just added a drop of water to the tank every time you walked by. 
this is true. i walk by them alot, all day long… but like craig, i just dump a bucket full in before bed.
[quote=“Gordonious, post:14, topic:3614”]
rainmaker what happens if there is a leak in your tank? [/quote]
I’m gonna guess water on the floor
[quote=“IanH, post:17, topic:3614”]
[quote=“Gordonious, post:14, topic:3614”]
rainmaker what happens if there is a leak in your tank? [/quote]
I’m gonna guess water on the floor[/quote]
I think Jon was hinting towards a nose diving salinity.
[quote=“TimH07, post:18, topic:3614”]
[quote=“IanH, post:17, topic:3614”]
[quote=“Gordonious, post:14, topic:3614”]
rainmaker what happens if there is a leak in your tank? [/quote]
I’m gonna guess water on the floor[/quote]
I think Jon was hinting towards a nose diving salinity.[/quote]
Oh, I thought he was talking about Craig’s past water issues
I think if I have a leak in my tank large enough to cause the RO to run continuously, nose diving salinity is going to be the least of my worries. With new filters, and more water pressure than my well can provide, I am looking at a max of 3 gallons an hour of leakage from the tank to make it stay on. During my 9 hours I am away for work, that 36 gallons of water is going to do a whole lot more damage than a little low salinity. Besides, with 110 gallons of system volume, I think that most of my tank inhabitants would survive a 1/3 drop in salinity for that period of time. What happens to reef-crest dwelling corals at low-tide during hurricane-like conditions that blow the sea further from the reef? They get soaked with fresh water for 6+ hours straight, and somehow they survive. But its a moot point when the whole thing would have to come apart in order to repair the drywall behind the tank anyway.