ATO recommendations

[aandfsoccr04]

I am about over carrying 5 gallon buckets of RODI water for top off every other day or so. It's time for me to invest in an auto top off. Give me some recommendations please!

[bellis31]

I am about over carrying 5 gallon buckets of RODI water for top off every other day or so. It's time for me to invest in an auto top off. Give me some recommendations please!

I have not used it but I noticed that it's pretty popular!

JBJ A.T.O. - Automatic Top Off System Water Level Controller

http://www.marinedepot.com/dosing_pumps_top_off_jbj_ATO_automatic_top_off_water_level_controller-ap.html

[wbdevers]

I set up my system using a food grade acrylic food container using the ATO system sold by AquaHub. http://www.aquahub.com/store/product26.html You have to purchase an extension cord to complete the system as well as a pump, but it comes with everything else. I got my pump from ATO.com and my cord from Lowes. Total cost: $85 and it works perfectly. This is the same system sold through BRS.

[briankmarsh1980]

tunze makes the best but you will pay big money for it.....

I use the JBJ and it works flawless
here is a video (not mine)
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b2X0I-Zd2vo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Psyops]

JBJ is user friendly. Use the second setup with two switches in the sump. The second switch serves as a backup if the first one fails. I use aquahub system. It was not as user friendly to setup and I connected it to my Apex controller. That was a pain. My friend uses JBJ and he is really happy.

[Lynnmw1208]

I use JBJ as well. I got mine from premium aquatics as I think it was the cheapest there besides BRS which didn't have it in stock at the time. I have one switch in my sump and the other in my reservoir. I also use the maxijet 400 as the pump and it works like a charm :)

[Palting]

Tunze Osmolator all the way. I mean, how can you turn down something that's called the "OSMOLATOR" vs something simply called "ato"?? LOL!!!

Seriously, though, it's got the magic eye sensor for water level so it never will get stuck unlike float valves, everything mounts with magnets, it comes with it's own pump and tubes. The quality, the it comes with everythingness, all makes it worth it.

[jcw]

I wish an ato could somehow add Kalk.

I have the tunze. It's ok.

Best part is the electric eye and redundant float switch cut off.

The main unit feels a little cheap and DYI'ish.

[Catastrophi]

I'm using the JBJ auto top off, its a breeze to install and set up.

[scarface70706]

autotopoff.com has nice affordable setups

[aleonn]

If you have a controller (or not), the setup from autotopoff.com works great. If I did not have a controller, I'd get the Tunze Osmolator. It's more expensive, but as fail safe as an ATO can possibly be IMHO.

[Chokeit89]

JBJ Auto Top off is what i have and works great i just made sure my line runs up and is not sitting in the wat in my sump so i dont have a suction of any type.

i use a 5 gallon bucket with a mini jett404 i think and have a sensor in the resivor so pump doesnt run dry and a sensor in my sump

not one issue to this day

knock on wood lol

goodluck

[droth335]

I wish an ato could somehow add Kalk.

I have the tunze. It's ok.

Best part is the electric eye and redundant float switch cut off.

The main unit feels a little cheap and DYI'ish.

They can add kalk. I have the JBJ and fill my 20 gallon reservoir with Kalk every week. Works flawlessly.

[sunilp]

tunze osmolator

[Just2Many]

+1 jbj ato

[JBOD77]

autotopoff.com has nice affordable setups

+1. I love my setup from them. And you can't beat the personal customer service.

[dublo8]

Hands down my favorite top off kit ever is from avast marine works. http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/do/product/rigging/Top-off-Kit

[aandfsoccr04]

ahh I love it! keep em coming!

[jcw]

They can add kalk. I have the JBJ and fill my 20 gallon reservoir with Kalk every week. Works flawlessly.

The instruction manual says that putting the pump in kalk will greaterly reduce the service life of the unit.

There is a kalk "reactor" that you could hook up but I've also read that this can leak back into the main tank.

Also, there's the issue about dumping a large amount of kalk all at once into the tank.

[bamf25]

Apex with float switches hooked to a Toms aqualifter. Works great.

[arentspowell]

I use a ReefKepper Lite with the float switches and an aqualifter pump. Works great for adding kalk too. Plus if the pump craps out its only like $10.00 to replace the pump.

[wbdevers]

I use kalk in my ATO and use a simple pump from autotopoff.com. For the amount I paid for it, if it craps out, I'll just get another one. It works like a charm.

[dylan87]

Would ou be able to use the coralife floatvalve and just place the resevoir higher than the sump any see any problems with that the kit is like 25$ ill have to drill another hole in my sump but i have to empty it to move it into the new stand any way the kit comes with a 1/4 in bullkead

[doctorgori]

Apex with float switches hooked to a Toms aqualifter. Works great.

I'm waiting to get my pm1 and might have to pm you about the setup if you don't mind

[Hextall]

I am about over carrying 5 gallon buckets of RODI water for top off every other day or so. It's time for me to invest in an auto top off. Give me some recommendations please!

I'm new to this and am building a 29g biocube, and started looking at ATO systems a few weeks ago. However, I realized that buying a controller that also had the capacity to introduce a lot more automation with my tank was going to be more enjoyable (not sure about cost effective though).

So I decided instead of the JBJ ATO system (which is what I had tabbed to buy), I decided to buy an apex lite. and couple it with a few float switches from aquahub and a aqualifter pump. You also need a breakout box to connect the float switches to (and then to the apex). You could build your own breakout box and probably save about $20 or so off the $40 price tag from Neptune.

It's a significant amount more than buying the JBJ system (maybe 4x the cost?), but I think that the additional automation (including email warnings and web access) is worth it in the long run.

[bnumair]

i would agree with HEXTALL. amount of money you will spend over time into different products will be greater than if u were to buy a controller.

[Hextall]

I think you can set up an ATO with the Reefkeeper lite much cheaper than buying the apex. I just bought the apex because it satisfied the internal nerd in me to a much higher degree.

However making the reefkeeper lite as fully functional as the apex lite would cost more in the long run.

It's all about the moneys now or later.

[Fizz71]

I've done buckets, I've done pumps on remotes, I've built my own float setup and used pre-made floats and switches but by far my favorite setup is the one I have now....A tank of water ABOVE my sump water level and an Eshopps Float Valve. ZERO electricity, near ZERO chance of failure if you keep up on maintenance (keep it clean). It's all gravity fed which means it only works if you can keep your feed source above your sump water line. It's only failed on me once when I didn't clean out the algea and it was a fail-SAFE meaning the water level in the sump just got low..it didn't dump 50 gallons of RO into my system or anything like that, it just made my pump suck air which I noticed immediately and fixed in 2 minutes...I've only had to do that once and it's been running almost 3 years.

I still have some redundancy just in case because the feed tank is hooked directly to the RO, but it's a real "hands off" setup. :)