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View Full Version : Ato for rimmed 29 gallon


Virtual Balboa
03/07/2015, 06:45 PM
I'm looking to buy an ato for my rimmed tank. I'd like it to be as low profile as possible because I don't have a sump. I thought I had come across a good one with the Elos Osmocontroller then I noticed on Marine Depot that it's discontinued. I'm wondering if anyone knows why that is. Did they stop making them? Anyone have any suggestions? Thank you :fish2:

IvanTheTerrible
03/07/2015, 06:51 PM
Have you considered the Tunze Osmolator Nano? I really like mine. It's a complete kit, so it comes with everything except a water container. I use a small bucket with a lid.

Virtual Balboa
03/07/2015, 06:52 PM
I have considered it. My only issue was that I thought it would make the water level have to be under the rim.

IvanTheTerrible
03/07/2015, 07:03 PM
They have instructions on their FaceBook page that show you how to flip the sensor to raise the water level. Depending on your tank that might get you above the rim.

A small overflow box would work also. Even without a sump, they make a nice place to hide the heater and other equipment. It also ensures you have a constant water level in your display.

Virtual Balboa
03/07/2015, 07:18 PM
I have looked into adding an overflow and using a spare 10 gallon tank I have as a sump. The thing that turned me off to the idea was reading about people having issues with flooding. I'm not sure how an overflow would work without having a sump. Can you point me to a box that you have in mind?

IvanTheTerrible
03/07/2015, 07:48 PM
Like you, I don't have a sump. I built this "overflow" (or whatever it's called since it doesn't really go anywhere) with a couple of pieces of acrylic. You should be able to find an appropriately sized box with some searching. If not, it's really easy to make one. I built a cover for it as well. I took it off for the picture.

Instead of dumping to a sump, I put the intake for my AC70 inside the overflow. It works great.

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Virtual Balboa
03/07/2015, 08:05 PM
Oh I see what you mean. I actually have a box like that only not as deep that my AC pulls water from. The company I bought it from sold it as a surface skimmer. I was just using it to hide the intake tube in my tank since it's black and I have a black background. I just checked and it's not wide enough to fit anything else inside of. Other than my digital thermometer sensor. So is the magnet on the tunze going through the box to the glass? Or is one side open? Because it sort of looks like the box doesn't actually do anything but hide the float switch.

Virtual Balboa
03/07/2015, 08:12 PM
The magnet on your float switch is below the rim of your tank but your water level appears to be higher than the outside rim. Is that correct?

IvanTheTerrible
03/07/2015, 08:20 PM
Since I built the box before adding water, I just made an L-shaped box and siliconed it to the glass. So, I guess it's not really a box.

The Tunze sensor is just stuck on the side glass. I made the box big enough to put it on the back glass, but had two heaters in there for a while. It wouldn't fit on the back with both heaters. I didn't move it back after taking the second heater out.

Yes, the water inside the box is lower than the water in the tank (which is above the rim). I don't have the Tunze sensor as high as it could go, so the water level inside the box could be higher. I leave it a little lower to make sure the water hose for the ATO stays above the water level.

Virtual Balboa
03/07/2015, 08:34 PM
Thanks for answering all these questions btw. I'm just wondering how you keep the water in the box lower than the rest of the tank. Because water must be entering the box to go through the AC. I'm just not clear on how you'd regulate it unless you had the the AC pumping faster than water could enter the box it's pumping from.

IvanTheTerrible
03/07/2015, 08:44 PM
The top of the box is above the rim. So, water must be higher than the bottom of the rim to get into the box. Once the water is in the box, it gets sucked into the AC70 intake tube and pumped back out into the display. Water enters the box at the same speed it is pumped out.

The water level inside the box doesn't really matter as long as it's higher than the AC70 intake tube (and the min level for the heater in my case). As water evaporates, the water level inside the box drops, but the display does not since it still has to go over the top of the box to get inside.

Since the Tunze sensor is inside the box, it is really only monitoring the level inside the box. As a result the ATO kicks on pretty frequently, which can be annoying but it keeps the parameters very stable.

Virtual Balboa
03/07/2015, 09:08 PM
I see. I think that's a smart way to use the Tunze. And I haven't read of anyone else doing that. I was concerned about an ato letting the level get too low before kicking on. The way my skimmer box is I cannot raise it so the water is forced over the edge because the box gets in the way of my rim and the cutouts are under the water line. And that would make it not really surface skim anything I guess if I was trying to use it that way.

IvanTheTerrible
03/07/2015, 09:35 PM
My cutouts are actually below the water line also. But, the AC70 puts out more water than can pass through them (it helps that the box is small). So, the water actually goes through the cutouts and over the top of the box. Depending on the amount of flow and area of the cutouts, it could still work the same for you. Unfortunately, you'd probably have to try it to find out.

IvanTheTerrible
03/07/2015, 09:56 PM
The way my skimmer box is I cannot raise it so the water is forced over the edge because the box gets in the way of my rim and the cutouts are under the water line. And that would make it not really surface skim anything I guess if I was trying to use it that way.

Could you notch out the box a little to let it move past the rim? That would raise your water level and still keep the skimming action. Even if the cuts weren't perfect and a little leaked through, it shouldn't really make much difference.

Virtual Balboa
03/07/2015, 10:30 PM
That's what I'd have to do if I wanted to use the box I have. But like I was saying earlier I don't think I have enough room to be able to fit the Tunze float in there too. I would have to get something wider. I saw on BRS that they sell the overflow boxes but I needed to understand how it works to know if I could use one of them. My other consideration was getting the AutoAqua Smart ATO and cutting a notch out of the outside rim to keep the water line higher. I wish I knew what happened with the Elos because that looked ideal!

WhiteTang
03/08/2015, 12:26 PM
I'm looking to buy an ato for my rimmed tank. I'd like it to be as low profile as possible because I don't have a sump. I thought I had come across a good one with the Elos Osmocontroller then I noticed on Marine Depot that it's discontinued. I'm wondering if anyone knows why that is. Did they stop making them? Anyone have any suggestions? Thank you :fish2:

I have a 16g and the TUNZE Osmolator nano is working exceptionally good!
I would recommend it.
I was also looking into Innovative marine's ATO which looks really cool but is too expensive. They also sell it in pieces whereas the Tunze comes as a complete package.
I vote Tunze. Very good versatile & complete.

Virtual Balboa
03/08/2015, 03:10 PM
I have a 16g and the TUNZE Osmolator nano is working exceptionally good!
I would recommend it.
I was also looking into Innovative marine's ATO which looks really cool but is too expensive. They also sell it in pieces whereas the Tunze comes as a complete package.
I vote Tunze. Very good versatile & complete.

Thanks, I'm really leaning towards it. Almost placed an order last night. Just taking some time to do a little more research.