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Jrambo88
03/08/2015, 11:19 AM
Hey guys I have. 28 gal jbj and I have the top off and I have a lot of evaporation. I'm looking to invest in an ATO what do you guys use as a resorvior for your tank.

toothybugs
03/08/2015, 11:23 AM
I run a 40B and use a generic 10g for my reservoir.

Jrambo88
03/08/2015, 11:26 AM
Well I have the small jbj stand that is very small, any experence with those

lazydaze73
03/08/2015, 11:43 AM
5 gallon bucket from lowes. Good enough for me for a week on a 90 gal

Frozenguy
03/08/2015, 11:49 AM
I have an 80 gallon with 29 gal sump.

My ATO reservoir is a 5 gal covered bucket.

I evap about a gallon a day. It's easy for me to 'top off' my top off reservoir every other day or so and I don't run the risk of flooding because my sump is only filled with 20 gallon out of 29. My DT only drains out 3 gallons so I'm good.

If I need to go on vacation, I can always switch it out for a larger reservoir. With Tunze Osmolator, I'm not worried about flooding.

noj3333
03/08/2015, 12:28 PM
Many people use a decorative box that they sit next to their tank. The ato water can be in a bucket in the box... saves space under the tank for other needed items.

zooman72
03/08/2015, 12:30 PM
I also have a 28g JBJ NanoCube, and I have a 2.5g glass aquarium for my resevior - fits in the bottom of the stand without issue. In fact, a 5g will also fit if you need more volume.

Jrambo88
03/08/2015, 01:13 PM
Guess I'm going to have to move the wires and power strip to fit the aquarium lol.

FraggledRock
03/08/2015, 01:15 PM
Im thinking a 5 gallon bucket with water tight cover snd a hole drilled for the pump return.

gone fishin
03/08/2015, 01:23 PM
I use a 10g brute can.

Jrambo88
03/08/2015, 01:25 PM
@zooman can you show me pictures of your stand how you got everything set up please.

IvanTheTerrible
03/08/2015, 01:25 PM
I use a 2 gallon plastic bucket with lid from Lowes. It small enough to fit my stand and gives me a couple of days worth of water.

reelredfish
03/08/2015, 01:30 PM
I use a 2 gallon plastic bucket with lid from Lowes. It small enough to fit my stand and gives me a couple of days worth of water.

Watch out this is what I used on my son 30G nano in his bedroom. After less than a year it flooded his bedroom floor messing up his wooden floor that I now have to replace this summer. The bucket for no reason split in the bottom letting all of the water run out on the floor.

I am now looking for something better. His tank was taken over by bubble algae so I am in the process of taking it down and setting it all back up right now.

cincyjim
03/08/2015, 02:25 PM
I use a 5 gallon bucket with lid from Lowes. I used that one for 2 years and replaced it this year with a new of the same kind because I was afraid of fatigue. It lasts about a week for my 75g DT.

bklynreef123
03/08/2015, 04:33 PM
I use a 5 gallon food safe bucket and lid from Lowes as well. I also installed a float valve inside the bucket so that when I make RODI water I never cause a flood. I have 2 buckets configured like this. If you do not have much room under the stand I second using another piece of furniture to place the bucket. I have an AUX stand that holds my doser, dosing containers, Apex, wiring, dry goods, fragging supplies and my ATO. It seems like you can never have enough room for storage in this hobby. My stand is taken up almost entirely by my sump. The AUX stand also keeps expensive electronics separate from damage from splashes and humidity. I use a dual float switch ato from autotoppoff.com it cost around $50 new. I have never had a failure. I like using an aqualifter as the topoff pump, but a MJ will work as well. The aqualifter is better if you want to eventually topoff with Kalk. You can also use a peristaltic pump.

AdamNC
03/08/2015, 05:05 PM
5 gallon white bucket from Home Depot and a lid with a notch cut in it for the return line. Lasts me about 2 weeks and I run open top on the tank.

mandarin_goby
03/08/2015, 05:43 PM
I use a tall, clear gift wrap holder from the Container store...I like the narrow footprint. It hold 10 gallons and fits between the tank and the wall.

Wazzel
03/08/2015, 07:31 PM
I use a 10 gal fish tank on my 60.

FraggledRock
03/08/2015, 08:10 PM
what I just did in preparation for my ATO is i took one of my old petco pumps and I put a pvc adapter for 1/2". i put the pump in a 5 gallon bucket with RODI water. I connected a 6" piece of 1/2" pvc pipe to the adapter and connected a 4 foot length of 3/4" black dishwasher tube to that output.

i made a hole in the watertight bucket lids and sent the tube through that and put it in the sump about a foot so it wont fall out.

i put the bucket behind the sump under the stand ( i left room when i built the stand in case to hide stuff)

Now i just have to plug in the pump when i need to top off for now til i get my ato kit, at least i know where things will go =)

now to order kalkwasser =P

IvanTheTerrible
03/08/2015, 08:11 PM
Watch out this is what I used on my son 30G nano in his bedroom. After less than a year it flooded his bedroom floor messing up his wooden floor that I now have to replace this summer. The bucket for no reason split in the bottom letting all of the water run out on the floor.

I am now looking for something better. His tank was taken over by bubble algae so I am in the process of taking it down and setting it all back up right now.

Wow. Thanks for the heads up. I guess I'll be using a 5 gallon bucket from now on.

Mel 2038
03/08/2015, 08:15 PM
I use a tall, clear gift wrap holder from the Container store...I like the narrow footprint. It hold 10 gallons and fits between the tank and the wall.

+1
but I stole the wifes!

Twostepper4041
03/08/2015, 08:20 PM
Bought a petco $1 gal sale 20 gallon tall and have it setup next to my 93 cube. Can go 1-2 weeks without any issues. I also built a bookcase on top so it's not that visible... Nothing's better than not having to worrie about top off

FraggledRock
03/08/2015, 08:21 PM
I use a tall, clear gift wrap holder from the Container store...I like the narrow footprint. It hold 10 gallons and fits between the tank and the wall.

i like that idea

like this?

http://images.containerstore.com/catalogimages/20227/20227.jpg

mandarin_goby
03/08/2015, 08:28 PM
i like that idea

like this?

http://images.containerstore.com/catalogimages/20227/20227.jpg

That would be it :)

I also use one for my RO/DI waste water - it holds enough to water plants and top off my 75 planted.

FraggledRock
03/08/2015, 09:09 PM
That would be it :)

I also use one for my RO/DI waste water - it holds enough to water plants and top off my 75 planted.

cool!

i will try to save my waste water for plants too =P

Hitch08
03/08/2015, 09:57 PM
Do you guys with high/tall reservoirs worry about getting a siphone going and dumping too much water into your sump? Or, is that even possible?

FraggledRock
03/08/2015, 10:00 PM
Do you guys with high/tall reservoirs worry about getting a siphone going and dumping too much water into your sump? Or, is that even possible?

i thought about this too.

what i did with my 5 gallon was coil the tube about a foot above the sump and reservoir so it will break siphon either way i hope.

i did tests turning the pump on and off and different duration no problem yet

im guessing since its going through the pump it has difficulty starting up?

1fstnsx
03/09/2015, 12:15 AM
I use a 5 gallon jug and drilled 2 holes in to the cap for the lines to come out. Easier and nicer to look at then a bucket.

kenpau
03/09/2015, 02:36 AM
It's definitely a good idea to have an ATO reservoir of the appropriate size for your tank. I have an 8 gallon reservoir for my 150 gallon tank, and I wouldn't go any bigger than that. If the worst happened and my ATO stuck open and pumped 8 gallons of freshwater into the tank then it's a recoverable condition, if I had the same 8 gallon reservoir on a 29 gallon tank then you could be facing serious problems.

sammy77
03/09/2015, 09:33 AM
I have a 45gal Brute for my ATO reservoir for my 220gal. I manually turn on my RODI twice a week to fill it. I use redundant float switches on my setup to hopefully avoid a crash. For me it works great for a couple years now, and I wouldn't get any smaller. :)

soulpatch
03/09/2015, 09:55 AM
I have a plastic container I picked up from the container store that has a lid. This is it:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/soulpatch/20150308_141919_zps2mgetsd7.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/soulpatch/media/20150308_141919_zps2mgetsd7.jpg.html)

I put about 2 gallons of RODI in it and top off as needed. That way even though I have other security measures in place I cover myself just in case and dont kill off the tank with dropping the salinity too much.

This is on a 29 gal biocube and I have to refill the container with 2 gallons every few days. I simply put a mark on the container and fill to that line.

FraggledRock
03/09/2015, 09:58 AM
I have a plastic container I picked up from the container store that has a lid. This is it:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/soulpatch/20150308_141919_zps2mgetsd7.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/soulpatch/media/20150308_141919_zps2mgetsd7.jpg.html)

I put about 2 gallons of RODI in it and top off as needed. That way even though I have other security measures in place I cover myself just in case and dont kill off the tank with dropping the salinity too much.

This is on a 29 gal biocube and I have to refill the container with 2 gallons every few days. I simply put a mark on the container and fill to that line.

wouldnt that have evaporation issues itself with that opening?

soulpatch
03/09/2015, 10:04 AM
minimal. That opening is only what you see in the pic and in the stand there isnt much air movement or heat so evap is fairly small.

FraggledRock
03/09/2015, 10:08 AM
minimal. That opening is only what you see in the pic and in the stand there isnt much air movement or heat so evap is fairly small.

gotcha.

BigCountry74
03/09/2015, 10:30 AM
for a 28g you should not go over a 5g reservoir. that way in case something bad happpens your only looking to flood with 5 gallons. :D

Dmorty217
03/09/2015, 10:35 AM
I use a 22g storage container with the lid on top for my RO. Just make sure you watch for back syphoning and vice versa... I burned a tunze ATO pump out like this

Jrambo88
03/09/2015, 01:16 PM
I'm going with the 2.5 gal, it'll fit nicely in the slim jbj stand. Thank you guys for the help.

Reeferz412
03/09/2015, 06:22 PM
Walmart sells a vertical rubbermaid container that has a spout and a top that is divided so one half open with the spout. it fits between my tv and stand and my tank. I threw a heater in there and my tunze pump and ran a line through the spout to my tank. I feel it looks way better than a jug. I run sumpless so this looks a lot better than a bucket or a jug.

reelredfish
03/09/2015, 07:05 PM
Walmart sells a vertical rubbermaid container that has a spout and a top that is divided so one half open with the spout. it fits between my tv and stand and my tank. I threw a heater in there and my tunze pump and ran a line through the spout to my tank. I feel it looks way better than a jug. I run sumpless so this looks a lot better than a bucket or a jug.

Which one have a pic or link?

Reeferz412
03/09/2015, 10:08 PM
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/09/91457cd716435ebdc9e57e13a3f3aacd.jpg

I was mistaken, it is by a company called Buddeez and was purchased from walmart. It was made to house fertilizers or seeds or anything you want to remain fresh. Dont mind the hose on the side I was too lazy to put it through the spout again lol. .

Reeferz412
03/09/2015, 10:10 PM
Here is the link: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Buddeez-Jumbo-Multi-Use-Dispenser/25861186