ATO and Wet Skim Auto Water Change?

[keithIHS]

I'm planning a 120 gal with 40 gal sump. I'll have 50 gal fresh and saltwater storage in the basement. I'd like to wet skim to a drain for the drain side of water changes. I'm thinking about running peristaltic pumps directly from fresh and saltwater storage to the sump for fresh and salt ATO. In order for this to work, I think I'll need to have a controller, float switch in the sump, and salinity probe. Controller logic would decide how much salt and how much fresh to add when the float switch says the level is low. Is this a dumb idea? I also plan to dose 2-part, but the rate of 2-part should be much lower than skimmer drain and evaporation.

 

[watdachuck]

I think this is a really interesting idea, and would work well if you can pull it off. I have had a similar idea in the past but never the motivation to actually attempt it. If you do please share the process, and ultimately would love to hear about the results.

 

[RCS82]

I dont run a controller or salinity probe but I would never run an ATO or AWC system based on results from a salinity probe. Float switches yes. In the end we have to trust something when it comes to AWCs be it float switches, optical sensors, dosing pumps etc. Redundancy is the big word here.

 

[keithIHS]

Thanks for the comments. I just ran the idea by the owner of my LFS and he said the same as RCS82. Salinity probes aren't reliable. On hold for now, but I'm going to keep thinking about it. Thanks again.

 

[RCS82]

I've used the Auto Aqua unit for a few months now and it has been awesome. It includes it's own controller, pair of optical sensors and 3 small pumps that will handle your ATO and AWC. It's been fantastic and I'm hoping it stays that way.