ATO Reservoir— Not a bucket but not $200?
- Thread starter rja
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jabberwock
2500 Club Member
SteveMM62Reef
Valuable Member
I had a Target straw Trash Can that had a plastic liner, just put it upside down over a Square 5 gallon Water Jug from Amazon. That’s until it got repurposed by a family member.
dstockwell
2500 Club Member
I have been using Reef Breeders with a 10G tall glass tank I got for nothing. Periodically I get an alarm from the ATO but I just clean both sides stick it back in and all is good.
Biggest one is 1.18 gallons? Way too small for a standard top off reservoir. Even on my 20G I got through a 5G top off every couple of weeks.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
I researched this extensively. I do understand "not all plastics are the same".Make sure you verify using the safe plastic logos. All plastics are not the same.
But feel free to take the time to research yourself...
On the bottom of all plastic containers, they will have a marking that indicates what the plastic is that they used. It's done with a number inside of the recycle symbol. It tells you if.ylur plastic is food grade or not.
Lots of plastics leech out bad stuff. Some are processed and can leave residues.
Basically, be aware that all storage tubs are not made with food/reef safe plastics.
Ps I know you know this stuff. It was meant as a general comment in case somebody wanders in from a google search 2 years from now.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Good grief.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
And I bet 2 years from now, Sterilite containers will still be safe.
I use a 16 gallon food grade tank from Tractor Supply. Had this one about 7 years.
I'm out. Have a good one... This place is testy today. Thanks for the info over the years.
BubblesandSqueak
Valuable Member
someone on here did that and it looked great. It was like a 36" high cylinder maybe 8" wide and they just made a top to keep dust out. It actually looked nice. Could probably find one at Michaels or Hobby Lobby etc...I think they wrapped or painted it black.Here goes nothing,I had an idea. Mentioned it to my wife about my shark tank idea. She said “your kidding right?”.
Umm.. anyway here it is.
How about a nice vase, can even make a removable fake flower top with a little creativity. May not ideal in a bachelor pad, that would be an old beer keg with a liner.
Home goods or something place my mother in law goes may have ideas.
Here is where the thought originated from. If fake plastic plants are good enough for her then good enough for me lol
PeterErc
Well-Known Member
Nice, glad to know I am not crazy. Some time ago I had to take my wife shopping. Found a nice wicker chest she liked that I could cut the back out of to put the chiller in. The things we do for domestic tranquility
BubblesandSqueak
Valuable Member
yeah, I'll need to work on some type of wall cabinet or something so I can place the power strips in so I don't see them since I don't want them under the stand. I didn't want to see the ATO which will be in the stand but needed something to fit. Would have gotten the 15G IM but it looked too tight so went with the Bashsea 10g. Looks nice since the sump is already black.
You could always get one of those hide a cat litter cabinets for the garbage can ATO
Could even hide a sump in this
derenjm
New Member
Ever think of an rv holding tank on stilts in the sump. I have a three gallon rectangular tank with legs so only about a half inch is in water with a simple float valve plumbed in. No electronics less than $50 all in….
wculver
Active Member
I use a 10 gallon fish tank that's a good size to fit in my stand and fill easy. When I started I did a budget setup with a simple nano pump and float switch through a solenoid. Only problem I ever had with this is the float valve got snails stuck in it.
This is the ATO kit: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aqua...ID=853&indexName=brs_prod_m2_default_products
This is the pump I still use today and even has a switch to cut off if ATO goes dry:
MI MOUSE Pump (82 GPH)
Sicce's Mi Mouse pump is a fully submersible, compact pump with excellent performance. Small size is great for indoor fountains, aquariums, terrariums and turtle tanks. Features 2 Year Manufacturer's Guarantee Driven by a permanent magnet induction motor Adjustable flow rate Stainless steel...
www.bulkreefsupply.com
Later I upgraded to a controller with multiple optical sensors so I know the level in the sump and the rodi and it alerts me when it's out. I can make suggestions here also if you are interested.
drolmaeye
Active Member
Check out Luna Reef ATO 10.
luna-reef.com
I think you'll find it's a good balance between cost and something thay looks good enough you won't want to hide it.
I have the ATO5 and like it a lot. I'll get another for my next tank.
ATO 10
Our 10 gallon aquarium auto top-off reservoir is built from high-quality domestic cell cast acrylic. Choose white or black. Full warranty. Shipped from Florida, Made in the USA.
luna-reef.com
I think you'll find it's a good balance between cost and something thay looks good enough you won't want to hide it.
I have the ATO5 and like it a lot. I'll get another for my next tank.
realwizer
Community Member
I used a 5 gallon bucket from a salt mix for a long time, placed under the tank in my stand.
Ended up wanting the space back for dosing reservoirs and got a Bashsea 5g reservoir which is much better priced that a lot of other brands.
The width was perfect to fit between the stand and a wall where the tank was located. I looked for lots of other narrow DIY solutions and couldn’t find one.
Added bonus, the Bashsea has a Neptune LLS slot which I use. Very happy with it and consider it worth the cost now.
Ended up wanting the space back for dosing reservoirs and got a Bashsea 5g reservoir which is much better priced that a lot of other brands.
The width was perfect to fit between the stand and a wall where the tank was located. I looked for lots of other narrow DIY solutions and couldn’t find one.
Added bonus, the Bashsea has a Neptune LLS slot which I use. Very happy with it and consider it worth the cost now.
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