ATO set ups

[fsu1dolfan]

I use a 7 gal gravity fed drip, so if fails it's my fault.. Dont trust the ATO's.. my .02.. GL

I agree ATO's always worry me. So many possibilities of something small going wrong when you arent around...alerts are nice but i would have like 3 float swtiches just to avoid an alert ever going off.

 

[Paul_N]

Whats your favorite ATO set ups?Right now,I am using the jbj set up,and it has now failed on me twice,first time a ton of FW in my tank,and now,it dumped a 5 gallons of FW on my floor,new hardwood flooring,under 8 months old...YAY!

I need a new one,like ASAP...suggestions?

Thanks,
Austin

hmmm I have the jbj, worked flawlessly for 3 years. I haven't set it back up on my temp system though. I have just been manually adding. I was thinking of getting this :

AVAST Marine Works - Top-off Kit - Product Details

I just got a great deal on a used RKL so I will be setting up some float switches on that like swannyson7 does.

 

[dougers31]

IIRC, one of the more experienced reefers in our club(David Grigor) uses a brs dosing pump 50ml(?) per minute to dose his topoff(kalk) water. He has it hooked up to a controller and has it run for a certain amount of time each hour. While not exact it apparently works well, you just have to manually check it and topoff maybe once a week or so. Probably what I will be doing(or something similar) with my tank in the not too distant future.

 

[wakeboardgeek]

I have a JBJ also and the only issues I've had is debris in the float valve (causing to stay open or closed). When I do water changes, I just make sure it's clean. I purposely only have a 3 gallon bucket in case it fails on my 110 gallon system in case of any failures. I do have to fill every other day though.

 

[btkrausen]

IIRC, one of the more experienced reefers in our club(David Grigor) uses a brs dosing pump 50ml(?) per minute to dose his topoff(kalk) water. He has it hooked up to a controller and has it run for a certain amount of time each hour. While not exact it apparently works well, you just have to manually check it and topoff maybe once a week or so. Probably what I will be doing(or something similar) with my tank in the not too distant future.

Thats exactly what I do with mine currently, except I just use a cheaper pump, which works just as well.

 

[dougers31]

Thats exactly what I do with mine currently, except I just use a cheaper pump, which works just as well.

I think he also uses a float switch to cut power if too much is added... I was thinking about using a different pump myself... but if I use kalk I'm thinking the dosing pump will be a better option.

What pump are you using?



WoooHooo!!! 1000th post! Probably helped when I posted over 600 times in one week;)

 

[benihana]

I use a combination of a Kalk reactor on a dosing pump and an osmolator on a timed outlet from my Apex.

The Kalk Rx replaces 80-90% of the evap, and then every day from 8:10-8:15 my Apex turns on the outlet for my Osmolator, and if the tank is low, it finishes off any needed top off. The reason I added it to a timed outlet is to add an extra layer of reduundancy that, if for some reason, the Osmolator sticks in the "ON" position, it can only do 5 minutes of harm

 

[btkrausen]

I use a combination of a Kalk reactor on a dosing pump and an osmolator on a timed outlet from my Apex.

The Kalk Rx replaces 80-90% of the evap, and then every day from 8:10-8:15 my Apex turns on the outlet for my Osmolator, and if the tank is low, it finishes off any needed top off. The reason I added it to a timed outlet is to add an extra layer of reduundancy that, if for some reason, the Osmolator sticks in the "ON" position, it can only do 5 minutes of harm

Thats a great idea. Turn it on at night for 5 min, fill it back up if needed, and then you're good.

 

[DC_Reefer]

The Avast ATO is super cool. Instead of a float switch, it runs on a pressure sensor. The sensor is in an inverted tube so when the water level is "high" the tube has increased pressure. As it drops, the pressure drops and the ATO kicks on. Nothing mechanical so nothing to get stuck and fail!