ATO. What do you used? Looking for recommendations!

YOYOYOReefer · Dec 14, 2023

Daftendire said:
Have you ever had a float valve fail? Im assuming thats what your using from the bucket to the tank? Ive been using a eshopps float valve kit for 2 years and ive been wondering what kind of lifespan it has.

I have some from the 90s still in use.

YOYOYOReefer · Dec 14, 2023

I’ve got 2 broken and one working kamoer ato, I’m giving them a huge thumbs down

mtraylor · Dec 14, 2023

slythy said:
What solenoid are you using? I have been wanting to add this to my system but havent trusted anything yet lol.

Originally I used Redhat solenoid's. I got way over 10years use before they stopped working. Unfortunately, it stopped working during covid time and they were really hard to find. If found they were like 3x original cost.

So I found U.S. Solid Store on Amazon and picked up a couple interm units from them for like $20 bucks. Thank you amazon prime! They are not that reliable though. They failed around 8 months to 1.5 years. I changed them out a few times before getting some new industrial ones from PRM filtration. I went a little different and got the miniature ones.

hswan1180 · Dec 14, 2023

I use a float valve... Fortunately it came with my sump... To avoid any accidents, i keep my reservoir full enough that it wont overfill my sump if it fails. Yeah the salinity will go down if it fails, but thats not that bad if you keep an eye on your tank.

hswan1180 · Dec 14, 2023

YOYOYOReefer said:
I have some from the 90s still in use.

My float valve has been running since 2015... I take measures in case of a failure, but so far so good..I do clean it 1nce a year.

ahopki1 · Dec 14, 2023

Take a look at ReefBreeders ATO (EXO not the Prism) I have this ATO on two of my tanks. I love them and have not had any issues. They are small and look nice on the front of my sump.

JillB · Dec 15, 2023

Need advice - I purchased a Innovative Marine Hydro Fill Ti ATO Controller and Pump for my 100 gallon tank. I am in the process of setting up my tank and haven't used it yet. Should I return this one and purchase the Tunze 3155??

jda · Dec 15, 2023

Pretty much in general if you are looking at Tunze and something else, the Tunze is going to be better quality. The product might not work for you but you can bet that they used high quality materials and the service is the best in the industry (at least for me in the US). The Tunze rep here in the US will fix things and most of their products are component based where you can just buy a part instead of a whole new unit... pumps included.

That IM unit controls larger pumps. The Tunze can do this too with a relay. The Tunze out of the box cannot pump water like a 1000w pump can.

The full-size osmolator with their 3 levels of redundancy is the best, IMO. I hope that nobody ever needs to test all three out.

emoore · Dec 15, 2023

JM302 said:
I've been running some form of Tunze ATO's since....... 2000ish. I can't recall exactly when, but it's the only ATO I've ever run. As mentioned, the 3155 has a double fail safe - one being the second float and the other being a 10 minute timer. I have two 3155s in use, one is at least 10 years old and still works perfectly.

If you have an Apex and an FMM, you could add a third backup level sensor that turns off the Tunze outlet if it's breached. It's what I do. I'm confident the Apex FMM will be less reliable than any form of a Tunze ATO.

Where I openly admit I'm a Tunze fanboy (in general), and as much as I love the core functionality of my Apex, I do believe that Neptune add-on gear is mostly .... sub par. The MXM, LLS, EB832's, Flow Sensor, COR Pumps (I can keep going ) have all proven to flat out not work or very have high failure rates. Based on my personal experiences, I would absolutely not use the ATK as my primary ATO.

100% agree about the apex add ons. I’ve had a EB832s fail, at least two FMMs fail and their salinity probe never reads right even after cal. I’m considering replacing the apex ato for something more reliable. The best feature of the apex is being able to remotely see the tank status. Otherwise their equipment is subpar.

Reef. · Dec 15, 2023

JillB said:
Need advice - I purchased a Innovative Marine Hydro Fill Ti ATO Controller and Pump for my 100 gallon tank. I am in the process of setting up my tank and haven't used it yet. Should I return this one and purchase the Tunze 3155??

I would keep it IF you have a lot of space as it does take up more room than the Tunze, and you got it a lot cheaper than the Tunze, if not I would return…Tunze has just upgraded their ATO so keep an eye out which model you get, you could get the older model, I would expect that it would be a little cheaper than the newer one…the newer one has a lot quieter pump, so you might prefer the new model.