Best ATO on the market right now?

mjszos

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I know people have some strong opinions against it, but I've personally never had any problems with my RedSea ATO+.

Seems to be one of those "your mileage may significantly vary" experiences though, so take my experience with a mountain of salt.
 

Connor At CoralVue

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My response will be incredibly biased, but I truly believe HYDROS is the best option. It works seamlessly with our ATO Kit—or literally any pump you choose. While we do offer a variety of Drive Port pumps, the beauty of HYDROS is that you simply tell the system, “This is my ATO pump,” and you’re all set.

Our new diaphragm pump has proven incredibly resilient, but the real power comes from HYDROS’ flexibility. Want to use one sensor? That’s fine. Prefer two sensors for both high and low levels? That’s easy. Need nine sensors? No problem—we can handle them all. Worried about leaks? Just add a leak detector. Want to know if your reservoir is empty? Hook up a sensor for that, too.

HYDROS software keeps everything running safely. You can, for example, set a maximum “on” time for the pump—if it normally takes five minutes or less to fill, HYDROS can alert you if it ever runs longer than that. It’s all about giving you as much control and peace of mind as you wish.
 

JTP424

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After following along on this I may end up getting an Avast Parrot ATO as a backup....
 

X-37B

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3 systems 3 new Tunze ato's. My old Tunze died after 8 years but only because I got it wet.
Tunze gives a 5 year warranty also.
I like that there is no controller, that I got wet, as everything is in the sensor now.
 

Jasonak

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I was saying a solenoid hydros/neptune with a plastic float its pretty simple setup hooked to your ro line but I just saw you dont have a controller.
 
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dublin_reefer

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I’m using the Red Sea myself. 4 weeks in and the sensor is still working at least. The app hasn’t been working though which is one of the main reasons I bought it. If I could go back in id buy the Tunze
 

mmorrison55

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Well it looks like my tunze 3155 ATO unit has finally come to the end of its time after 4 years. My optical sensor is no longer functioning.

I was caught off guard seeing that the 3155 is no longer for sale on some sites and has been replaced by the osmolator 3. I dont like that it doesn't come with the added float switch for a backup safety.

What's everyone using for ATO now? I've looked around and 2 of them caught my eye outside of the Osmolator 3. The red sea ATO and the Neptune ATK stand alone unit. Both of these units have features i like but I'm seeing a lot of reviews claiming early equipment failures. I like the wifi connectivity on the red sea ato and I really like the float valve on the Neptune unit to keep from accidently overfilling.

Photo of my reef because I hate posts without anything to look at lol
20250121_171527.jpg
If you want the original. I have one I’d sell you at a good price. It looks to be in good condition. I think it’s only had a bit over a year put on it from what the guy told me. It came with a tank tear down I happened upon, but I’ve picked up the osz 3 to use instead.

Pm me if interested and I can provide you some pics
 

RJ Harris

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I’ve been running my original auto aqua smart ato off and on for about 8 years. It’s been in use and taken out and dried up and then back in use. I’ve never had a single issue with this thing. I’ll never buy anything but auto aqua for my ato’s
 

curt

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I’ve been using the autotopoff.com for more than 10 years now. Never had a problem. Works great.
 

Pod_01

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I used Tunze nano with the float, now I use the Tunze 3 Nano and so far so good. This is on my 10 gal.

On my larger tank I use gravity ATO and float switch, never failed me yet.
 

skiergd011013

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I have had the tunze osmolator 3 on my 20 gallon reef for a few weeks. It hasnt missed a beat. I like how it does not have a float switch on it to fail due to getting hung up. It has an optical sensor, and a backup thermal sensor.
 

FernBluffReef

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I like the RedSea ATO also. As with others. The original sensors had an issue where the seal fails and water gets in the sensor. They are replacing. So far so good with my two “V2” sensors.

There are pros and cons to all solutions.
As the RedSea is conductive, it won’t work for freshwater applications. Also fresh add tends to float on the surface so you don’t want the sensor really close to the sensor as that can cause it to overfill. Eg you want the water mixed before reaching the sensor. Not an issue on my 525 but a smaller sump like my 170 putting the sensor and the fill both in the pump chamber isn’t a great idea

Temperature sensor seems highly accurate - said to be within .1 degrees and consistent with my other sensors and Helio heaters.
 

bezj

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Hi. Reef Factory level keeper. Works like a dream. WiFi connection. High and low sensor. You can team it up with a level sensor as well. Refill limit. Refill log etc. just have to add your own pump. J
 

csund

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Avast or Spectrapure are far superior. But their cost is usually the turnoff.
Agree. I ran my G6 peri tube for four years. I have a G7 as well on a 550g, we’ll see how long that lasts.
 

braaap

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My response will be incredibly biased, but I truly believe HYDROS is the best option. It works seamlessly with our ATO Kit—or literally any pump you choose. While we do offer a variety of Drive Port pumps, the beauty of HYDROS is that you simply tell the system, “This is my ATO pump,” and you’re all set.

Our new diaphragm pump has proven incredibly resilient, but the real power comes from HYDROS’ flexibility. Want to use one sensor? That’s fine. Prefer two sensors for both high and low levels? That’s easy. Need nine sensors? No problem—we can handle them all. Worried about leaks? Just add a leak detector. Want to know if your reservoir is empty? Hook up a sensor for that, too.

HYDROS software keeps everything running safely. You can, for example, set a maximum “on” time for the pump—if it normally takes five minutes or less to fill, HYDROS can alert you if it ever runs longer than that. It’s all about giving you as much control and peace of mind as you wish.

We all know Hydros isn’t the best ATO. Stop shilling your product without a sponsorship.
 

Reefvision

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Well it looks like my tunze 3155 ATO unit has finally come to the end of its time after 4 years. My optical sensor is no longer functioning.

I was caught off guard seeing that the 3155 is no longer for sale on some sites and has been replaced by the osmolator 3. I dont like that it doesn't come with the added float switch for a backup safety.

What's everyone using for ATO now? I've looked around and 2 of them caught my eye outside of the Osmolator 3. The red sea ATO and the Neptune ATK stand alone unit. Both of these units have features i like but I'm seeing a lot of reviews claiming early equipment failures. I like the wifi connectivity on the red sea ato and I really like the float valve on the Neptune unit to keep from accidently overfilling.

Photo of my reef because I hate posts without anything to look at lol
20250121_171527.jpg
I have had an optical sensor problem and it was totally just needed citric acid dip to clean it.It was perfect afterwards. Fwiw.going on 6years now (hopefully I didn’t jinx myself lol)
 
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Tonycass12

Tonycass12

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I have had an optical sensor problem and it was totally just needed citric acid dip to clean it.It was perfect afterwards. Fwiw.going on 6years now (hopefully I didn’t jinx myself lol)
I've tried this multiple times and I'm careful to only wipe them off with some microfiber rags I have. Just always registers as "full" now.
 

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