Is there any reputable auto water change equipment

[Artimusclyde1974]

I am really liking the. AA as I need an ato atm also

 

[Gareth elliott]

The aa for a about $40 extra dollars will let you use any pump you want. You plug the pump into their outlet adapter. The adapter into the particular port on the head unit.

 

[RCS82]

I am really liking the. AA as I need an ato atm also

That's was a big plus. Previously I had my GHL Doser2.1 doing my ATO but the optical sensor and float sensor aren't the cheapest. But now I have an AWC and ATO all in one, and for a great price. All you have to do is put your faith in 2 nice little optical sensors.
And like said above, you can use different pumps with it, plus longer cables are available too for a little more freedom.

 

[CuzzA]

If you have an Apex I would recommend utilizing it to its full potential. On my system I have high and low return section float switches wired to the Breakout Box. In the event the AA did fail and removed too much water I would get notified, likewise if it added too much. I'm pretty sure the fail safes built in to the AA are pretty solid, but still anything can happen. I also program alarms for conductivity and pH, both effected by excessive or too little amounts of fresh or salt water.

 

[Jacquesy]

I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet (and it's more geared towards freshwater) but I am using an Aquaplenish with my cichlid tank.

Aquaplenish | Electronic Water Changer System for Aquariums

The innovative Aqavive Aquarium Fish Tank Water Changer conditions, monitors and replenishes your aquarium with the push of a button for healthy pet fish.

www.aquaplenish.com

It's more of a water change assistant, giving you a powered syphon and easy way to circulate/mix and measure the temperature of the new water - and also pumps it back into your aquarium.

I imagine it's nowhere near as handy as an automatic/continuous water change system like a DOS + Apex, however it does mean no more lifting buckets of water!

My process:
1. Put big square tub next to tank and attach the Aquaplenish
2. Connect the syphon to the inlet and a garden hose to the outlet. Run garden hose out to my lawn.
3. Syphon the tank. Cichlids poop a lot so the powered syphon comes in handy.
4. Attach the garden hose to the inlet and fill up the tub with fresh water from my garden tap.
5. Condition (Seachem Safe, cichlid lake salt etc) and heat water (the built-in circulation pump and thermometer are handy here).
6. Pump water from the tub to the tank.

As I said, it's more geared towards freshwater but if you mix your salt in a square tub then I don't see why the Aquaplenish couldn't work for saltwater too.

 

[Artimusclyde1974]

It’s like $300 for a dos I can use to awc do I need a controller for it also? I also need a ato first that is like $200 if I go with my trusted tunze ( I only have the nano atm for my 12 gallon) but I am thinking of using it as it works of my sump level so it’s not tipping off 170 gallons it’s topping off a 40gallon sump or more specifically just the return chamber right? That not even 10 gallons so if I get the extra lazer sensor plug for it I would be ok right guys?
That opens my budget for an awc device I can trust
Trust is the main issue here cuz if it messes up then it’s worse then not doing a water change in the first place lol

 

[reefwiser]

Is 170 to large? I also say u can use other pumps with $30 plug adapter per pump

What I think you are asking is 170 gallon large. I would say so.
the problem with adding a different pump to the auto aqua unit is that not all pumps are the same. There are pressure pumps and circulation pumps. Which means pumps that are designed for pushing against a head pressure. An this means pumps are not accurate and pushing the same amount of water
When using any type of auto water changing system you need to verify the pumps are performing the same. What I did was use five gallon buckets. One with new water and one with waste. So I could see the difference and watching the rise and fall on the buckets. You don’t want to just let the waste go down the drain. This will assure that the pumps are drawing the same amount for the bucket and aquarium.

 

[RCS82]

What I think you are asking is 170 gallon large. I would say so.
the problem with adding a different pump to the auto aqua unit is that not all pumps are the same. There are pressure pumps and circulation pumps. Which means pumps that are designed for pushing against a head pressure. An this means pumps are not accurate and pushing the same amount of water
When using any type of auto water changing system you need to verify the pumps are performing the same. What I did was use five gallon buckets. One with new water and one with waste. So I could see the difference and watching the rise and fall on the buckets. You don’t want to just let the waste go down the drain. This will assure that the pumps are drawing the same amount for the bucket and aquarium.

The Auto Aqua unit uses optical sensors to tell the pumps how much water to remove or to add. It doesnt rely on calibrating a pump to pump a certain amount for a specific amount of time. I can move my sensors up and down to increase or decrease the amount I want changed.

 

[Artimusclyde1974]

The Auto Aqua unit uses optical sensors to tell the pumps how much water to remove or to add. It doesnt rely on calibrating a pump to pump a certain amount for a specific amount of time. I can move my sensors up and down to increase or decrease the amount I want changed.

But is it trustworthy enough to be able to set it and forget it with out flooding my house or Messi g up my salinity

 

[RCS82]

But is it trustworthy enough to be able to set it and forget it with out flooding my house or Messi g up my salinity

I have only been using this device for a short time. As far as trustworthiness, well that's different for everybody. And I dont think Apex/Neptune/DOS has a perfect track record either. But so far I love it, for the price and it handles ATO and AWC functions, it's great. And it literally requires nothing else out of the box to set up.

 

[DoctaReef]

+1 on a Dos. I couldn’t be happier with it. The key for me is the stability.

I actually have a DT and a QT tank hooked together using 2 DOS in a one way circuit... one Dos pulls water from the Salt Water reservoir and while pulling the same amount from the DT and putting into the QT. The second Dos simultaneously pulls the same amount out of the QT and dumps it down the drain. Salinity monitors in both and optical sensors monitor the water levels, and alert me at any change.
I also have a 3rd dos linked to a trident to dose CA Mg Alk.
Stability is the main benefit here-
1) I use Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt, so a large batch water change would swing my alk down and I’d spend the next week pushing it back up, before another water change. I divide a 10% water change over 7 days.

2) I protect myself from myself- life gets busy, and in my old tank water changes were not as regularly scheduled as they should have been, so I was always battling algae. This keeps my nutrients in better stability.

3) My frag/QT tank has the same water as the main tank, but since it’s not linked back to the DT, I can transfer the corals directly from one to the other. While keeping Ich and pests in the QT (currently battling MEN in QT but not DT)

Sure the apex can fail on you, but so can all technology. As my wife will tell you, I’ve had my fair share of floods, spills and crashes using buckets and hoses...

 

[AquaLifeStudio]

I've been using a GHL Doser Maxi for about 2 years now. Check out the system here:



I've made a few changes to the system since then but the use of the Maxi as the Auto Water Change is the same. I now swap out about 4 gallons a day.

 

[reefwiser]

The Auto Aqua unit uses optical sensors to tell the pumps how much water to remove or to add. It doesnt rely on calibrating a pump to pump a certain amount for a specific amount of time. I can move my sensors up and down to increase or decrease the amount I want changed.

Being an industrial PLC Tech for 35 years sensors fail. An the price of this unit means they don’t have the great a sensor.
when using sensors always have a double fail safe and alway check your sensors once a month. All the sensors I use are cleaned once a month and checked for proper operation. Have had my issues with sensors. An always check their operation.

 

[Katrina71]

This is one of the few tech gadgets I want to try. I'm not sure if the AA is suitable for the 93G tank.

 

[RCS82]

Being an industrial PLC Tech for 35 years sensors fail. An the price of this unit means they don’t have the great a sensor.
when using sensors always have a double fail safe and alway check your sensors once a month. All the sensors I use are cleaned once a month and checked for proper operation. Have had my issues with sensors. An always check their operation.

Couldnt agree more with everything you've said. And what I've said is, I've only used this unit short term. So far I really like it, and at the same time I've always mentioned that you are trusting 2 small sensors alone and yes, anything and everything can fail in this hobby I think. Which is why my next favorite device in this hobby is my little Wyze cam.

 

[A_CoupleClowns]

Reef genesis Renew AWC paired with their Storm ATO works good. You just need to fill the salt water barrel up. Never any worries about the top off running while the water change is going since they are sync’d together.

I hooked mine up so I can also use the drain tubing to do “manual” large water changes for emergency’s or filling up the quarantines etc. I did that because the Renew only does 1g water changes at a time (up to 99 of those 1g changes per day).

 

[Laith]

I'm running the Spectrapure Litermeter III for AWC and so far I'm very happy with it. ;Happy

 

[MHascsak]

The GHL doser can be used for AWC similar to the DOS without needing to buy an apex.

 

[SDK]

But is it trustworthy enough to be able to set it and forget it with out flooding my house or Messi g up my salinity

I don't have this unit, but I have had the AA Micro ATO running for about 15 months now. They share the same optical sensors and programming. Nothing automated is 100% guaranteed, but there are failsafe's built in for over and under filling.

Mine has worked flawlessly so far....

 

[atoll]

Most certainly and from a nano to a large aquarium made by a company called Reefloat.