Poor Man's ATO???

[Johnd651]

Let me see those poor man's (or woman's) ATOs please. I was going to just use an inverted water bottle with a small piece of tubing and a one way valve. I just wanted it to look prettier then a standard poland spring bottle, with half the glue still on it. :upside-down-face:

 

[MoshJosh]

Icecap:

Flipper:

Random Amazon:

 

[Johnd651]

Oooo

 

[Tamberav]

Not sure how poor but amazon has the bottle one for $8 or you can get the deal with the sensor and pump for $30

 

[KrisReef]

Recycled pool chlorine bucket with a 1/4 tubing fitting threaded into a hole I made near the bottom of the bucket that gravity feeds to the plastic float switch I mounted on the wall of the sump.

I replaced the float switch a few times over the last 10+ years and filled the bucket when it gets low.

 

[Johnd651]

Not sure how poor but amazon has the bottle one for $8 or you can get the deal with the sensor and pump for $30

thats totally acceptable as poor. lol. it was the $150 ones that were a little much.

 

[Johnd651]

Recycled pool chlorine bucket with a 1/4 tubing fitting threaded into a hole I made near the bottom of the bucket that gravity feeds to the plastic float switch I mounted on the wall of the sump.

I replaced the float switch a few times over the last 10+ years and filled the bucket when it gets low.

is the bucket in a room above?

 

[Kingsley_Reef]

My frag tank has this 11$ float valve gravity fed from a container sitting behind the display works extremely well. https://a.co/d/de3oAJQ

Just remember to install the ball valve and close it while doing water changes lol

 

[Tamberav]

thats totally acceptable as poor. lol. it was the $150 ones that were a little much.

Take your pick :)

 

[MoshJosh]

Recycled pool chlorine bucket with a 1/4 tubing fitting threaded into a hole I made near the bottom of the bucket that gravity feeds to the plastic float switch I mounted on the wall of the sump.

I replaced the float switch a few times over the last 10+ years and filled the bucket when it gets low.

Gravity + float (RODI from a reservoir, not attached to the RODI filter itself) valve might be my favorite method (when I get me coral growing business going that’s what I’ll do haha!!!)

Throw one of these in their to for when you need to turn it off:

John Guest Ball Valve

We have John Guest Ball Valves, in both the 1/4" and 3/8" and they come in white polypropylene. This valve connects your reverse osmosis system, as a shutoff valve. They'll stop the flow of water with a twist. These valves are not to be used with anything other than water systems. John Guest...

www.reverseosmosis.com

 

[cooltowncorals]

Depends where your water is coming from. Are you making your own rodi, if so how close to the tank?

The gravity systems work well and almost never “fail” in a super bad way.

I had a Tunze ATO that worked for 10 years without problems.

Also have used gravity feed without issues.

 

[exnisstech]

If your not opposed to buying from aliexpress I've been using kamoer ato one 2 on my new build and it has been flawless.

 

[JoJosReef]

After using multiple bottle ATOs for my Evo 13.5g and my IM Nuvo 10g, I got one of these:

On sale now at CoralVue

AutoAqua Smart ATO Nano Kit (CLOSEOUT)

All-in-one auto top-off system for small aquariums under 50 gallons. The Smart ATO Nano Kit comes with everything needed for installation.

store.coralvue.com

I like it because it is simple and just has a pump that gangs on the glass. I got a "nice" cereal container at Target as the ATO container because a dumb container shouldn't cost as much as a tank:

The lid makes refilling it slightly less tedious than the bottle, which involves taking it off, unscrewing it, filling into the little bottle opening (unless you've got a funnel, in which case you're too smart for this thread!), turning it back over and letting water spill out, etc.

Anyway, I like it.

 

[Mschmidt]

The trash can, connected (soon to be) to a float valve in the sump. Gravity fed

 

[KrisReef]

Gravity + float (RODI from a reservoir, not attached to the RODI filter itself) valve might be my favorite method (when I get me coral growing business going that’s what I’ll do haha!!!)

Throw one of these in their to for when you need to turn it off:

John Guest Ball Valve

We have John Guest Ball Valves, in both the 1/4" and 3/8" and they come in white polypropylene. This valve connects your reverse osmosis system, as a shutoff valve. They'll stop the flow of water with a twist. These valves are not to be used with anything other than water systems. John Guest...

www.reverseosmosis.com

The pipe threaded into the bucket is 1/2 inch, so I just reach in the bucket an put a cap on the intake end. Having a valve would raise the costs significantly, and I am a poor man. :cool:

 

[KrisReef]

is the bucket in a room above?

It's on a stand next to the tank, where the chiller also sits. Everything is in the garage to prevent water damage in the house from my carelessness

 

[Johnd651]

After using multiple bottle ATOs for my Evo 13.5g and my IM Nuvo 10g, I got one of these:

On sale now at CoralVue

AutoAqua Smart ATO Nano Kit (CLOSEOUT)

All-in-one auto top-off system for small aquariums under 50 gallons. The Smart ATO Nano Kit comes with everything needed for installation.

store.coralvue.com

I like it because it is simple and just has a pump that gangs on the glass. I got a "nice" cereal container at Target as the ATO container because a dumb container shouldn't cost as much as a tank:

The lid makes refilling it slightly less tedious than the bottle, which involves taking it off, unscrewing it, filling into the little bottle opening (unless you've got a funnel, in which case you're too smart for this thread!), turning it back over and letting water spill out, etc.

Anyway, I like it.

Ordered that one.. great find. Thanks!!!

 

[Johnd651]

Now time to find a fancy container... used to be the glass VOSS bottles back in the day. Not sure if anyone still has those under their tank?