Reef Breeders Prism ATO.

treedog5 · Apr 19, 2020

So, I was in the market for a new ATO for my nano tank and I came across the Reef Breeders Prism ATO. So I decided to start doing some research to see what everyone was saying about the quality and reliability of this ATO. First problem, I couldn't find anyone talking about it or doing YouTube videos on it, which was surprising because I could usually find a YouTube video about anything else. Reef Breeders didn't even have any videos about it. So I kept searching and did come across one reef2reef member who spoke highly of it, so I said I would give it a shot and post my findings here for any future reefers who will certainly be looking for an ATO under $100.
So now that I have been using this ATO for 1 week now I thought I would post my findings and update this thread in the future to speak on the long term reliability of it.
First off this thing looks great, its small and compact which is what I need for an all in one with a small amount of space to work with. It has a nice small magnet to hold it in place and it comes with a tiny pump and about 6 feet of tubing to fill the tank with. It has a small blue clip that you place on the edge of your tank and the tubing runs through it and hangs above the water line. I did find that it is best to place a zip tie over the tubing to make sure it stays in place. The probe that sits in the water column has 3 sensors inside of it, one for no water which activates the pump then one that detects the correct water level and then one for a high water level. I haven't had any issues so far (knock on wood). I will post some photos below so anyone can see how it looks in my tank, but so far this thing is working out really great for me. I'm so glad I gave it shot now, if anyone has any questions about this ATO just let me know and I will try to answer if I can.

reef lover · Apr 28, 2020

Thanks for sharing!

treedog5 · Apr 28, 2020

Still going strong, no issues to speak of.

ginoandres · Jun 1, 2020

I've been digging deep trying to find a reliable, small and well-priced ATO for my new Red Sea Max Nano and this one looks great. My big question is this: does it have any sort of failsafe built in apart from the three sensors? Ideally something like auto-shut off after filling for too long? I believe their Exo model has this but I don't see anything for this model.

treedog5 · Jun 1, 2020

I wish I could answer that question for you but I really don't know. Maybe @reefbreeders can chime in and answer that for both of us.

MattR · Jun 1, 2020

ginoandres said:
I've been digging deep trying to find a reliable, small and well-priced ATO for my new Red Sea Max Nano and this one looks great. My big question is this: does it have any sort of failsafe built in apart from the three sensors? Ideally something like auto-shut off after filling for too long? I believe their Exo model has this but I don't see anything for this model.

I have both the exo and prism (the exo for about a year and the prism for about 3 months). The prism I like a little more because its smaller, the magnetic seems stronger, and it can be used on clear and darkened material (the exo needs to have a clear glass panel for the sensor). BUT the prism does not make audible cues or anything besides "fill and stop". That being said I have never really had the exo utilize its "alarm sounds" and for $90 you can buy both the prism that comes with the manual shut off valve. Hope this helps. If you have other questions lmk! I love both though

treedog5 · Jul 13, 2020

Update time: So about 1 month ago the ato had failed to come on and top off the tank, I noticed it because I could hear the water trickling down into the return section, not sure what caused it to not come on so I cleaned the sensor and all was good. Fast forward to this past week and the same thing happened again, so I cleaned the sensor again and it would work but stop working again the same day. I contacted reefbreeders and they are sending me a new sensor today. Not sure what caused it to start flaking out but thankfully they are standing behind their product, I think it has a 6 month or 1 year warranty anyway. Will update after using the new sensor for some time.

Lovefish77 · Sep 10, 2020

Thinking of getting the prism for my waterbox 20 cube. Thanks for sharing.

treedog5 · Sep 10, 2020

Sure thing, since getting the replacement sensor I haven't had anymore issues, would definitely recommend this ATO.

Arnab · Sep 11, 2020

treedog5 said:
So, I was in the market for a new ATO for my nano tank and I came across the Reef Breeders Prism ATO. So I decided to start doing some research to see what everyone was saying about the quality and reliability of this ATO. First problem, I couldn't find anyone talking about it or doing YouTube videos on it, which was surprising because I could usually find a YouTube video about anything else. Reef Breeders didn't even have any videos about it. So I kept searching and did come across one reef2reef member who spoke highly of it, so I said I would give it a shot and post my findings here for any future reefers who will certainly be looking for an ATO under $100.
So now that I have been using this ATO for 1 week now I thought I would post my findings and update this thread in the future to speak on the long term reliability of it.
First off this thing looks great, its small and compact which is what I need for an all in one with a small amount of space to work with. It has a nice small magnet to hold it in place and it comes with a tiny pump and about 6 feet of tubing to fill the tank with. It has a small blue clip that you place on the edge of your tank and the tubing runs through it and hangs above the water line. I did find that it is best to place a zip tie over the tubing to make sure it stays in place. The probe that sits in the water column has 3 sensors inside of it, one for no water which activates the pump then one that detects the correct water level and then one for a high water level. I haven't had any issues so far (knock on wood). I will post some photos below so anyone can see how it looks in my tank, but so far this thing is working out really great for me. I'm so glad I gave it shot now, if anyone has any questions about this ATO just let me know and I will try to answer if I can.

I am also thinking of buying the same . Thanks for the review

Cbones1979 · Nov 17, 2020

treedog5 said:
Sure thing, since getting the replacement sensor I haven't had anymore issues, would definitely recommend this ATO.

good to hear. im thinking of getting a small ATO myself just to cut down on me adding water every few days.

treedog5 · Nov 17, 2020

In my opinion an ATO is a must have for any reef tank, so finding a reliable plus cost friendly option is a must.

thewire · Dec 19, 2020

treedog5 said:
In my opinion an ATO is a must have for any reef tank, so finding a reliable plus cost friendly option is a must.

So what’s the verdict?

treedog5 · Dec 19, 2020

thewire said:
So what’s the verdict?

Thumbs up for me, I'm actually about to buy a second one for another tank.

thewire · Dec 21, 2020

treedog5 said:
Thumbs up for me, I'm actually about to buy a second one for another tank.

Thanks. Did you installed your on the 3rd chamber where the return pump? Is your is IM Fusion 10? I can order from BRS for $49 shipped new! I have some coupon

treedog5 · Dec 21, 2020

My tank is the 20 gallon peninsula but yes it's installed in the 3rd chamber with the return pump.

cadroved67 · Jan 6, 2021

i just bought one and it came in today but a 1 inch water drop is not ideal. My tank won’t survive that big of a salinity increase! So I’ll have to look else wear