Rubbermaid sump: how to place float valves

[User]

Hey guys

considering replacing my converted 125 sump for a 100g Rubbermaid for extra capacity in anticipation of a 400g upgrade. I’m currently rebuilding my fishroom after moving house, so I have decent space, and doing it now would give me space for an additional lowboy frag grow out, instead of having to reconfigure everything (read: rip out plumbing and waste money on bulkheads etc) in 18 months.

question: how are people positioning ATO sensors in the rubbermaid sumps? I don’t want to drill, since you are then locked in to a particular volume, and I use a IM hydrofil with the platinum sensors.

I have thought about laying a cross brace across the stock tank, with a perpendicular piece that drops down,
And attaching floats or the sensor to that. I could also make that adjustable so I could vary the water level when I add/remove rock or media etc.

So- any tips on doing this? Thanks

 

[Peace River]

In various DIY setups I have had a few sensor mounts like this over the years:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/varios-pump-float-switch.354535/
...or mounted it to a piece of PVC pipe like this:

Amazon product ASIN B06XF19ZS2
...or you could even go with something like this for the drain (and then attach the probes as well):

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/geos-reef-rubbermaid-stock-tank-sock-holders.263744/
Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[RobB'z Reef]

magnets?

 

[User]

magnets?

Cant use magnets with a float switch, unfortunately

 

[ntableman]

I use this - https://milonetech.com with a simple esp8266 attached with a clamp like this https://www.rcnhobby.com/large-strong-plastic-spring-clamps-clips.html

 

[Dennis Cartier]

As a user of a stock tank for a sump, keep in mind that the surface area will impact how close your ATO will track salinity. Meaning if your ATO has a built in hysteresis that requires a bit of play in the level for it to engage or disengage, the large surface area of a stock tank will magnify it. If your tank is large enough compared to the sump, than the issue is lessened. But if you have a stock tank under a modest sized tank with an ATO that has say a 1/4" (6 mm) of wiggle room, than the salinity shift can get noticeable (if you track it).

Dennis

 

[outhouse]

I used a piece of clear acrylic. And heated it up with heat gun and molded it to sump, for both floats. Simple