Salinity - ATO or not...

[ReeferPat]

Hi all,

I have a 40-gallon cube and currently I’m doing manual top-offs. Though I try to keep it steady the salinity invariably varies between 1.026 and 1.027. I don’t think I’ve strayed too far beyond that at any point. All my other parameters are on point and the corals seem healthy and growing. My RBT anemone may be another story though. It seems to have found its spot but doesn’t seem entirely comfortable. It has lost its bubbles and keeps deflating at night and reinflating during the day. Though I realize it’s behavior is also tied to the light cycle, I’m wondering if I should invest in an ATO, if the anemone really is that sensitive. What do you guys think?

 

[W1ngz]

I think anemone or not, you want an ATO. You can go fancy with optical sensors and floats, or just use a plain old bucket and float valve.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

An ATO is one of the best upgrades you can have on a reef tank. Not only that keep salinity stable but also you will feel free of adding water manually almost every day.

 

[mtfish]

Anemone behavior is not tied to your salinity swings. As long as it is inflating during the day to normal, I would not be concerned. That said, ATO is always nice and one less thing to worry about (unless you worry about malfunction). I have several BTA (all clones from one original). Some keep their bubbles, so not. Some go back and forth. All deflate at times. Such is the life of a BTA. I would think your corals are a much better indicator of water quality and they seem to be doing fine.

 

[Journeyman]

I think anemone or not, you want an ATO. You can go fancy with optical sensors and floats, or just use a plain old bucket and float valve.

+1 ato single best investment in reef tank.