Will I have a much harder time if I don’t use ATO?

Kris 2020

Super Active Excellent Well Known Member
View Badges
Joined
May 16, 2020
Messages
526
Reaction score
1,203
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks for all the replies guys. Actually I’ll see if I can have one shipped from the US or Europe to China. Converter plugs are available to me. Any brands you suggest? Tank will be 6 foot 183 gallons, Width 2.3 foot and height 1.8 foot. Not sure though since many don’t ship to China.
I have a Tunze 3155 that I like. Had it for about 9 years.
 

Zuma

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 11, 2018
Messages
334
Reaction score
362
Location
Northbay
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I really don’t think ATOs are nearly as necessary as people make them out to be. I’ve been running my most successful tank without one for years, I just top off manually in the morning and again at night. My other tanks use simple gravity ATOs with a float valve and they work fine too.

6491A2E4-4488-47B3-9F8A-5007B3CD85A7.jpeg
Awesome tank, any details or a build thread on it?

Agree that an ATO in not necessary for a successful reef but is nice to have when you go on vacation.
 

chipmunkofdoom2

Always Making Something
View Badges
Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Messages
2,417
Reaction score
4,497
Location
Baltimore, MD
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I use a Jebao dosing pump for my ATO. I set the pump to dose a little less freshwater than I need and manually top off the difference once a week.

The downside to this approach is that if evaporation changes, you'll need to modify your dose. This doesn't happen very often where I live though. If it does, the change is very slow and I have time to adjust. The big upside to this approach is there are no float switches or optical sensors to fail.
 

R.Weller

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 5, 2019
Messages
346
Reaction score
453
Location
Lees Summit
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If you can elevate your top-off container above the return chamber in your sump, then just use gravity & a PVC gate valve to create a drip of top-off water. The evaporate rate is nearly constant from day to day w/ small changes required seasonally. It's simple, & unlike ATO's, it will never fail causing freshwater to flush into the tank. We have been using this method for a few years using a kalk drip.
 

Blue Spot Octopus

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
3,315
Reaction score
1,395
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I used to put a small powerhead as high as I could in the tank, and when I would get evaporation it would make a terrible sound and I would or someone in the house would add water.
 
Back
Top