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Evaporation is no joke.

Srt4eric

Srt4eric

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So with my biocube I guess I was lucky. I had no idea how big a deal evaporation was. Now that the 40 is starting to cycle I'm noticing the water level in the sump dropping daily and salinity going up and up. I do have an ro/di system to replenish the water but what I really want/need is an A.T.O. system. Can anyone recommend and decent cheapish ato? Anyone have one for sale they want to get rid of?
 
Smart ATO micro has served me well. It alarms if it has to fill more often than normal (not sure how this little device has memory like that but it works!)

also I use a petco 10 gal which is a great ATO reservoir option for under $20
 
Srt4eric said:
So with my biocube I guess I was lucky. I had no idea how big a deal evaporation was. Now that the 40 is starting to cycle I'm noticing the water level in the sump dropping daily and salinity going up and up. I do have an ro/di system to replenish the water but what I really want/need is an A.T.O. system. Can anyone recommend and decent cheapish ato? Anyone have one for sale they want to get rid of?
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Did your biocube have a lid? If so, that'll make a huge difference in the amount of water you need to replace due to evaporation.
 
RandyC said:
Did your biocube have a lid? If so, that'll make a huge difference in the amount of water you need to replace due to evaporation.
Click to expand...

The biocube does have its lid still. With that thing I've never had to add more than a cup or two in between water changes.
 
If you're patient, you can find a tunze 3155 for $115-125. I like the dual sensor ones that can turn off in case it fails "on" (eg dumping a ton of rodi into your system).

You can find/build super cheap gravity fed ones, too.
 
You can use any of the following:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/auto-top-off.html

I actually sold my old Tunze ATO for really cheap, too bad you missed that.

You can get a ATO and a 3-5 gal carboy to hold RO water to top off as your tank evap's. Greatly helps.
ea44ddef-69a3-4fe1-a2cc-2820e436883d_1.e406f19e82efdecad2a6c9ccb97db00c.jpeg
 
650-IS350 said:
You can use any of the following:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/auto-top-off.html

I actually sold my old Tunze ATO for really cheap, too bad you missed that.

You can get a ATO and a 3-5 gal carboy to hold RO water to top off as your tank evap's. Greatly helps.
ea44ddef-69a3-4fe1-a2cc-2820e436883d_1.e406f19e82efdecad2a6c9ccb97db00c.jpeg
Click to expand...
I’d get something larger than 3-5 gal for a 40gal tank. Unless you want to be refilling it more than once a week. Lots of factors go into evaporation rate but it’s definitely nice to go big for the ATO res so you can rely on it if you want to ever go away from the house for a few days
 
Srt4eric said:
So with my biocube I guess I was lucky. I had no idea how big a deal evaporation was. Now that the 40 is starting to cycle I'm noticing the water level in the sump dropping daily and salinity going up and up. I do have an ro/di system to replenish the water but what I really want/need is an A.T.O. system. Can anyone recommend and decent cheapish ato? Anyone have one for sale they want to get rid of?
Click to expand...
Get a 2 floats ATO.
If you have a controller you just need to add the 2 floats this will be the cheapest If you do not have a conteoller, there are some very good stand alone ATO out there.

If you can plumb the RODI to the tank you can potentially simply add a float valve to the tank and connect it directly to the RODI..
 
I used this one which is $120

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Duetto Dual-Sensor Complete Aquarium ATO System

With huge features jammed in a tiny package, the Duetto is the perfect ATO for your aquarium. XPAqua’s proprietary dual-optical sensor packs two precise level sensors in one incredibly small package. In addition to keeping your water level constant, the two sensors also work in concert with the...
www.bulkreefsupply.com www.bulkreefsupply.com
 
svreef said:
I used this one which is $120

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Duetto Dual-Sensor Complete Aquarium ATO System

With huge features jammed in a tiny package, the Duetto is the perfect ATO for your aquarium. XPAqua’s proprietary dual-optical sensor packs two precise level sensors in one incredibly small package. In addition to keeping your water level constant, the two sensors also work in concert with the...
www.bulkreefsupply.com www.bulkreefsupply.com
Click to expand...
I got similar ATO in the frag tank, the smart ATO micro which is also optic based. I do not like it and I conclided its not reliable.
Switched to float based similar to my display tank which I have been using for almost 10 years.
 
I have never had an issue with the Smart ATO micro. I have never had an issue with any ATO. Currenty but not always- I have room in my system if the ATO stays on and only enough water in the reservoir (3.2 ish gallons) to change the specific gravity to 32.5 ppt from 35 ppt if the ato is stuck in the on position.
 
ofzakaria said:
I got similar ATO in the frag tank, the smart ATO micro which is also optic based. I do not like it and I conclided its not reliable.
Switched to float based similar to my display tank which I have been using for almost 10 years.
Click to expand...
What issue did you have? I have had no issues with mine
 
If you decide to go with the optics based ones, be sure to get one with good optics. I heard there are issues with some of the lower quality ones that trigger false alarms and wake up you several times in the middle of the night... like the icecap ATO. Whatever you do, don't get the icecap ATO. Tons of issues with it on the support forums.
 
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