lallen_74 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Hi everyone! I'm going into my second month with a Nuvo Fusion 10G; I'm stocking it as a mixed reef. I've done quite a lot of reading about how/what I should upgrade; the general opinion seems to be to buy an auto top-off unit ASAP, but I can't quite figure out why. If I totally ignore my tank, I only lose about 2 cups of water per day, which is .013 of the volume of my tank and doesn't register a salinity change. (Yeah, I tested! :-D ) How much volume would I have to lose in order for my salinity to alter dangerously? I'm also a fan of small, very frequent WCs (tank maintenence is sort of Zen for me...go figure) and so I replace/top off about a gallon of water every two or three days myself. Is the advice to get an ATO more a convenience thing? Or maybe directed toward tanks located in drier air/climates? I hope to add a bigger tank later and that might change things, but for now, I guess I'm just trying to clarify the rationale. If it helps, here's a link to my main thread with a stock list: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/369314-first-nano-reef/ Link to comment
CronicReefer Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 If you enjoy topping off your tank manually then there is no reason to buy an ATO for a tank that size. However I have a 75g and can lose up to a gallon in 24 hours and would not want to be constantly refilling that much every day. It really just comes down to personal preference in most cases, some times they are necessary to keep water levels constant in a sump. Link to comment
ReeferReefer Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Not needed in Nanos if you dont have a problem maintaining salinity. Link to comment
jestep Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Personally, I think they're as or more important in small tanks. You don't have to worry about running a pump dry or low enough to inject air into it and you don't have to worry about evaporation related salinity changes. It's technically not necessary in any tank, but topping off is really something I'd rather not ever have to worry about. Link to comment
brahma04 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I have a nano 10 running for about 6 weeks now and I love it. So far its been dry in my house and i have noticed if i skip a day my salinity will go up from .025 to .028 in a heartbeat. if you're ever in need of staying out, or god forbid a hospital trip, your tanks gonna have a bad time. Next on my list is an ATO. $100 investment for $500+ is worth it IMHO. Doesn't mean you cant be in your tank everyday if you have an ATO. GL have fun~ Link to comment
Sancho Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I think they are needed on all tanks. Although I think they are more necessary in a small tank. They are so small that fluctuations in the water could potentially cause issues. Without an ATO my 8 gallon would evap enough in 3 days to get at the point that the return would be sucking air. I get lazy and didnt always top off on a daily basis. Yeah if your home every day and remember to add water probably not needed. But it sure is nice to just sit back and enjoy your tank with one less thing to worry about daily. Link to comment
lallen_74 Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Thanks for all the advice! Stuff to think about, for sure. I will probably run this way, sans ATO, for now but I may wear down eventually. Brahma, your mention of a dry house got me thinking: I keep a really humid house, I suspect. I live in Seattle, and I leave at least a couple of windows open year-round because I can't stand inside air that feels stale. My hubby gets a little annoyed, I think, when I run the heating system with the windows open, but my houseplants (and I) love it. One of my concerns is finding a spot to house the top-off water. I don't have my tank on a cabinet stand, and there's an open shelf below. I guess I could build something reasonably attractive, or modify something that's already cool, like a vintage ammo case or box or something....hmmm.... Link to comment
Balix Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Get it. Dont even think about it. Tunze ato is a good one. My nuvo 10 evaps almost 1.5 gallon in 2 weeks. Link to comment
pgrVII Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I really like my smart ato micro on my lagoon 25. Really nice and takes very little room up. And $100. Link to comment
michaelrzachmann Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 been running a 16 gallon for almost 2 years with the same fish, corals, and anemone for most of it and doing manual top offs every 4-5 days the whole time. Just my experience Link to comment
skrillay0 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I have a AutoAqua Smart Micro and its worth the $100 to me. I dont have to worry about always topping it off everyday and thinking about it. If your fill is 10secs longer than your first fill it will cut off so I dont have to worry about a wet house either. Cheers Link to comment
Sunstar Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 If you want to be able to go away for a couple days, ATO is highly suggested. I had an ATO made for my 1.5 gallon and it worked a charm. Although not attractive, my ATO is in a 2 gallon tank on my desk. Mine was DIY Link to comment
Sunar357 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I run lots of flow in my 25G so I get quite a bit of evap...so glad I have an ATO. The only tank i'd think about not having one on nowadays would be something with a closing lid like a Biocube. Can you do without? Yes. Are they nice to have? Yes! Link to comment
pgrVII Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I run lots of flow in my 25G so I get quite a bit of evap...so glad I have an ATO. The only tank i'd think about not having one on nowadays would be something with a closing lid like a Biocube. Can you do without? Yes. Are they nice to have? Yes! You'd still want one, my nano cube had a hood and it would evaporate like crazy in the rear filter sections. Link to comment
Sunar357 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 My old Biocube wasn't so bad...but still annoying. Link to comment
Kijho Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 It will make your life tremendously easier that's forsure Link to comment
dandelion Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I'd say stick with manual for now until either 1) you run into problems or 2) you get tired of manual top off. I built my own ATO for about $40, including an Aqualifter pump that's almost $20. AJMckay has a nice post on the DIY forum that you can check out. Link to comment
chipmunkofdoom2 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 I wouldn't go without one, personally. My newest tank is a 10g that I'm trying to keep as simple as possible. Literally the only equipment I'm using is a light, pump for flow, and a heater. But, as simple as I want this tank to be, I still have an ATO, albeit a DIY. It's not about the evaporation per se, because like your tank, mine also evaporates very little water. It's about knowing that this is one part of my tank's maintenance about which I don't need to worry. Sure, topping off with 2 cups of water a day isn't a burden, and I doubt the minuscule salinity swing is bothering your inhabitants.. but this whole arrangement only works if every day, like clockwork, you're able to manually top off the tank. What happens if you have a life or family emergency that keeps you away from your tank for a week or two? Or more? What happens if this is down the road in two years or so when you have hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars worth of corals in your tank? If you're not able to maintain your tank for a week, it could be that salinity is the least of your concerns, but still, I just feel an ATO is way too important to go without. I don't mean to sound all doom and gloom, and you're certainly welcome to do what you please. I just prefer to eliminate as many variables as possible with my tank, and an ATO helps with that. If you're looking for cheap and DIY, all you need is a $10 peristaltic pump, a $1 float switch, and an old 5VDC phone charger. There are as many ways out there to keep a tank as there are tanks, but I agree with what appears to be the majority: an ATO is something that I will always use on all my tanks. Link to comment
dmarkham Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 It is not a must if you are on top of everything and no skimmer. I personally will not go with out one now and have a Tunze ATO. Link to comment
Eckozulu Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Where do you keep your heater? First big loss I had came from not topping off (my ATO reservoir.) Return chamber got below the heater water line, tank dropped 8 degrees overnight, ALL SPS died, 3 fish got stressed and Ich showed, all fish moved to hospital, and 2 didn't make it. I know this happen to me with an ATO, but I think it's more likely without one. And if you keep your heater in the middle chamber your good, but something to think about if you get more equipment like a skimmer or something. Nice tank Btw, I like the rock work. Link to comment
Sunstar Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I have mine pushed to the bottom of the third chamber Link to comment
ReefRunner1 Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I have the Marineland Contour 5 gallon that has a glass lid and a plastic cover over the AIO. Very miniscule evap. No issues with it so far. I also WC weekly. The tank is at work so the temp in the building is consistent. It is on a case by case basis, but now you have scenarios to play with. Link to comment
dmarkham Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Bite the bullet. I is well worth it. I use to top off my tank manually and after I got my first ATO it was over. I will never go back to manually doing it again. Link to comment
gulfsurfer101 Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Because if you ever want to leave your house for more than a couple days then it helps so you don't come home to a tank shooting air bubbles into a snotty tank of death. To me a hundred bucks spent on one is probably going to be your best buy in that price bracket. If your absolutely frugal then you can build your own like me for under 30 bucks. I'll be building mine with two horizontal float switches. One to top off the tank and the other to act as a safe guard to prevent the tank from overflowing. Link to comment
GoingPostal Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I've never used an ATO. I usually top off my tanks and feed them every couple days, just part of my animal care routine. Link to comment
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