Jump to content
SaltCritters.com

auto top off for 10-20 gallon tank


russ722

Recommended Posts

New to ATO systems and was looking into getting one for a 10 gallon sumpless system that will be upgraded to a 20g in the future.the tank will sit on a stand that's 32" tall.

 

I've briefly looked at a few but have no idea where to start.main concern is im worried about is flooding so i want something pretty much simple and failsafe.

Link to comment

Just installed one of these on a 10g with an AC70: http://www.autotopoff.com/products/DS1/ I also got Tom's Aqualifter pump. Super fast to ship. Good, solid technology that works.

 

Keeping things nice and steady. It has both the low water and high water floats. I got the bend your own brackets. Go slow heating them using a hair dryer. It will get like a noodle.

Link to comment

It's pretty simple. I just bent the bracket over the edge of the tank and trimmed it to length. I zip tied the floats to the bracket and slid them up or down to set the high and low points. I actually made two brackets for each float from the material provided. I drilled and tapped a hole and had a nylon screw for he 2d bracket that holds the high water shut off. It has its own L bracket that I also zip tied on. I have the same set up in my 35g. It works great. The pump is silent.

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

I also have the AutoAqua ATO that I just installed this morning. I got it through Bulk Reef Supply. So far the thing is amazing. I put it on my IM Nuvo 16 gal. It is super easy to set up, and all I did was put the pump in a 2 gal bucket with a lid under my tank. I drilled a hole for the pump power cord and fill hose, and I drilled another hole for filling the bucket. Easy, and so far it works great!

Link to comment

using the tunze nano ato on my 3g pico tank. Working great so far except one night a snail bumped into the sensor and it almost flooded my tank :-/ I would recommend it in a sump but maybe not for display. if you have curious snails

Link to comment

using the tunze nano ato on my 3g pico tank. Working great so far except one night a snail bumped into the sensor and it almost flooded my tank :-/ I would recommend it in a sump but maybe not for display. if you have curious snails

 

Does your Tunze nano not have the snail protector/plastic shroud around the float?

Link to comment

http://spectrapure.com/Power-Head-Liquid-Level-Controller-115VAC

 

Something like this is very compact and hardly visible in a small tank. It can power a small powerhead or aqualifter to lift the water to the display.

 

Pressure switches are not sensitive enough for an ATO, IMO, AFAIK, LOL!

 

Found this in the description: "The unit can be set to turn a pump off with rising water levels and on when the water level drops about 1 inch."

Link to comment
TheGoofyRobot

If you have a rimmed tank you can modify the jbj ato and glue just the sensor to the rim. It keeps the water level flush with the rim. Whats nice about the jbj is it has a timed shut off so it wont overflow the tank. The timed shutoff is adjustable too. This is my 20 long.

 

.post-41180-0-68410000-1423780083_thumb.jpg

 

The sensor is located in the right corner and the return line is attached to the filter. It runs off of the Toms pump. You can also hide the sensor easily with a mag float.

 

post-41180-0-30017300-1423780145_thumb.jpg

 

Sorry for potato quality.

Link to comment

I run a tunze nano in my sumpless 10 gallon and I haven't had any issues. I got a huge cuc from reefcleaners and have yet to run into any snail issues with the snail guard in place. In order to keep the water level high I just snipped off the inside black trim section with some tin snips and the sensor hangs over the top edge. With the magnet being so strong there haven't been any issues at all.

Link to comment

Prssure switches are great for ATO. You want some range between ON and OFF so the unit does not short cycle and burn up. My UPLC-II uses a similar switch but it is user adjustable anywhere between 1/10" and 4" depending on your needs. I let the level drop about an inch so I don't have issues with wave action and short cycling even though I could tighten that up if I chose to.

Link to comment

 

Does your Tunze nano not have the snail protector/plastic shroud around the float?

 

 

it has the plastic shield on it except if the snail shells are tiny enough they can still trip the sensor

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...