Rec me a Auto top off system (1 Viewer)

[thangbom4321]

What auto top off system are you running and how would you rate it 0-10 on satisfaction and 0-10 in how well it works. I'm looking for something budget friendly.

 

[Saltlife_1318]

I’ve been using this one for about a year and a half now. So far it has worked great I have it setup to a 10 gallon ro container.

hygger Aquarium Alarm Auto Top Off Kit, Fish Tank Smart ATO Water Pump Auto Refill Water and One-Key Drain Water, Water Level Monitor Two Pairs of Protection Sensors for Saltwater Freshwater Tank https://a.co/d/ikCdbsQ

 

[smootie]

I'm using the CoralVue Hydros ATO because my tank is on the Hydros controller system already. I like it a lot so I would give it a 10 on satisfaction and 10 for how well it works. It's really easy to set up and the little pump is a champ -- it's run dry multiple times and still works fine haha. You can control the ATO through the Hydros app, which logs when it turns on and for how long. I use a 5-gallon food-prep container that I got off of Amazon for the reservoir.

 

[mittens]

Tunze nano. Lasted 3-4 yrs, cheap, never cleaned them, floater sensor did not get ‘stuck’. So, probably 10

 

[Saltlife_1318]

I'm using the CoralVue Hydros ATO because my tank is on the Hydros controller system already. I like it a lot so I would give it a 10 on satisfaction and 10 for how well it works. It's really easy to set up and the little pump is a champ -- it's run dry multiple times and still works fine haha. You can control the ATO through the Hydros app, which logs when it turns on and for how long. I use a 5-gallon food-prep container that I got off of Amazon for the reservoir.

Going to have to look into this controller setup how does it compare to Apex?

 

[thangbom4321]

The link does not work. What is the brand, and model?

Thanks

 

[thangbom4321]

The tunze looks nice but that's a little tad more than what I want to spend on a ato.

 

[Saltlife_1318]

The link does not work. What is the brand, and model?

Thanks

It also has an option to use it as a drain pump if you need too.

 

[thangbom4321]

Awesome, thanks

 

[frankc]

For me, you can't beat a good old-fashioned, gravity-fed float valve, like the one Eshops sells. Super cheap, super reliable (been using one for 12 years), and it trickles the water in drop by drop for ultimate stability, rather than waiting for the sump level to drop by an inch or whatever and then adding a bunch at once. The only catch is you have to have a place to put the reservoir above the level of the sump, so it's not practical for all setups.

 

[smootie]

Going to have to look into this controller setup how does it compare to Apex?

I haven't used any Apex products, but there are other MARSH folks who are in the Hydros ecosystem who might be able to chime in.

 

[BigRick]

One keeps stability a little better then the other... no much difference though.





Love my 5 Apex... I mean 7 tanks...

 

[thangbom4321]

For me, you can't beat a good old-fashioned, gravity-fed float valve, like the one Eshops sells. Super cheap, super reliable (been using one for 12 years), and it trickles the water in drop by drop for ultimate stability, rather than waiting for the sump level to drop by an inch or whatever and then adding a bunch at once. The only catch is you have to have a place to put the reservoir above the level of the sump, so it's not practical for all setups.

I would do a gravity fed but it I plan to put the water reservoir under my stand so I have to use a pump.

 

[Team Turtle]

I would do a gravity fed but it I plan to put the water reservoir under my stand so I have to use a pump.

What kind of tank are you getting this ATO for? An all in one or something drilled? I would advise against something with an optical eye if the sensor is going in your display. There are plenty of budget friendly diy options that use a float switch.

 

[mittens]

Gravity feed scares me. Just in that only unlikely and unlucky event that the entire content of the resevoir decides to dump all in to the tank.

 

[thangbom4321]

Gravity feed scares me. Just in that only unlikely and unlucky event that the entire content of the resevoir decides to dump all in to the tank.

Eh, that's why you limit the size of the reservoir. For instance a 120 gal tank with sump probaly has 120 gallons of water so a 10 gal reservoir dumped in won't be too crazy of a salinity swing.

 

[BigRick]

Gravity feed scares me. Just in that only unlikely and unlucky event that the entire content of the resevoir decides to dump all in to the tank.

This is why I use float valves. No different then a sensor that fails, which is common

 

[smootie]

It's not perfect, but one of the reasons I like the Hydros is that I can set a maximum amount of time that ATO pump is allowed to run. If it hits the max time, it shuts off and sends me an alert. I've never had the tank or sump overflow because of the ATO (at least not yet, haha) because the timers and alerts help me catch issues before they become problems. For example, one time one of my macroalgae got loose and floated up and blocked the overflow. This caused a dip in the water level in the sump, so the ATO turned on. It turned on long enough to send me an alert, so I switched off the ATO in the app until I was able to get home from work to see what was going on with the tank.

Other controller systems that use optical sensors probably have timers and alerts, too.

 

[RR-MAN]

What auto top off system are you running and how would you rate it 0-10 on satisfaction and 0-10 in how well it works. I'm looking for something budget friendly.

I have tried it all but nothing beats a $5 float valve gravity fed. I just came back from 12 days vacation and everything is just peachy.

More expensive doesn’t mean better - one example is the Neptune apex top off system.