Cali Kid Corals

Need some ATO advice for my setup

HiFidelity

HiFidelity

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I have a large nano, 45G with almost everything built into the top of the tank, mini sump, lights and HOB skimmer.

I've gone off designing (concept on paper) an ATO setup with Tunze pump + sourced parts including very precise infrared sensor for top level & float switch for low (trigger) level.

My concern is my top off amount, since the tank is practically completely covered except for the small sump on top being uncovered I hardly have to top off that often roughly a gallon week. So will the ATO system even trigger on & off accurately to add the small amount I need? I have no prior experience with ATO systems so I'm not sure how accurate they can be or how sensitive to the small water level drop I get (about half an inch) I guess I can run 2 infrared sensors and get really nit-picky on how sensitive my on/off levels are but without prior trial & error I can't justify throwing money at these quality parts only to possibly find out they are not doing the job.

Of course I can keep manually dosing KH (my only concern ATM) but that rules out kalkwasser which is the whole reason why I want to go ATO and avoid the KH swings that come with manual KH dosing (from 7.5 up to 10) not to mention the hassle of dosing on a daily basis + topping off twice a week.

I understand that the real solution is to go with a proper sump, but the stand my 45g sits on can't hold a decent sump and I do have a 55g "normal" tank that I plan on running with a 20-25g sump underneath but it may be a while since I can't switch to it till I finish remodeling the part of my home where I want it. Quite an annoying dilemma because I don't want to wait that long before adding all the livestock i want in my tank :p

So is it worth putting in all the energy into building this ATO setup I have planned or keep manually dosing?
 
You could get a dosing pump to take care of that part. Not too sure on your top off idea. Not saying its bad, I just don't know about the sensors you are talking about. I use autotopoff.com, works pretty well
 
HiFidelity said:
I have a large nano, 45G with almost everything built into the top of the tank, mini sump, lights and HOB skimmer.

I've gone off designing (concept on paper) an ATO setup with Tunze pump + sourced parts including very precise infrared sensor for top level & float switch for low (trigger) level.

My concern is my top off amount, since the tank is practically completely covered except for the small sump on top being uncovered I hardly have to top off that often roughly a gallon week. So will the ATO system even trigger on & off accurately to add the small amount I need? I have no prior experience with ATO systems so I'm not sure how accurate they can be or how sensitive to the small water level drop I get (about half an inch) I guess I can run 2 infrared sensors and get really nit-picky on how sensitive my on/off levels are but without prior trial & error I can't justify throwing money at these quality parts only to possibly find out they are not doing the job.

Of course I can keep manually dosing KH (my only concern ATM) but that rules out kalkwasser which is the whole reason why I want to go ATO and avoid the KH swings that come with manual KH dosing (from 7.5 up to 10) not to mention the hassle of dosing on a daily basis + topping off twice a week.

I understand that the real solution is to go with a proper sump, but the stand my 45g sits on can't hold a decent sump and I do have a 55g "normal" tank that I plan on running with a 20-25g sump underneath but it may be a while since I can't switch to it till I finish remodeling the part of my home where I want it. Quite an annoying dilemma because I don't want to wait that long before adding all the livestock i want in my tank :p

So is it worth putting in all the energy into building this ATO setup I have planned or keep manually dosing?
Click to expand...

Fidel,
Since you already know how much to top off on a daily basis you can use a diluted 2 part which covers both top off and the adition of alk and calc.
I use two 5 gallon jugs, one with alkalinity and the other with calcium (diluted with RO/DI). Eack jug gets 250 ml per gallon of it's addative. Each has it's own drews doser (BRS) which is constantly dripping into the tank.
Alkaliny, calcium, and salinity stay constant (not to mention the all important PH), while rendering float switches and the like completely unnecessary.
The evaporation in my system is perfectly tuned for the 90ML / hour that each dosing pump adds to my tank. Your tank may need quite a bit less due to your evaporation rate, therefore you would use timers to cycle them on and of at equal intervals throughout the day. A measuring cup comes with the doser and you run it for a while to test how much will be added, then set your timers accordingly.
 
Scarbird that is brilliant, considering that my daily evaporation rate is roughly 22ml I can certainly set a peristaltic doser to drip extremely slow either around the clock or for X amount of hours a day.

I just found a programmable peristaltic pump that looks like it'll do the job, built in digital flow rate controller 1-300 ml/hr and it's only just over $40 :) which brings my top off setup budget down to $50 instead of $75
 
Over the decade(s) of reefing, I've tried many things, including just pouring water in; I've had a lot of success with the used medical peristaltic pump, but the tubing wears quickly and there are alarms. When I couldn't find tubing for my unit anymore, I switched to a BRS doser, but it didn't dose enough. Finally I bit the bullet and bought an EXPENSIVE spectrapure ultimate top off thingy (whatever it's called). It's awesome, and I wish I had ponied up the cash for that at the very start instead of wasting $100 or so on the medical pump and the BRS pump.

It's awesome and has never failed me.
 
if you're talking about the SpectraPure LiterMeter, isn't that still a peristaltic pump?
I actually have experience with medical grade peristaltic pumps from a time in the past when I worked in a biotech lab and regular rubber tubing does not last at all in those, there is special silicone tubing they sell that is specifically molded for use in peristaltic pumps, it costs a lot more but lasts 10 times longer.
I would love the spectrapure unit since it's a nicely put together package but unfortunately I don't have anything near what it costs to buy one, so I have to go with a more inexpensive option for now :~
 
http://www.spectrapure.com/St_alc_p7.htm

Yeah, it's a liter meter!

It is simply awesome. But yes, it is also ridiculously expensive. Medical pumps are maybe $50 off eBay I think. Mine worked for me for about 8 years or more, but I bought a weird brand and couldn't find the tubing anymore plus it was just starting to fail because they aren't meant for 24/7 x 8 years of continuous use!

I have mine hooked as the input to my kalk-mixer so it slowly tops off with kalk.

But, once you do have enough scraped together, they really are worth it. In fact I can't remember how much I paid (and I refuse to check the price to remind myself!) so that I can ignorantly enjoy the awesomeness of this device!
 
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