ATO Container Help

[mfrumkin]

I have a 180gl mixed reef that is built into a wall. For years the guys who do my service & maintenance have told me not to get an ATO system. Now that I am semi-retired I have the time and inclination to do some of my own research, and I have decided to put in an ATO. My issue is where do I put the reservoir container. It HAS to go into the cabinet. There is no room or space or ability to plumb it outside the cabinet. Looking at the pictures does anyone have any suggestions? I would like to put in the IM aqua gadget 15 gallon, but I don't know how to make it fit. Should I try and move the existing plumbing to make space? Any ideas would be really appreciated.

 

[christopher wainright]

Depending on the room you have you could build a small removable stand and put it over top of the 2nd chamber of your sump?
Or over the plumbing

 

[smilinteddy]

Depending on the room you have you could build a small removable stand and put it over top of the 2nd chamber of your sump?
Or over the plumbing

+1

My first suggestion upon seeing the pics was to put something (you might even be able to find a small step stool or something) To go over the plumbing. That way you would have the most vertical space above that to out a reservoir and depending on how much clearance you built in for yourself, you'd still be able to reach in under whatever platform solution you put in there to get at the valves and such for your plumbing. You could keep it removable so if for any reason you needed full access to the plumbing you could take out the reservoir and the platform for full access.

 

[mfrumkin]

Those are good ideas. The container should weigh approx 150 lbs filled. I need to look for a platform, (maybe lucite?) that will support the weight.

 

[Hallowhead]

Those are good ideas. The container should weigh approx 150 lbs filled. I need to look for a platform, (maybe lucite?) that will support the weight.

That's ~ 18 gallons. Why not go more like 5 gallons?

 

[mfrumkin]

That's ~ 18 gallons. Why not go more like 5 gallons?

I saw online that I can expect an evaporation of 3-5 gallons a day. A 5 gallon container sort of defeats the purpose.

 

[Brett S]

I saw online that I can expect an evaporation of 3-5 gallons a day. A 5 gallon container sort of defeats the purpose.

3-5 gallons a day seems a bit on the high side, but if you have no ATO now and you’re topping off manually then you shouldn’t need to estimate. You should already know how much you lose a day. How much water do you top off with every day currently?

 

[W1ngz]

This would be easier with a picture of the cabinet straight on, instead of looking down.

I'm terribly confused why a maintenance company would recommend against an ATO. Were you paying them to come every day and pour water into the tank?

More than 5 gal evap seems extreme, unless you're in a region that has really low humidity. Like under 20%.

 

[christopher wainright]

I saw online that I can expect an evaporation of 3-5 gallons a day. A 5 gallon container sort of defeats the purpose.

My 210 evaps at most 2 gallons a day ( thats with fans blowing on it all day) it averages about 1.5 a day if that helps you in any way.

 

[mfrumkin]

3-5 gallons a day seems a bit on the high side, but if you have no ATO now and you’re topping off manually then you shouldn’t need to estimate. You should already know how much you lose a day. How much water do you top off with every day currently?

Currently I have a sharpie mark on my sump. When it goes below that level I put water in. That's why I need an ATO. Eyeballing it is not effective.

 

[Brett S]

Currently I have a sharpie mark on my sump. When it goes below that level I put water in. That's why I need an ATO. Eyeballing it is not effective.

Just measure how much you add then. Use an empty gallon milk jug or figure out how much water your pitcher holds and then keep track of how much water you’re adding to the tank each day for a few days. That should give you a good estimate of how big you’ll need your ATO container to be.

 

[mfrumkin]

I would like to thank everyone for the input. I am going to going to Home Depot and build a platform that will fit over my pumps. I'm also thinking that instead of paying $100 plus for a 10-gallon container I can use a 10 gal bio cube that I have that isn't being used. As long as the water is fresh RO I don't think it matters what type of container it is in. I could probably use one of the 25 gal jugs I have for top off now.