ATO or Protein Skimmer

[Coastie Reefer]

just another tip, based on your tank pic. Bring the water level up to where the filter drains into the tank, the bottom of that lip. This will aid in two things: 1) give you a steady reference point for topping off. 2) reduce splashing that will lead to salt creep and bubbles in the tank.

 

[Amoo]

i would have thrown my tanks out into the yard years ago if not for ATO.

 

[Coastie Reefer]

i would have thrown my tanks out into the yard years ago if not for ATO.

My thoughts exactly. I only top off about 6 gallons a week, but it got OLD doing it by hand!

 

[larrysy]

ATO, it's a pita to remember to top off.

I have been skimmer less for 4 years and everything is overgrowing, but I only have softies, zoas and LPS. Maybe you need a skimmer if you are considering SPS.

 

[Maobea]

I guess a good question would be, are you having to top off everyday? On my 100 gallon I usually top off every 2-3 days.

I've been topping it off every day, usually about 8 cups of RO/DI Water to try and keep the salinity as stsble as possible. It really isnt much of a pain.

 

[Maobea]

just another tip, based on your tank pic. Bring the water level up to where the filter drains into the tank, the bottom of that lip. This will aid in two things: 1) give you a steady reference point for topping off. 2) reduce splashing that will lead to salt creep and bubbles in the tank.

That's a great idea! I'm currently using the bottom silver bezel as a guide, but hadn't thought about salt creep. On the other hand, when I clean the inside of the glass since I have to put my hand in, it scares me it might overflow.

 

[Maobea]

ATO, it's a pita to remember to top off.

I have been skimmer less for 4 years and everything is overgrowing, but I only have softies, zoas and LPS. Maybe you need a skimmer if you are considering SPS.

I would like to put some SPS at some point, though I'm not sure if my lights (2 AI Prime HDs) would be enough to grow SPS. My tank is 40" x 24"

 

[PDR]

I vote ATO as well. Manual top off does get old really fast.

 

[larrysy]

I would like to put some SPS at some point, though I'm not sure if my lights (2 AI Prime HDs) would be enough to grow SPS. My tank is 40" x 24"

If no SPS now, you can wait for a used skimmer which will fit your budget. No hurry. It`s "take it slow" in this hobby.

 

[Coastie Reefer]

That's a great idea! I'm currently using the bottom silver bezel as a guide, but hadn't thought about salt creep. On the other hand, when I clean the inside of the glass since I have to put my hand in, it scares me it might overflow.

get a cleaning magnet that way you keep your hands out of the tank

 

[Maobea]

get a cleaning magnet that way you keep your hands out of the tank

I do have one of those, but there is white film (looks like calcium buildup) that doesnt come off with the magnet scrubber. Not sure what is causing that. I had been dosing pH buffer as my pH was staying at 7.8 and I wanted to raise it. Not sure if that's the issue or something else is causing this. Ever seen anything like that?

 

[starypotter]

I vote ATO especially since you say you plan to do weekly water changes. It's so annoying without an ATO, even with my ATO it's still a pita because somehow it just isn't working properly so I just have to flip the switch to turn it on, still a whole lot easier than hauling buckets every couple days.

 

[Forsaken77]

Being it's not a big tank, the ato isn't necessary at all. Just keep a 5 gal. bucket with a large measuring cup by the tank. I think my cup is 2 pints. I just dump water from the bucket when I see some air being pumped up from the returm pump and level everything out again.

The skimmer will perform a fitration and aeration function. The ato is more more convenience on a smaller tank. If it was a 120, that's a different story, but is very manageable by hand.

 

[Dash]

Gosh, it’ll be 3 years this Christmas and I still don’t have an ATO. (Can’t decide on which one and I keep on spending my money on increasingly expensive frags). It’s not a hassle at all, dump in some water in the morning when I check the tank, then again at night. Adding a bit of fresh water is far less work than more frequent water changes imho, and less expensive. My vote is definitely for the skimmer.

 

[Huge49erfan]

I vote ATO. How well is a protein skimmer actually gonna work if your water level isn’t consistent. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve woken up to an overflowing skimmer cup or seen that my skimmer cup isn’t collecting anything because of constant skimmer adjustments due to not having a consistent water level without an ATO. What about if you go on vacation or leave the house for a few days? Either way they are both equally important imo. Also, do your research and don’t get something just because it was cheaper than what you REALLY wanted. You get what you pay for. Good luck

 

[klm2500hd]

I vote protein skimmer. Reason being oxygen levels (higher pH) and removing nutrients. An ATO can be diy'ed pretty cheaply for a short term setup (gravity fed container to float switch, upgrade when funds are available).

 

[cpschult]

Anyone saying skimmer is crazy.

Stability is key. That means consistent salinity.

I run my 25 gallon aio skimmerless. Plenty of reefs out there are beautiful without skimmers.

Ato also eliminates the hassle of having to top off daily/twice a day.

 

[dgruic0712]

Being it's not a big tank, the ato isn't necessary at all. Just keep a 5 gal. bucket with a large measuring cup by the tank. I think my cup is 2 pints. I just dump water from the bucket when I see some air being pumped up from the returm pump and level everything out again.

The skimmer will perform a fitration and aeration function. The ato is more more convenience on a smaller tank. If it was a 120, that's a different story, but is very manageable by hand.

I thought allowing air to be drawn into the return pump wasn’t a good thing? I’m pretty sure you may have return pump issues in the future.

On the topic at hand, 100% ATO. As long as you have good gas exchange and monitoring NO3 and PO4 you should be okay. Also makes being away from home for longer periods of time much easier on yourself.

 

[Maobea]

So Far (and if I counted right) the poll is 9 ATO vs 7 Skimmer. It's pretty close, I'm just curious if I can put all my additives (Ca, Mg, etc) in the ATO reservoir so as to not have to do that manually or is that not advisable? That could very well be a deciding factor.

Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and make this process a little easier. Theres too much information out there and it can be overwhelming!

 

[BrntWaffles]

I'd go with ATO. With a small tank you are going to get bigger salinity swings with evaporation and top offs. Better to keep everything stable. Plus it's easy to do a quick water change on a small tank to make up for lack of skimmer. Plus being able to leave the tank for a few days without worrying about toping it off is nice.