BEST ATO

[SPR1968]

Tunze Osmolator for me all the way, it was the one recommended to me 3 years ago when I researched and asked the same question and it’s been faultless.

The Apex does also look tempting, because I have Apex Fusion, and I have considered getting the Apex as a form of redundancy as well

 

[wiselyy73]

Only issue with Tunze is it will pump water when you power it on no matter where the water level is. I have to deal with that every time when doing water change.

 

[road_runner]

Only issue with Tunze is it will pump water when you power it on no matter where the water level is. I have to deal with that every time when doing water change.

Is not all ATO does that?

 

[bigcheese]

Is not all ATO does that?

I have an XP Aqua... it doesn't. Pretty nice piece of gear for the price.

 

[road_runner]

I have an XP Aqua... it doesn't. Pretty nice piece of gear for the price.

But how?
ATO will dose when water is below the level..how would it.know you are doing water change that's why level is low?

 

[Red1CA]

Tunze for me, as others mentioned customer service was great. Mine had water damaged purchase out of warranty and got it back with no issues

 

[Water Dog]

Only issue with Tunze is it will pump water when you power it on no matter where the water level is. I have to deal with that every time when doing water change.

I just open up the controller box and turn the red potentiometer knob all the way counter clockwise to the “nano” setting to slow the pump down, so it soesnt dump that much water in during that 15 second auto fill upon power up.

 

[bigcheese]

I have it on an Apex-controlled outlet and set up a virtual outlet for when I do maintenance. Shuts down the wavemakers, ATO and Skimmer. It doesn't immediately start pumping on powerup, only after it gets a sensor read and sees that it's low.
Yeah, I know it's "cheating", but...

If you're not cheating, you're not trying. If you get caught, you're not trying hard enough.

 

[MLSReefer]

SpectraPure 100%

No pump matches what theirs does. Most have a head height of 5 feet lol.

I pump my water 15 feet up, 60 feet over. not a single issue. Went through about 2 smart ATOs and 1 tunze before buying it. Worth the price + 5 year warranty

 

[Hallowhead]

I have a smart aqua ATO micro on my IM 30 gallon long. Since the rant and rave about the tunze 3155 I have got a second hand one for my frag tank I am starting. I have ready a tremendous amount of good things about it.

 

[Rich Klein]

I'm all-in with my Apex, but still use, and am really happy with my Tunze 3155.

 

[Tastee]

I use the Neptune ATK, but only to fill my stock RSR ATO, so it is only ever exposed to RODI. The PMUP is also remote and only fills the ATO once a day at midday so noise is not an issue for me and I feel the daily run reduces the risk of PMUP failure (which others complain about). The stock ATO gives me 2-3 days life in case of an ATK failure.

I plan to replicate this setup in my second bigger tank I intend to install in 3-6 months.

In this configuration I recommend the ATK and like the multiple levels of redundancy it provides. I also use the spare ports in the FMM for other monitoring purposes.

For standalone use, particularly direct into tank, I see overwhelming reviews and feedback suggesting Tunze and other options however.

 

[Reef_A_Lot]

I’ve been using my Auto aqua smart Ato going on 4 years now. I clean the pump with vinegar once a month.

 

[Sonor]

I have been using the tunze 3155 since 2012, no issues. Have two on two different systems. I've never had a problem,

 

[Eye H8 Empty V]

I have the XP Aqua sensor and solenoid and it’s awesome with my RO system. I plan on purchasing the ATO when my DT is ready.