Is an ATO worth it?

[Victory652]

Hello everyone, I have a 55 gal tank. Is it worth it to add an ATO to this tank? I do not have a sump for this tank. Just a filter.

In you experience was it worth it to add an ATO to your setup? Why?

 

[T-J]

Hands down one of the best inventions for reef tanks. I've been doing this for over 20 years. Before we had to use IV lines and GUESS on how much water was evaporating by dripping it into the tank. ATO's keep the salinity very stable. I wouldn't run a tank without one!

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

From someone that manually tops off his tanks every day, an ATO is very worth it

 

[NowGlazeIT]

One less task to worry about

 

[Jib]

I have a 14 gallon desktop tank and could not imagine not having an ATO. My little tank evaporates like 20 oz of water each day. It's a pain in the butt to always be topping off. Literally the best thing I bought for my tank.

 

[Sshannon]

Unless you have a glass top over your tank to limit evaporation, an ATO; although a luxury item; is so convenient to have. Plus having it top off throughout the day is way more stable than dumping 2 gallons of RO water at the end of each week. That said, you get what you pay for. Make sure you get one with a redundant second sensor to prevent overflows or snails knocking around the first sensor.

 

[thedudebob]

Absolutely worth it!

 

[kingjames_dc5]

Absolutely wroth it. As stated above. One less task to worry about on a daily basis. Also benefits a more stable salinity. I also would not run a system without one.

 

[Dw79]

I have a sumpless system as well and would not be without one. Once you have had one, you will never go back

 

[MichaelReefer]

Hello everyone, I have a 55 gal tank. Is it worth it to add an ATO to this tank? I do not have a sump for this tank. Just a filter.

In you experience was it worth it to add an ATO to your setup? Why?

Yes. Less Maintenance. You can also leave a few days and not worry about water level or salinity.

 

[Gtinnel]

The answer is an adding an ATO is always worth it.

 

[WheatToast]

From someone that manually tops off his tanks every day, an ATO is very worth it

Agreed! Carrying a bucket back and forth from the sink is a pain!

 

[Joe31415]

Another vote for it being worth it. I have a 40 g tank (that I drilled) and a 20g sump. All together, probably about 50g of saltwater. I'd guess that the tank evaporates 2-3 gallons per week.
The problem with a typical tank/sump set up is that you run the risk of your return pump running dry. However, you don't have a sump so that isn't a concern. However, what is still a concern is that as water evaporates, the salt concentration gets higher.

Don't get me wrong, you don't have to buy one this week. Just keep it in the back of your mind and buy a decent one (like a Tunze 3155 as opposed to a Tunze 3152) when you have the money and are ready and willing to spend it. In the mean time, when the water is at your preferred height, mark the water level on the glass with some tape or a marker or something, that way you're not guessing. Again, remember, as the water level goes down, the salt concentration goes up. It's not like a fresh water tank where you can just let it run down and add a random amount of water back in to it. You need to keep the height relatively consistent by topping off with RODI.

 

[RedReefer]

I would not run a saltwater tank without one. Plays a big role in stability…

 

[Chrisv.]

In a word, yes. Totally worth it. Stability and convenience are unmatched.

 

[G Santana]

Stability is what you want, I see it as dosing, cleaning filtration devices, testing and ATO.
These are key to stability.

 

[dvgyfresh]

I have a jug next to my tank filled with RODI water I just manually put some in daily I would like ATO but hard for me to justify cost, it takes me like 10 secs a day

 

[G Santana]

I have a jug next to my tank filled with RODI water I just manually put some in daily I would like ATO but hard for me to justify cost, it takes me like 10 secs a day

Get a gravity fed float valve. For a few dollars you can automate. No electricity, nothing to go bad. The only problem would be if gravity stopped working.
It's what I did

 

[MONTANTK]

It is very much worth it. Mine recently broke so I’ve been adding water by hand and while it’s not terrible, I’m thankful I don’t have a larger tank

 

[PatW]

You can top off by hand. But an ATO does not forget and it tops off multiple times per day. Marine creatures love, love, love stability. You can get a basic ATO and pump from auto top off . Com.