I've never used an ATO, any good ones?

[the mantis lover]

So, i have a 15 gallon nano tank and was wondering if there are any good and affordable Auto Top Off Systems that measure salinity and adds in accordingly, or is that something I will continuously have to do by hand?
is there also something like this for calcium and other things that I need to add in?

 

[Peace River]

Tunze may be the best and is more expensive. IceCap, Reef Breeders, AutoAqua, and XP Aqua all have reasonable ATOs. Personally, I have the IceCap, two others that are discontinued, a DIY option, and several gravity feed systems. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Automatically adding calcium, etc. is often referred to as dosing and there are several dosing pump systems. I am currently using Kamoer for my dosing.

 

[the mantis lover]

Tunze may be the best and is more expensive. IceCap, Reef Breeders, AutoAqua, and XP Aqua all have reasonable ATOs. Personally, I have the IceCap, two others that are discontinued, and several gravity feed systems. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Automatically adding calcium, etc. is often referred to as dosing and there are several dosing pump systems. I am currently using Kamoer for my dosing.

thank you so much!!! my mantis tank will need this

 

[T-J]

I'm not going to repeat everything that @Peace River said, so let me just answer one of your questions: ATO's don't measure salinity and add water. They work off of either a set of electric eyes or floats. As the water evaporates from your system, it detects that the level has dropped off and then adds fresh water until it is back to the proper level.

 

[Pistondog]

Tunze 3152, on/off via float switch in return compartment.

 

[Poseidon03]

So ATOs are based off of evaporation. Only the H2O evaporates, so you only need to replace with pure H2O, not with salt mixed in. Calcium and Alk are harder since your corals consume them. The most reputable things to measure this is either test kits (cheaper) or the trident/alktronic (automatic testing, but a little pricy). Then you dose liquid calcium/alk to your tank either by hand or with a dosing pump over time. If you plan on having corals, definitely get at least the test kits for Alk/Cal.

 

[Onewolf]

I'm not going to repeat everything that @Peace River said, so let me just answer one of your questions: ATO's don't measure salinity and add water. They work off of either a set of electric eyes or floats. As the water evaporates from your system, it detects that the level has dropped off and then adds fresh water until it is back to the proper level.

It's important to note that the ATO normally should provide FRESH water not salt water. When water evaporates the salt remains "in the system" so you need to add fresh (RODI) water to maintain salinity.

 

[Onewolf]

I have an IceCap ATO for about 2 years and no issues. However I recently replaced the original Aqueon glass tops with screen tops and the rate of evaporation is 3-4 times faster now. My 5 gal ATO jug used to last about 2 weeks and now I have to refill it every 3-4 days.

 

[Cell]

Tunze 3155 is the gold standard. But as mentioned, it's probably the most expensive. Still, at under $200 it's well worth the extra dough. I'd probably just DIY though if I was more handy. But I like finish and my DIY would look like a hack job I'm sure.

 

[T-J]

It's important to note that the ATO normally should provide FRESH water not salt water. When water evaporates the salt remains "in the system" so you need to add fresh (RODI) water to maintain salinity.

I'm not going to repeat everything that @Peace River said, so let me just answer one of your questions: ATO's don't measure salinity and add water. They work off of either a set of electric eyes or floats. As the water evaporates from your system, it detects that the level has dropped off and then adds fresh water until it is back to the proper level.

 

[the mantis lover]

thank you all so much for your help!!!!

 

[ectoaesthetics]

Another vote for tunze here. I looked for other options and I have never regretted spending the money for the tunze. I’ve had mine for at least 6 years. I have had to replace the pump once and it was surprisingly affordable to do so.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Tunze may be the best and is more expensive. IceCap, Reef Breeders, AutoAqua, and XP Aqua all have reasonable ATOs. Personally, I have the IceCap, two others that are discontinued, a DIY option, and several gravity feed systems. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Automatically adding calcium, etc. is often referred to as dosing and there are several dosing pump systems. I am currently using Kamoer for my dosing.

I agree Tunze is Legit