Rubbermaid sump: how to place float valves

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Hey guys

considering replacing my converted 125 sump for a 100g Rubbermaid for extra capacity in anticipation of a 400g upgrade. I’m currently rebuilding my fishroom after moving house, so I have decent space, and doing it now would give me space for an additional lowboy frag grow out, instead of having to reconfigure everything (read: rip out plumbing and waste money on bulkheads etc) in 18 months.

question: how are people positioning ATO sensors in the rubbermaid sumps? I don’t want to drill, since you are then locked in to a particular volume, and I use a IM hydrofil with the platinum sensors.

I have thought about laying a cross brace across the stock tank, with a perpendicular piece that drops down,
And attaching floats or the sensor to that. I could also make that adjustable so I could vary the water level when I add/remove rock or media etc.

So- any tips on doing this? Thanks
 
In various DIY setups I have had a few sensor mounts like this over the years:


...or mounted it to a piece of PVC pipe like this:


...or you could even go with something like this for the drain (and then attach the probes as well):


Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
As a user of a stock tank for a sump, keep in mind that the surface area will impact how close your ATO will track salinity. Meaning if your ATO has a built in hysteresis that requires a bit of play in the level for it to engage or disengage, the large surface area of a stock tank will magnify it. If your tank is large enough compared to the sump, than the issue is lessened. But if you have a stock tank under a modest sized tank with an ATO that has say a 1/4" (6 mm) of wiggle room, than the salinity shift can get noticeable (if you track it).

Dennis
 
I used a piece of clear acrylic. And heated it up with heat gun and molded it to sump, for both floats. Simple
 

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