Toms aqaulifter pump and hydor ATO?

[Salty.Reefer]

well it turns on for me it just wont top off the water through the pump or whatever

I have the same set up and had the same issue. I used to use the hanging kit for the aqua lifter to hide it on the back of my sump but I saw it was some times dripping and others not filling fast enough. I raised the outlet for the ATO water above the highest level of ATO water by 2 inches and also put the aqua lifter onto of the ATO and now it is filling much quicker and no issues for over 2 months. used to have a bunch of issues bot none now.

 

[Salty.Reefer]

You could step up to a very small Rio or Ehiem pump but you also loose the very slow addition of the aqua lifter and the ability for it to run dry.

 

[Ineedhelp]

HAHA! Had the hydro for 6 months and couldnt get it too work (been a busy time not much to dedicate to figuring it out) did the calibration and got it working!

False Alarm, it seems it went longer with adding water but didn't get to the line before throwing the alarm... Is this pump strong enough?

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

False Alarm, it seems it went longer with adding water but didn't get to the line before throwing the alarm... Is this pump strong enough?

Can you raise your ATO reservoir a bit? That will increase the pumping rate.

 

[Nebraska Reef]

False Alarm, it seems it went longer with adding water but didn't get to the line before throwing the alarm... Is this pump strong enough?

It sounds like the pump is too small or not pumping enough for the hydor. Mine has done this after water changes. The alarm will sound if it's ran more than X minutes. Hope that helps.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

The aqualifter pumps are quite slow for larger tanks. I used two in parallel to meet the required level change before the Hydor Alarm would sound. Also, elevating the ATO container with respect to the topoff addition point will reduce the required amount of head, so the flowrate will increase. Using a taller ATO reservoir will also help some, but you will have the same issue when the level in the ATO container gets low.

 

[Salty.Reefer]

False Alarm, it seems it went longer with adding water but didn't get to the line before throwing the alarm... Is this pump strong enough?

How do you have the pump mounted. It could be the same issue i mentioned before

 

[Lowstorm]

I love My hydor. That said, I had To get a bigger pump too. It wouldn't fill fast enough for Tom's to work.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I love My hydor. That said, I had To get a bigger pump too. It wouldn't fill fast enough for Tom's to work.

I just swapped to this guy from the two aqualifters I had:
https://www.amazon.com/Uniclife-Submersible-Aquarium-Powerhead-Hydroponic/dp/B00ZW6OHHY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1481062584&sr=8-5&keywords=120V+submersible+pump&th=1

Straight up replacement with similar head characteristics to the aqualifter but a much higher flowrate. Also, the pump is really inexpensive, so you can easily afford a spare or two