Tunze Osmator

[EHaddad]

So the optic sensor keeps getting a film on it and its not topping off my tank. I have the sensor in my return chamber. What can I do to help prevent this? I’m about to go out of town and would like to get this fixed before I leave.

 

[bnord]

mine does on the odd occasion as well, and I do try to remember to give the sensor a wipe when I am going a a trip -

 

[EHaddad]

mine does on the odd occasion as well, and I do try to remember to give the sensor a wipe when I am going a a trip -

Mine is happen every other day pretty much

 

[bnord]

Mine is happen every other day pretty much

then I suspect it is another issue, mine is sporadic, but not more than once every 2 months
this ATO is widely accepted and the most reliable and I would call CS of it it that often

Best of luck

 

[minus9]

Sounds like precipitation from dosing to me. Are you dosing anything in this chamber?

 

[EHaddad]

Sounds like precipitation from dosing to me. Are you dosing anything in this chamber?

I do not dose anything

 

[EHaddad]

then I suspect it is another issue, mine is sporadic, but not more than once every 2 months
this ATO is widely accepted and the most reliable and I would call CS of it it that often

Best of luck

Only thing I can think of is when I turn my pump off the sump water level does go up and maybe that has something to do with that.

 

[minus9]

I do not dose anything

If biofilm is growing that fast, something else is going on. Do you have a full tank shot?

 

[EHaddad]

If biofilm is growing that fast, something else is going on. Do you have a full tank shot?

Just thought about this I am dosing NoPox if that matters. I am fighting high nitrates and phosphate right now.

 

[minus9]

I've had coralline grow on my sensor and it still worked, just needed to scrape it off.

 

[minus9]

Just thought about this I am dosing NoPox if that matters. I am fighting high nitrates and phosphate right now.

Are you having issues because of the nutrient levels?

 

[minus9]

What's high?

 

[EHaddad]

What's high?

Both nitrates and phosphates I found out that my tests were bad when I went to my LFS. Nitrates we’re at 50 when I went.

 

[minus9]

Both nitrates and phosphates I found out that my tests were bad when I went to my LFS. Nitrates we’re at 50 when I went.

But are you having issues because of those levels. Don't go by what someone else tells you, your corals/animals will tell if they are fine, not some number.

 

[minus9]

LFS are horrible at reliable information and will usually tell you that you need to buy something from them.

 

[EHaddad]

But are you having issues because of those levels. Don't go by what someone else tells you, your corals/animals will tell if they are fine, not some number.

No they were struggling my LFS is very trustworthy. He has never tried to sell me any chemicals to date. I contacted Tunze and they said dosing NoPox can cause a film on the optical sensor that can keep it from working.

 

[muzikalmatt]

@rvitko frequents these forums and works for Tunze and is great about troubleshooting these issues. I had a similar issue with mine and think it was just needing a film to develop on the sensor.

Here is what he has said about similar issues: "new plastic is a bubble magnet so every little bubble that comes by clings to it. The main thing is to give it some time to develop a biofilm and make sure the top off hose and any other source of bubbles/splash is not near the optic sensor."

Hope this helps!

 

[EHaddad]

@rvitko frequents these forums and works for Tunze and is great about troubleshooting these issues. I had a similar issue with mine and think it was just needing a film to develop on the sensor.

Here is what he has said about similar issues: "new plastic is a bubble magnet so every little bubble that comes by clings to it. The main thing is to give it some time to develop a biofilm and make sure the top off hose and any other source of bubbles/splash is not near the optic sensor."

Hope this helps!

The top off hose is in my tank in the overflow. The optical sensor only works when I clean it off. If I let the biofilm stay on it it doesn’t work. This is opposite of what Tunze customer service told me.

 

[muzikalmatt]

Interesting. Another option he's provided before is soaking the sensor in vinegar for an hour. Below are several threads/posts about this issue. Hope you can get it sorted out. I had similar issues with this same model and it was frustrating at first, but once I got it working it has been rock solid for years.

Here's a thread about this issue.
Here's another.
Here's a post he made about troubleshooting and testing the sensor.

 

[minus9]

No they were struggling my LFS is very trustworthy. He has never tried to sell me any chemicals to date. I contacted Tunze and they said dosing NoPox can cause a film on the optical sensor that can keep it from working.

Good to know. I would try PNS Probio as a way of controlling nutrients instead of NoPox. Have you tried growing macro algae as another way of reducing nutrients? How are your corals struggling? What can you tell me about your tank and animals?