Tunze Quality!

[DED65]

From ATO's, pumps and skimmers to the new algae reactors, Tunze is one of the best. I rarely have any issues with their products and I own several. I bought two of their algae reactors recently and these things are awesome. In two weeks, I have already had to harvest Chaeto because it's growing like weeds. I had one issue with one of the reactors and contacted Tunze support. Roger contacted me and helped walk me through the issue. He sent out a replacement part immediately. I will not ever hesitate to buying Tunze again. From quality products to excellent customer service, you can't beat them. Thanks again Roger!

By the way, where are the tank pics?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Thanks for that. I ordered a tunze ATO which should arrive today. I've been manually topping off for a long time, and I'm very concerned about relying on a machine to not flood my living room.

 

[Joe31415]

Thanks for that. I ordered a tunze ATO which should arrive today. I've been manually topping off for a long time, and I'm very concerned about relying on a machine to not flood my living room.

Depending on which ATO you got, it has either two or three ways of preventing that. The bigger one (3155?) has an optical sensor that does the heavy lifting. As well as a float sensor above that in case the optical sensor fails. Plus, it'll shut itself off after, IIRC, 10 minutes of run time without either sensor being tripped. That nano, only has the float sensor (no optical sensor) and appears that it'll shut off after 1.4 minutes of run time.

On top of those two or three safety measures, you could certainly add an outlet controlled by a separate optical/float sensor that's set above the other sensor(s) or even a flood/leak detector, that'll cut power to the ATO. That way, if something goes catastrophically wrong, you've got a totally independent device that will take control.

Plus, if you want to be really, really, safe, figure out exactly how much extra water your tank can have in it* and don't put more than that much in your ATO bucket.

*for yet another safety measure, find the amount your tank can have in it with the return pump off. That would simulate the ATO bypassing multiple sensors and timeouts, filling the tank with far too much water...and then losing power to the return pump and siphoning water back into the sump.

 

[Leyth]

You can also adjust flowrate with the 3155 if you take the controller apart. There is a knob in there that lets you adjust it.

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

Thank you all!

 

[KomsCorals]

I rarely had issues with tunze products and when I did Roger was super knowledgeable and helpful to get things back on track. Will always we a tunze buyer for life

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

Thank you!

 

[Joe31415]

Has anyone used the 3152 ATO. I have the 3155 and really like it, but I was going to pick up a 3152 Nano for a QT so it's half the price, but it's got a ton of bad reviews.

 

[rwreef]

Has anyone used the 3152 ATO. I have the 3155 and really like it, but I was going to pick up a 3152 Nano for a QT so it's half the price, but it's got a ton of bad reviews.

Avoid it! I have both and magnet holder on the 3152 messes with the float switch. I tried adding space between the two and it would work for several days without issues and then stop working completely. It actually burned up a pump while I was on vacation because it stopped working. I called and tried to get fix. Nothing worked. The only thing I found that works is to ditch the magnet holder and make some other way to attach to the tank. IMO A $100 ATO shouldn't require modifications. I love my 3155 and it's worked flawlessly for 6+ yrs....

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

The majority of Nano Osmolator complaints stem from not reading the instructions and understanding what the product is intended to do. The safety is a time limit, out of the box it is set to 1 min 45 seconds and is for a tank under 26 gallons, it will time out if the tank is not filled in this time and it then shuts down the pump twitches as an alarm and it will never run again. This time limit equals about 1.5 quarts of top off. It has an optional setting of a 2 min 40 second time limit, 2.5 quarts, for 26-55 gallons. This product is only intended to be an economical option for small aquariums which generally are a limited investment, it is not in anyway made for larger systems and it is foolish to try to make one work for that, the investment in a larger system more than justifies using the 3155 which has far more safeties and redundancies. It is true that the main sensor, the float, is prone to magnetic interference issues, if the glass is outside the range of 3/16-3/8", it wont work well and everything has to be properly lined up, no magnets within 4". Besides that, we do see a lot of shorts caused by water damage that completely defeat the float switch, typically when the complaint is sticking on, this is the cause, people leave the controller on the stand floor and the water follows the float wire down into the controller and shorts it on, a drip loop and attaching the controller with some velcro prevents this. Actual defects are quite rare.

 

[rwreef]

Just to clarify. I use my 3152 today without the magnet holder today and it operates without issues. It has been used on a standard 10g sump for a 20g aquarium and a 12g nanocube (not at the same time). I use the 3155 on my 75g setup. With the magnet the 3152 is not consistent or reliable long term. Water inside the controller has never been an issue for myself and/or understanding the instructions. Not sure about other failure feedback Tunze receives on this part#.

 

[X-37B]

Has anyone used the 3152 ATO. I have the 3155 and really like it, but I was going to pick up a 3152 Nano for a QT so it's half the price, but it's got a ton of bad reviews.

I have both. The nano has been running 5 years. First on my nano and now on my 45 frag.
The only issue I have had is when
I add water to the container. You need to move the pump up and down to get rid of any air that may get trapped in it.
Also dont let your container run dry.
Also keep a spare pump just like any other piece of equipment you run.

Their skimmers are so underrated its a shame.
My 9410dc on my 120 has been running for 20+ months now.
I also have the non dc version on my frag system I bought used.
You do not have to turn it off to clean the cup.
It has not been adjusted from day one.
I have taken it out and cleaned it 3 times.
Put it back in, turn it on and it skims.

Their powerheads are so good that I got a great deal on 3 6105's that are 12+ years old and they are still running strong.
I also bought 2 used 6105's with the controller and will replace the old ones if they ever die, lol.
My return pump is also a Tunze.
My carx is a Tunze.
I had an issue with the flange and Roger replaced it asap.
My only regret with the carx is I bought the 3171 and after a year I wish I had spent the money and got the 3172. It holds 5x the amount of media and I could have used it on my upgade.
I will use the 3171 on my frag system and just buy the 3172 for the 120 and use it on my upgrade.
The 3171 has been rock solid and keeps my alk between 7-7.5.
I also run the Tunze made media which only does alk and ca but I dose trace.

Thanks again to Roger!
You can not go wrong with any of the Tunze
Products.

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

rwreef, my apologies, my reply was not directed at you, just generally what we see. In this circumstance, a typical 10 gallon has a glass thickness of 1/8", it is too thin to cancel the magnetic field of the magnet holder. I would place a 1/8" scrap of acrylic between the outside magnet and glass and if they are lined up with respect to both the rotation of the magnets (use the slots to line up the rotation orientation) and the x and y axis, it should work reliably. If it does not, I would be happy to try to help you solve it.

 

[Bay]

Definitely the best brand IMO, when something breaks, Roger and team always make it right.

 

[rwreef]

rwreef, my apologies, my reply was not directed at you, just generally what we see. In this circumstance, a typical 10 gallon has a glass thickness of 1/8", it is too thin to cancel the magnetic field of the magnet holder. I would place a 1/8" scrap of acrylic between the outside magnet and glass and if they are lined up with respect to both the rotation of the magnets (use the slots to line up the rotation orientation) and the x and y axis, it should work reliably. If it does not, I would be happy to try to help you solve it.

No offense taken and no apology needed!! I was only offering my experience with this model. Don't get me wrong I love my other Tunze products. I tried acrylic and other methods to increase the distance between the magnet and switch with respect to polarity. I am happy with my current solution. I design consumer electronics for a living and I understand nothing is perfect and we only hope to learn and improve moving forward. Again, Tunze is a quality brand. Cheers! No hard feelings here at all.

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

Thank you!

 

[jft]

Just Got Tunze 2004 skimmer Like Eheim filters Quality German made Technology. Tunze 9012 skimmer will be next on my list.

 

[Van Eternal]

Looking to get the tunze algae reactor , as i dont have much space in the sump. Any more information on it as the time passed , do you still recommend it ?

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

I am happy with mine and I get very few complaints, most of the complaints I have had center around the pump not being strong enough for the application, per the manual if there is a higher head pressure need, there is an optional 24V power supply that needs to be purchased and used in place of the 12V.

 

[Joe31415]

Avoid it! I have both and magnet holder on the 3152 messes with the float switch. I tried adding space between the two and it would work for several days without issues and then stop working completely. It actually burned up a pump while I was on vacation because it stopped working. I called and tried to get fix. Nothing worked. The only thing I found that works is to ditch the magnet holder and make some other way to attach to the tank. IMO A $100 ATO shouldn't require modifications. I love my 3155 and it's worked flawlessly for 6+ yrs....

So a while back, after my last post, I added the 3155 to my coral QT. Every time I shut off the return pump, I go to unplug the ATO so I don't have to listen to it beep at me only to realize it's not beeping. Normally if I tap the float it breaks free of whatever is holding it and sets off the alarm, but yeah, that float is completely unreliable and I'm really glad my ATO isn't relying on it or I'm quite sure it wouldn't constantly be overflowing.