ATO comparisons... which one would you prefer?

[Fish doctor]

I use one from autotopoff.com. It's been trouble free so far.

 

[rovster]

I have both tunzes. The main one has been awesome for 2+ years. I run the nano version on my qt tank and its overflowed 3 times

Wish I could figure out why. It's not from not cleaning the float. I think bubbles get in there or something....

 

[outy]

Been using the one from autotopoff with an aqua lifter pump. No problems so far. However I only let it run for 5 minutes per hour with my apex.

About a decade with mine.


Had a 6 dollar float go south, and they are easy to replace.

 

[Syntax1325]

Tunze has been spot on for about a year, one of the best purchases I've made. The tunze is expensive; however, it truly is "set it and forget it". I also had a JBJ for while, worked well but would overfill about an inch every couple of weeks, i never could figure out why. The customer support on tunze is excellent.

 

[Reef908]

I have the hydor smart level for about a year and have not had issues. I use the aqualifter pump as well and works like a charm. Not sure if you considered that one at all yet....

 

[Reef Frog]

I think the auto aqua is a new product so there may not be many owners to report on it.

I like the looks of it. Very simple with low profile parts. It has to have the smallest sensor I've ever seen. Perhaps perfect for a nano or pico tank or where room to mount is right, if it proves to be reliable and durable.

 

[nyknicks4412]

Tunze nano...I actually prefer it over the full version. Had issues with full version getting tripped off incorrectly due to micro bubbles.

 

[jraker]

I have the tunze nano ato and I love it

 

[firemountain]

I have the Avast Marine and love it. It runs off a pressure switch just like the Litermeter. Not a huge fan of float switches that can get stuck if a snail gets in the way. The Tunze's are also very popular, and a lot of guys use them.

Either way I would recommend a peristaltic pump to prevent the possibility of back siphoning.

 

[MBS]

I have a JBJ, a Hydor and a custom arduino which i built (custom right down to the circuit board using a non-standard atmel processor). I like the jbj and the custom one the best. I see a lot of people mentioning reliability of float switches here but any sensor can fail and a float switch is one of those simple devices that when you do maintenance in it you can tell when you've done it right. Also, should one fail they are easy to find and cheap to replace quickly which may not be the case with a special proprietary sensor.

The hydor uses a special non-mechanical sensor which in and of itself is not a real problem. The bigger issue is that it really is 3 sensors in on. High, medium, low. It stays off until the low sensor turns off, then it fills until the middle one turns on. So during normal operation the water level bounces by close to 1/2" in the sump. If your goal is keep salinity as stable as possible then the sensor has to be in an isolated area of small volume which fluctuates with evaporation. That can be easily done in a sump but requires additional work and planning that may not be needed with a float sensor that has a defined on/off point.

 

[Yonp11]

Tunze is solid

 

[burton14e7]

Not one mention of the Genesis storm lol I'm guessing it's price is a little ridiculous.

 

[shermanator]

I have both models of the Tunze and both models of the SmartATO. If it's going in the sump, it's a no brainer: Tunze. The only time I would consider the SmartATO is when you are HOB-only and the ATO is going into the DT -- and the SmartATO is perfect for that application. The new one is so tiny and doesn't matter what the background is (works on painted glass, etc). I like them both, but the Tunze is the top of the ladder for any sump-based applications.

 

[AZBigJohn]

I use one from autotopoff.com. It's been trouble free so far.

I have two that I have had for several years. I had one go bad after 2 years, and they replaced it without question.

ATOs do not to be super high-tech. They just need to work, and these do...