ATO on a sumpless nano, just use a dosing pump?

[YoungREEFA]

At the moment untill i can find a solana 34, ive got a 10 gallon thats going to look pretty BA imo. As its getting stocked with sps it needs to be topped off more consistently, but it doesnt have a sump. I would think Using float switches would allow for some sort of swing in salinity as the switches must go up or down 1/2 inch to an inch to be activated. That leads me to thinking about using dosing pumps... If i can get an accurate measurement of evaporation i bet a dosing pump would keep a rock solid salinity. Meanwhile if i got a unit that houses a couple pumps i could do alk and cal as well. Just shine some light on this subject if you can.

 

[reefgeezer]

I use a BRS 50 ml/min dosing pump on a Home Depot Digital timer for my ATO. Just figure out how much you evaporate on average in a 24 hour period and set a timer to run the pump enough to make up that amount. You'll have to tweak it a little at first and from time to time but it's simple to do.

 

[hogfanreefer]

Thought about this for my nano but where I live humidity and therefore evaporation varies greatly. Higher in the winter and lower during the summer. Would be tough in a really small pico.

 

[Reef Frog]

It's certainly possible but could easily go wrong if not implemented correctly & frequently monitored.

First, you need to achieve stable evaporation. Which might entail a glass top covering most of the surface. The room needs to keep consistent humidity and stable temps. If these parameters swing during the seasons evap rates will swimg while you're delivering a constant amount of water. Fluctuating salinity is about the worst thing you can do to most SPS. So you would need to carefully I observe evaporation rates during changing scenarios.

You would need to carefully calibrate the doser or lift pump and would need a digital timer with 1 minute increment capability & battery back up. Don't forget to run the tank low - the amount corresponding with the volume of your RO resevoir in the event of over fill, which will save your floors but probably nuke many or all corals. You can see the weaknesses of this during an extended power outage.

If you mark the correct fill level on the front of the tank with magic marker and have a reliable person check it twice a day, he/she could manually top off or temporarily suspend operation if needed. I suspect you would need to adjust it during a vacation for example.

This set up might be great for watering plants but pretty dicey for a nano SPS tank.

 

[YoungREEFA]

The tanks in a basement where its relatively a consistent environment, and i bet seasonal changes could be adjusted to. I would get a digital unit with a built in timer if i go this route.

 

[Reef Frog]

I use an Elos ATO on my 65g. I chose it bc of tight space. The electronic sensor is smaller that a pencil and could be used unobtrusively in a nano I believe. No float switches. It can be rigged so only a very small water drop will turn it on. It can be attached with a magnet kit or even suction cups if you dare or the included mounting bracket that I don't like. It's great for the rear compartments of an AIO aquarium. It's expensive but reliable and precise. It has a few flaws/annoyances but they are minor.

(DISCLOSURE: I have never used it myself in a nano BTW but believe it would work well. But don't go out & spend your $$ unless you have return privileges)

 

[YoungREEFA]

If you guys think float switches are ample then i dont mind using them. Tomorrow i will try to let the water drop down half an inch or so, the sps shouldnt mind. That way i can see how much the salinity is changed.

 

[Reef Frog]

I use a BRS 50 ml/min dosing pump on a Home Depot Digital timer for my ATO. Just figure out how much you evaporate on average in a 24 hour period and set a timer to run the pump enough to make up that amount. You'll have to tweak it a little at first and from time to time but it's simple to do.

Ah a young reefa and a geeza! How has this worked for you? Any malfunctions, over fills or under fills? Would you leave this alone during a 5 day trip or vacation? I was wondering bc I have a barrel with some LR & random polyps in water for an upcoming build, where I was thinking of doing this cheap method & don't feel like buying a second ATO at the moment. But I'm wary as I often regret going the cheap route but in this case it's only LR with a few unremarkable zoas & palys under a strip light.

 

[Reef Frog]

If you guys think float switches are ample then i dont mind using them. Tomorrow i will try to let the water drop down half an inch or so, the sps shouldnt mind. That way i can see how much the salinity is changed.

The float switches on a reliable ATO would be best for reliability. I would consider the max deviatio acceptabe would be 1.001 or 1.002 for SPS like acros, as measured with a calibrated refractometer, not a hydrometer. Not much room for error on a 10 gallon. Good luck.

 

[reefgeezer]

Ah a young reefa and a geeza! How has this worked for you? Any malfunctions, over fills or under fills? Would you leave this alone during a 5 day trip or vacation? I was wondering bc I have a barrel with some LR & random polyps in water for an upcoming build, where I was thinking of doing this cheap method & don't feel like buying a second ATO at the moment. But I'm wary as I often regret going the cheap route but in this case it's only LR with a few unremarkable zoas & palys under a strip light.

I've used the timer/dosing pump for a couple of years now. It has worked well with no problems. HOWEVER... the sump level rises or falls a little (like 1/2") before I notice that the timer needs adjusting. That's less than a gallon gain or loss in a 130 gallon system so the salinity isn't really impacted. I have a line drawn at the nominal water level for reference. I have to adjust it a few times a year.

I've left the tank for as long as 7 days. The timer, a Home Depot Programmable Digital Lamp Timer, has a battery back-up so power outages are not an issue. Best of all I don't have to turn off the ATO system when I'm doing something that drops the sump level.

I've been burned by cheap before also. This however seems to work.

 

[YoungREEFA]

Anyone have a rough idea of how low the JBJ ATO bracket lets the float switch sit? I would hate to get the unit and have the switch be way to low and the tank be missing about a gallons worth of water.

 

[toomany]

Anyone have a rough idea of how low the JBJ ATO bracket lets the float switch sit? I would hate to get the unit and have the switch be way to low and the tank be missing about a gallons worth of water.

I've got a JBJ ATO, when I get home I can take a few pictures of how they are set up. There is some adjusability, if you need a different spot than the stock brackets offer, they don't look too hard to modify.

 

[89Foxbody]

I have the JBJ ATO on my RSM with a 2.5gal tank in the bottom of the stand, some tubing, and a MaxiJet 600 pushing it up into the tank. Works flawlessly.

 

[HiImSean]

I ran a JBJ on my 5.5g at work for a year. Never had any issues with it. A 5gallon jug lasted quite a while on it. Pretty easy to add to the tank. You can mess with it enough to get very little evaporation to trigger the top off. I used an aqualifter pump with it.

You can kind of see how they're mounted just next to my HOB filter

 

[ryan c 0_o]

YoungREEFA..........one suggestion you could do if you dont wanna drop a couple hundo on an ATO for your nano. Just use a Vacuum pump water lifter with a small valve.

Get an automatic timer and set it for 1 minute every 2 hours for 12 hours. Mark your water line and adjust the amount of water per minute with the flow valve.

Very easy to do. Have done this with a couple different sizes of the IM Nuvo tanks. Worked like a champ. Suuuuuper easy especially if you said the tank is in a fairly constant environment. Not ideal I know and I run a Tunze ATO...........just saying its very doable. Especially if you put eyes on your tank everyday and can watch the sump level while you calibrate for a couple days.

Anyway. Could work fine for fish / LPS nano tanks.

Cool

 

[YoungREEFA]

I ran a JBJ on my 5.5g at work for a year. Never had any issues with it. A 5gallon jug lasted quite a while on it. Pretty easy to add to the tank. You can mess with it enough to get very little evaporation to trigger the top off. I used an aqualifter pump with it.

You can kind of see how they're mounted just next to my HOB filter

Okay i can tell by your water level and the placement of the floats that it looks quite adequate. You guys suggest an aqualifter as a pump or a small maxi?

 

[rovster]

I ran a tunze nano osmolator on my non sumped 30. No problem at all. Only issue is all the waves would mess with the float but in the end it all worked out. Kept things really stable for me.