Hey Slief,
Just another question. I have one baffle in my sump before the return pump. theoretically, that should keep the water level in the skimmer area constant, right? Do I need an ATO for consistency if I have the baffle?
Can't get protein skimmer right
- Thread starter Jmunk
- Start date
Just another question. I have one baffle in my sump before the return pump. theoretically, that should keep the water level in the skimmer area constant, right? Do I need an ATO for consistency if I have the baffle?
the tunze pumps only last a year or so if you are adding kalkwasser to your ato container and don't regularly vinegar soak/clean it. I don'tadd kalk to my ATO container and have never needed to replace my pump and it's the same osmolator I used on my old tank. so mine has been in service for a total of about 3 years.
OP. Highly recommend getting the Tunze unit, best all in one choice.
slief
RC Sponsor
That is correct and that is generally to keep the compartment ahead of the return section consistently level and that is where the skimmer should be placed. If the return section baffle is too low, mirco bubbles can be an issue so in some cases overfilling is needed depending on the sump design. I don't know if you may be overfilling your sump or not. Also, if the return section is really small, more frequent top offs may be needed depending on evap rates.
Also keep in mind that just because that area may have a constant water level, doesn't mean that level will be correct for your skimmer. You may need to raise the skimmer up if it's too deep to prevent the skimmer from overflowing. If the level in that section is too low, then flooding the return section and an ATO will be your only hope to getting your skimmer to produce. Skimmers are very sensitive to water levels and having the level correct for the skimmer can be very important in tuning them.
That said, even if you get your skimmer woes resolved by moving your skimmer, an ATO is a very good accessory to have. It keeps your salinity much more stable and stability is a key factor in a reef system. Also, if you are topping off large amounts of fresh water for evaporation, the surface tension of the water will briefly change and that can drive a skimmer nuts as well. An ATO will only add a tiny bit of water and do so several times a day. That small addiition generally won't impact the tank or the surface tension so things like skimmers remain uneffected. A general rule for an average is a tank will evaporate 1 gallon of water a day per 100 gallons of water volume. Obviously this is an average and things like ambient temps and humidity play a role in that. Here in So. Cal, that is about what I evap during the summer where as in the winter, it's about half that. Having run ATO's for many years now, I wouldn't even consider running a reef without one. It makes life much easier and it just one less thing to worry about.
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slief
RC Sponsor
+1.. I know many people with the Tunze ATO and none of them have ever had a failure. It's by far the best & most reliable standalone, all inclusive ATO you can get.
Coelli
New member
If your return chamber is small and doesn't have a lot of water volume, the Osmolator Nano will probably work as well. I have one on my ~110g total volume system (two tanks, one sump). It doesn't have to work too hard. I have it turn on every 15 minutes for up to 15 seconds and it very rarely runs for more than 2-3 seconds. Also, Tunze has amazing customer service and a 2 year warranty.
