Is it possible to have a successful reef tank without an ATO?

[reefnoob88]

I have a 55g column reef tank i am currently cycling and i have been manually adding top off R/O water. My tank evaporates about 4 cups of water every 12hrs. Im currently keeping 1.026 salinity but im testing after i add my R/O water. I really like the tunze osomilator but is it possible to keep a successful reef tank without one?

 

[rocsec1]

Sure it is, but much easier with an auto. I ran mine for year without one, but once I got it I wished I had gotten it sooner

 

[xCry0x]

An ATO won't cause your tank to fail; you getting lazy with manual top offs will cause your tank to fail.

So to that extent, I would consider an ATO mandatory because the amount of evaporation some tanks can have is insane. My tank has a fan for cooling and during the summer it can burn off 1 gallon a day. I would go crazy trying to manually keep that topped off!

 

[heathlindner25]

Absolutely not.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I've been in the hobby for 12 years. For the past 6+ I've had 2 systems with almost 400g of saltwater in the house. I've been manually doing the water top off on both systems for all that time.

In the last month I installed an ATO on my primary DT system (200g). It makes life a little easier. However, I've already had a float stick and dump all 10g in the ATO reservoir into the sump. So even though it helps, I still end up checking on it every morning!

 

[JimON]

Love my Osmolator.:thumbsup:

 

[Jon0807]

The only thing I don't like about the Osomolator is the priming feature. Every time you turn it off for maintenance or whatnot and then plug it back in, it shoots RODI in. I've found that if you lower the setting of the pump it'll add less water at a time but still irritating.

You also have to be realistic with yourself. Will you be religious about topping off? Especially if you keep your salinity at 1.026. If you slack just for a couple of days, that could affect your salinity pretty drastically. I started off without one thinking that I'd be on top of it but life always gets in the way. Once I got the Osomolator, I wish I had gotten it sooner. But like I said, be aware that every time you unplug the thing, it'll shoot water in. Also make sure you read the warnings. DO NOT have the end of the hose in the water or have the reservoir above the water level cause it'll cause a siphon and empty out your reservoir into the tank. Luckily there's the warning sensor. Speaking from experience here lol

 

[Timfish]

Not only do you not need an ATO you don't need to top it off daily. My skimmerless system started in '97 has as much as 15 gallons evaporation a week depending on weather conditions that is delt with during weekly maintenance.

 

[ComforablyNumb]

No you dont NEED an ato. Nice to have depending on your circumstances, but its also something else that can go wrong and potentially wipe out a tank. I top up manually, just like I feed my fish manually..even tho there are automatic feeders (that can also fail)

 

[mcgyvr]

Of course you can go without one provided that you can manually add water as needed..
Salinity change calculator based on evaporation,etc.. here..
https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/ResultingSalinity.php

 

[LennyD4]

I've been in the hobby for 12 years. For the past 6+ I've had 2 systems with almost 400g of saltwater in the house. I've been manually doing the water top off on both systems for all that time.

In the last month I installed an ATO on my primary DT system (200g). It makes life a little easier. However, I've already had a float stick and dump all 10g in the ATO reservoir into the sump. So even though it helps, I still end up checking on it every morning!

100% agree with you. My first 65 gallon tank crashed because a snail caught caught up in my sump float valve and dump all 20 gallons into the system. Definitely learned that day to put a second safety in.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[newbie2014]

The only thing I don't like about the Osomolator is the priming feature. Every time you turn it off for maintenance or whatnot and then plug it back in, it shoots RODI in. I've found that if you lower the setting of the pump it'll add less water at a time but still irritating.

I think it's a self-check feature to show that it's functioning. I rather have that than to see nothing is happening after I plug it back in. Also, unless you have one if those nano systems, I doubt the water that comes out during self prime (at most 1 cup) will lower your salinity more than 0.1ppt, which is nothing.

 

[newbie2014]

Not only do you not need an ATO you don't need to top it off daily. My skimmerless system started in '97 has as much as 15 gallons evaporation a week depending on weather conditions that is delt with during weekly maintenance.

I have to agree with this.

It's hard to believe that the ocean salinity stay constant all the time. And I'm sure corals are naturally resilient enough to deal with that kind of fluctuation.

 

[ReefsandGeeks]

I love my ATO osmometer because if it runs for more than a set amount of time (snail stuck in float), than it automatically cuts power and won't add anymore water until you unplug and replug it in.

Also, when my RODI reservoir runs out, the ATO will make a noise with the pump every minute or so to let you know you need to refill the reservoir.

I topped off manually for 2 years and would never go back. Best $100 I've spent in the hobby. ( I have the nano version on my 65g.)

 

[billdogg]

I've been keeping marine systems for about 30 years and have never had an ATO.

When it was FO or fish and softies I would let the sump go until I saw bubbles in the DT. Now that I am keeping SPS, I top off every few days, usually about 5g in a 120DT/40b sump setup.

 

[Clowning_Around]

Simply No. As its namee implies it is an automation device, manual still works its just more manual effort...

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[fishpureluck]

I use a BRS 50ML per minute dosing pump hooked to an electrical float switch. I have a tank of fresh RO next to the stand, and it pumps in what it needs. I run the same system on my 300 FOWLR and 120 SPS/LPS Reef. I've running these for years with no issues. Cheap and easy. Plus, at a rate of 50ML/min, even if it stuck open, it would take a while to flood your tank.

 

[ca1ore]

....... I like to automate rote tasks as much as possible. Frees me up to do things I enjoy.

 

[Tripod1404]

An ATO won't cause your tank to fail; you getting lazy with manual top offs will cause your tank to fail.

So to that extent, I would consider an ATO mandatory because the amount of evaporation some tanks can have is insane. My tank has a fan for cooling and during the summer it can burn off 1 gallon a day. I would go crazy trying to manually keep that topped off!

I think an ATO is more of a "disaster waiting to happen" for a lazy person . How many times I heard ATO nuking the tank by dumping huge amounts of RODI water and causing the salinity to crush.

 

[Kremis]

my 180 has auto top off and my smaller tanks dont. auto top off definitely makes things easier but isnt needed