It's time for an ATO

The time has come where I'm tired of manually topping off and tired of having an inconsistent level in my sump effecting my salinity.

I've done some reading and I've done some comparisons and now I'm slightly confused and more importantly undecided.

The smaller Tunze is obviously an option. Don't see the need for the full size on a 60 display with a 20 sump.

Liking the Avast Marine as well. The pressure switch seems to be a bit better from what I've read. Still a little confused on whether I should get a peristaltic pump or diaphragm pump. From what I can tell their diaphragm pump is silent which is pretty important to me. My understanding is the peristaltic pump is pretty accurate/precise but is that a must for an ATO? My other understanding is that my reservoir can be placed anywhere without worrying about a siphon.

Last on the list is the dual float setup from autotopoff.com. Seems like people have been relatively satisfied with these and for the price it's hard to go wrong.

Any suggestions or advice is always appreciated. Money is always a factor but I do understand this is one piece of equipment you don't want to have fail.

Thanks in advance for your replies and support!
 
It's time for an ATO

I had the Avast on my previous tank and it worked flawlessly since day one. Never even a glitch. I sold that tank after Hurricane Sandy killed it off and the Avast went with it. On my new build I went with the smart ATO micro. The whole system is so tiny. They include the pump and a little siphon break adapter. Sounds like this could be the best fit for your needs.

As far as tunze is concerned, I prefer the full osmolater but Im not a fan of the supplied pump.

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I had the Avast on my previous tank and it worked flawlessly since day one. Never even a glitch. I sold that tank after Hurricane Sandy killed it off and the Avast went with it. On my new build I went with the smart ATO micro. The whole system is so tiny. They include the pump and a little siphon break adapter. Sounds like this could be the best fit for your needs.

As far as tunze is concerned, I prefer the full osmolater but Im not a fan of the supplied pump.

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For some reason I left this off my list. My LSF guru who I trust dearly had suggested this initially. Never doubt your LFS guy!
 
I've never thought my tunze pump was loud. when compared to my other equipment that is running I don't hear it at all. I will hear water splashing as it's filling but that's it.
 
I've never thought my tunze pump was loud. when compared to my other equipment that is running I don't hear it at all. I will hear water splashing as it's filling but that's it.

Thanks for the input. Find it a little hard to believe that it would be excessively loud given its reputation and loyalty, just the only negative input I've found.

My system is about as silent as can be with my overflow dialed in. The only small sound that's noticeable is my skimmer and now that my LFS guy gave me a muffler that was missing, it's perfect. Don't know if my PSK150 comes with one, but after asking why my skimmer is so loud he did a quick trouble shoot and I couldn't be happier. Having the muffler installed was truly an epiphany in my reefing life.
 
I have the full size Tunze on my 22g AIO. It takes up some room in the back chamber, but I don't care, it's all about reliability and redundancies. If you have an ATO chamber in your stand, it's not that loud. They make an option so you can use any pump you want. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one if needed.
 
There are options to replace the Tunze pump with something quieter if you like. Get Tunze reliability with a quieter pump, win win.
 
There are options to replace the Tunze pump with something quieter if you like. Get Tunze reliability with a quieter pump, win win.



In all reality it only runs 15 seconds 1-2x an hour. Maybe less. I can certainly hear it. But it's by no means obnoxious or too loud.


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Thanks for the input. Find it a little hard to believe that it would be excessively loud given its reputation and loyalty, just the only negative input I've found.

My system is about as silent as can be with my overflow dialed in. The only small sound that's noticeable is my skimmer and now that my LFS guy gave me a muffler that was missing, it's perfect. Don't know if my PSK150 comes with one, but after asking why my skimmer is so loud he did a quick trouble shoot and I couldn't be happier. Having the muffler installed was truly an epiphany in my reefing life.

My system is extremely quiet. I have a light hum from my skimmer that is about it, it's a rimless tank running in my living room. My wife would not be ok with it if it was loud. So when I say my system is louder than my ATO pump, that's saying something because I am very proud of how quiet my system runs.
 
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