Well the time has come to start automating this 90gallong I am setting up. Would like to add an ATO unit(not sure which one yet). I need to build or find a reservoir that holds atleast 10 gallons. I would also like to hid it in a cabinet(premade) next to my stand. Does anyone have any ideas?
Show me some ATO containers
- Thread starter Dholmblad
- Start date
On a 90 gallon tank with good lighting a 10 gallon ATO will last maybe 10 days. Can you go bigger in a basement or something?
If not Walmart sells a big blue 10 gallon plastic water jug that should fit under a stand.
As far as ATO I built my own from a kit I got off of a website DIY ato or something. It has been going strong for 6 years or so.
If not Walmart sells a big blue 10 gallon plastic water jug that should fit under a stand.
As far as ATO I built my own from a kit I got off of a website DIY ato or something. It has been going strong for 6 years or so.
Well I can go bigger, but it still has to sit right next to the tank. I would like to hide it in a cabinet next to the tank. Thee is a pretty big space.
There isnt any room in the stand with the media reactors I just put in there. But I could potentially move those outside. I just thought a separate cabinet for ATO would be good for ease of access.
There isnt any room in the stand with the media reactors I just put in there. But I could potentially move those outside. I just thought a separate cabinet for ATO would be good for ease of access.
Trying to be a little more elegant then that
ReefMonkey13
New member
i use a 15 gallon Tall (20" x 10" x 18) tank.
I am in the process of doing the same thing. The cabinet i bought from wal mart and i'm going to put the biggest container i can fit in there. Ive read that if youre using rubbermade tubs or what not, get the one with the lowest recycleable # on it. I think it has something to do with leachability, could be wrong though. As far as an ato unit, the ones at autotopoff.com look simple enough, i think i will be using the one that has the double switch. And a toms aqualifter pump.
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olemiss reb
Molon Labe
I made 17x17x17 acrylic reservoir for my 90. ~21 gallons
eta- which I now see needs to be wiped down.
eta- which I now see needs to be wiped down.
moondoggy4
Team RC
There was a thread a thread about hiding your ato bucket not to long ago. You could try a search with Pictures of your hiding ato buckets
How much water do you need to add every day? Do not over do it - pick a smallest container you need so it will be easier to hide.
I have smaller tank (58 Oceanic) and my evaporation stays around 1/2 gallon daily so I have a small plastic container (1 gallon) connected with a 1/4" PE tubing to the RO filter and mechanical float switch is installed in the container to limit the RO water output. Small water pump (Marineland Minijet 400) is submerged in the container and is operated with a timer switch to top of water once a day in the sump (level in the sump is controlled with another float switch).
I have smaller tank (58 Oceanic) and my evaporation stays around 1/2 gallon daily so I have a small plastic container (1 gallon) connected with a 1/4" PE tubing to the RO filter and mechanical float switch is installed in the container to limit the RO water output. Small water pump (Marineland Minijet 400) is submerged in the container and is operated with a timer switch to top of water once a day in the sump (level in the sump is controlled with another float switch).
It isn't good to run a rodi like that (tiny runs). It shortens the life of the membrane and the DI.
120reefermadnes
New member
Really? How does it shorten its life? Thats funny you wouldnt think it would matter
There's a big spike of TDS that gets through the RO whenever you start making water. It takes a few minutes for the RO output to come down to its 'steady state' level. If you make one big batch of water in a week, that three minutes is just a tiny fraction of all the water you make. If your RO runs frequently, say ten minutes every day, then that high TDS time is a third of all the time it's operating and you're burning lots of DI resin to make up for it. Or worse, you might not know that your DI resin is depleted so you're dumping high-TDS water into your tank.
autodave
New member
Here is what I am using:
http://www.petmountain.com/product//11442-523930/vittles-vault-vittles-vault-50-55-lb-container.html
And I have it in a cabinet next to my tank-
http://www.petmountain.com/product//11442-523930/vittles-vault-vittles-vault-50-55-lb-container.html
And I have it in a cabinet next to my tank-
Reef or Die
New member
hey autodave. how many gallons does that container hold?
autodave
New member
About 12g-the wide,screw-off lid makes it very nice
ddefilippis
New member
Check out the BRS web site. They have a video showing a concealed ATO storage unit, which I believe is just an acrylic box of about 10 gal.
Looks like one of the dog food containers they sell at places like PetCo and Pet Smart, that's actually not a bad idea at all, my girlfriend keeps one just like it by my tank anyways, filled with dog food of course, I might look into one of those myself.
What's that next to it? A chiller or a giant canister filter?
The whole idea of the added RO water container is to accumulate the water over the longer time. RO filter is NOT connected directly to the float switch in the sump - that would cause these tiny RO runs - RO gets activated once per day after the water pump pumps water from the RO container to the sump.
So yes, running RO directly to a float switch in the sump is a big no-no. RO water coming from the filter right after the start contains a lot of TDS and it takes some time to get TDS to zero, so you need this intermediate step with a water container before hitting the sump.
My top-off system services two reef tanks (58 and 38) and timers for top-off are synchronized so the RO membrane works only once per day.
With a separate container I would not like the chore of filling it when empty - or forgetting it needs to be filled... and leaving for 2 weeks of vacation :-(
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