Top Off the old way

[davocean]

Of course I agree less change to your params is really ideal, especially to more sensitive corals, just many of us have done fine for a great many years w/out an ATO.
Yeah, when I had an easier softy tank just dumping straight into display was no biggie, but now I do at least put some thought into it, so I try to not just dump a 5er at a time and I add to first chamber of sump so it's a much smaller shock to the system overall.
A quality ATO should be reliable, but redundant safety's are always a good thing to have.
I do plan to add one at some point, it just does not feel like an urgent need for me.

 

[eastlake]

Read a couple stories about auto top offs not turning off and basically turning the saltwater system into a freshwater system while people were away. Those were more than enough to give me nightmares, lugging buckets is the way for me yes-sir-ie.

 

[ScienceRulez]

Read a couple stories about auto top offs not turning off and basically turning the saltwater system into a freshwater system while people were away. Those were more than enough to give me nightmares, lugging buckets is the way for me yes-sir-ie.

I've had that happen once, one of the staff members decided to make an adjustment and the apex flood detector circuit woke me up. It's not fun getting up at 4 to go in and fix a problem because someone couldn't keep their hands off the equipment. :angryfire::uzi:

The door to the tank equipment now has it's own unique lock. Not even the master key will work. The only people who have a key is the Facilities manager and me.

 

[billdogg]

The closest I have to an ATO is a line hard plumbed to the back of the tank from the basement water storage barrel. The barrel has a Mag18 in it hooked up through a $10 remote control on/off switch so that I can just turn it on with the touch of a button, open a valve behind the tank, and allow it to fill to the line marked on the sump. It's quick, easy, and 100% failsafe.

 

[davocean]

A properly matched resevoir would eliminate any serious water dump, but I do like Billdoggs idea and setup!

 

[Ou8me2]

I would never hook up a RO/DI straight to my sump for top off water. The best method is to have a container that only contains a fraction of what a system can handle, this way it can't take more water than the system can handle.

I still do it the old fashion way though. I'm considering one but it would probably be 5-10 gallon max. This way I have a limited amount of water.

 

[sde1500]

Would or could you do that with some fish or inverts around

Oh yea why not? I'll dump a right into the tank if I'm feeling too lazy to bend down and open the door to my sump. My fish all come over and swim in it as it pours in. They think the bubbles may be food.

 

[alcimedes]

I was going to go with a very simple 2 gal container gravity fed to my sump with a float. Worst case scenario 2g of distilled water goes into the 100G of tank water.

The only down side is I presume I'll have to fill it up every few days, but I don't think there are any potential catastrophes for me there either.

 

[Indymann99]

I would never hook up a RO/DI straight to my sump for top off water. The best method is to have a container that only contains a fraction of what a system can handle, this way it can't take more water than the system can handle.

I still do it the old fashion way though. I'm considering one but it would probably be 5-10 gallon max. This way I have a limited amount of water.

+1 NEVER NEVER NEVER plumb an ENDLESS supply of water to your tank... killing fish and corals aside, at some point it COULD lead to a very wet floor in your house (new carpet, new baseboards, new sheetrock walls....).

I have a 3gal ATO container. I have to MANUALLY fill it every 2-3 days but it keeps the Sg in check and if my ATO floats were to malfunction, it won't seriously affect the Sg, nor overflow the sump.

My QT doesn't have a ATO but I do that on purpose so I am "forced" to check on the QT 2x per day.

my 0.02



When I go on spring break (typically 7-9 days) I simply add some 5g buckets filled with RODI to the ATO system. Has worked perfectly for the last 5yrs.



QT is a simple piece of tape that I use as the "fill to" line.

 

[MrsReefK]

Top Off the old way

The only real difference it makes is how often you add water (unless your auto top off is connected to an RO/DI unit).

Exactly the point.... And stability, not only for your tank inhabitants, but you skimmer as well with constant levels.


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[Goatonfly]

Would or could you do that with some fish or inverts around

My fish don't mind.

 

[DBR_reef]

+1 NEVER NEVER NEVER plumb an ENDLESS supply of water to your tank... killing fish and corals aside, at some point it COULD lead to a very wet floor in your house (new carpet, new baseboards, new sheetrock walls....).

Meh, I think it's fine to hard plumb a RODI line into your tank with a float valve. I leave my tank for 3 months at a time, and no one touches the tank, so I have to. A gate valve in the basement on the RO line limits the amount that could possibly go in to just a little more than evaporation. This, as well as a salinity probe and a solenoid shutoff gives more reliability than you would every need- certainly more reliable than a ATO and I never need to fill it. But I agree, an unrestricted, endless supply of water is a recipe for disaster.

 

[JMorris271]

So with regard to the end result, It seems to me there is a choice between refilling a reservoir or a sump once a day.