Auto Top Off tips & tricks we learned after years ATO mistakes. Save your tank, don't do this!

[@antbart3487]

been running a saltwater tank for over 10 years now and never used an electronic ATO or carried a single barrel of RO water to the tank. i think its mind blowing the amount of money these electronic ATO's are and from what iv heard there as unreliable as they are expensive. and in case your wondering how i do it just keep reading, in the kitchen under the sink where my RODI unit is i have a 25ltr barrel with a bulkhead fitting at the bottom out of that iv ran 25 feet of RO pipe round to my tank where in the sump a cheap float value is attached. total cost was less the £15, then its as simple as filling the barrel under the sink once a week. its worked flawlessly now for over 10 years nothing has failed or ever let me down, and it blows my mind that people speed silly money to achieve the same result that cost me pennies and now 10 years on its now feeding 2 large tanks and a salt water mixing bin, its fully automated with no electronic moving parts self flushing and self filling with a 6 month quick routine maintenance and TDS check all for less then £75 all these electronic ATO are just over complicating a simple problem and shame on BRS i think you guy should know better ......... and for a 1000 thumbs up i will do a full how-to-guild on how to do a really cheap and reliable top off system that i promise will never fail! something BRS just seems unable todo with out selling you something over priced and just over complex for the job.

[@xCyNiCxxv]

would like to see how you do it

[@karennation3580]

5 years and never added one because I am to scared! Reviews are bad and even osmilator has some bad reviews so I dont get how they say its 5 stars. Please tell me how. I have an rodi unit in my laundry room sink not far from both tanks. I would rater use that then have unsightly water jug jug next to my tank and refuse to spend 229 on ato then 200 or so on a nice looking reservoir! My hubby isnt in hobby and I cant do this king of stuff being 62 and a women lol Please give me some detailed instructions! I would pay you for it! LOL tired of giving BRS so much money as it is just to buy salt and needed gear, chemicals ect! I dont even use dosers I put media in filter sock! Mainly because I am not tech savvy!

[@modotd3885]

BRS has become addictive viewing. Great job. I would buy from you if I lived in usa

[@istandwithisreal8883]

MoDot D right

[@harlanmichael7088]

Great video! Thanks for sharing. Great info here.

[@_mal7887]

Great video. Topping off directly from RO here. SOOO much better. Not more buckets.

[@scottyjackson6665]

when using a float switch you could have the top off water flow over the float switch to rinse off with RO water.

[@jonharrington4454]

I love my ato I evap about 50 gallons a week in my 480gal system I got it tied directly to my plumbing and every 2 weeks I check my float switches every other week...

[@jaguaresed]

Wow 480? I only have a 40 gallons haha

[@northeastcorals]

Since starting out I've gravity fed RO to the sump which passes through a 12V solenoid valve on a plug timer set to come on 6 times a day for slightly more than the amount of time required to cover the daily evaporation & a float valve at the end of the tubing. In 15 years I've not had any problems touch wood.

[@miscellaneous_scapes8406]

Hey guys.. love the little nano @ 9:53.. just wondering which light is lighting the tank and which light arm? Thanks

[@BRStv]

That tanks had an AI Prime light and their Prime flex arm 🙂

[@volteface69]

Merci pour cette vidéo !!! 👍👍👍

[@DiveBC]

i built my ATO Res into my sump. The dividing wall is an inch lower than the top of the sump. This way the water in the system is contained no mater what happens. its worked well over the last 4 years on my 90 gallon tank.

[@bearded-flipflop]

I have made a diy ato for my 24gallon. It has a peristaltic pump controlled by 2 float switches in series. so a low and a high if the low one doesn't activate when the water is back at the correct level the high one will shut it off. Also the resivior is only 2 gallons and would not over fill the tank if there was a total fail. That lasts a 1.5 to 2 weeks. 1 plus being a peristaltic pump it won't back syphon if the pipe fell in the tank. Also that gets around the pump running dry as it just spins and I can use kalkwasser without risking the pump getting damaged. The 1 drawback I can see is if the pipe splits and dumps it on the floor. That would be an issue on all types of ato that use pipes to top up though.

[@piscesreeftank1395]

I top off from my 135 gal RODI tank. NS pmup pumps 50' away and two stories up with no problem. I needed a remote power controller EN832 in the basement to turn on the pmup. I have three ATKs and one backup ATK. One old style pmup has ran for two years and one went out in one year. One new style pmup has ran for 2 years and one went out in 9 months. Of six optical sensors I’ve had two go out in two years. I have no FMM failures. ATK doesn’t work well for a hang on the back setup although I have rigged it up to do it on a sump less Frag tank. Wish the magnet was stronger so I add an additional magnet on three pmups a in the RODI tank and one on each sump.

[@karennation3580]

I have one that has a float switch and an optical eye plus a timer that dosnt allow it to run longer then the fist time you set it up. Somehow calcullates fill time from low to high point on optical eye. Is that enough fail safes? Regarding the syphon break does that mean to set the line to release the water outside of tank if you have sumpless or ato? Regarding back syphon with a sump I am pretty sure Randy said if ato reservoir is lower but Ryan said higher so since mine is lower do I need to worry about back syphon? That whole part confuses me! please answer. I have no homeowners insurance and adding 3 atos! LOL

[@truereefkeeping6022]

I have the GHL float switch and have it automatically shut off if it pumps for longer than 30 seconds that way if my float switch ever fails then my profilux will cut power to the outlet preventing a overfill

[@speku87]

The Tunze Osmolator Pump is originally a caravan water pump and can be replaced by them. They are cheaper than the Tunze Version. They can get rusty very fast because of the Ro/Di Water which sucks up Ions like Crazy. The "Caravan Version" of the pump is around 10$ and as i already said, its the same.

[@bigbowlowrong4694]

My Smart ATO Micro failed after three years. The optical sensor had a water intrusion and it just kept beeping randomly. That said, it failed in the best way possible in that it did not fail in the on position. After three years I can’t complain, I consider it a good purchase.

[@careyedwards5662]

Bought the hydor smart level control 10 years ago. Installed the correct way, never had a problem. No maintenance either.

[@mryes413]

What size resivor do I need for a 20 gallon tank?

[@canvoodoo]

i have used the smart ato since 2014 and never misses a beat.

[@kmlkosowski]

I personally got one (pump failed within 3 months). Then the input computer part failed after 1.5 years (wouldn’t restart kept beeping and would loop). In saying that I bought another one because for my nano tank I find it to be a good option.

[@keepsummersafe2147]

#21 - When setting up your ATO if it has magnets that hold it in place, be sure you don't have something stuck to the magnet before you put it in the tank. I've been struggling with a tank for the last 6 months or so... weird things were happening, nothing seemed to make sense... I was looking at my return section to see if it needed to be cleaned and just happened to notice a small reddish-brown little nub sticking out from the magnets. I pulled it and found a razor blade.... It must have gotten on there when I was setting up the return section and cutting soft tubing for the return pumps to the bulkheads. It had been rusting in the water since I set it up about 11 months ago. After removal.. many water changes... things seem to be moving in the right direction now.

[@Mandymarie9498]

Brian Serafini that sucks! Cool that you figured it out I bet it was such a relief!

[@popparock6506]

ouch!

[@speku87]

Shouldnt be a Problem, If u put Po4 Iron Adsorber in the Tank its the same

[@carminecarlone2869]

Awesome great job guys!

[@johnnyliu6271]

I set my apex to only allow the ATO to turn on for 5 minutes at a time a couple times a day

[@eranschau]

One thing I noticed is that all the pumps I saw were impeller based. I opted for a peristaltic pump on my ATO and I don’t regret it for a minute.

[@rollerkitbird]

I've had my SpectaPure ATO system going strong for almost 15 years. I would never spend this much money on something that would go out every year.

[@ryanfredrickson832]

Love these videos!!

[@ryananderson1731]

I have a 5g bucket as an ATO reservoir for my 90g tank, I leave enough room in my sump so WHEN it fails my sump will still be able to hold it.

[@dusk1947]

Great topic. What is the optimal location to place the sensors? The return section of the sump? the skimmer compartment? The Fuge? My biggest question is the best place to put floats and opticals.

[@BRStv]

A wide majority of reefers place the floats and sensors in the return pump chamber where there is typically a stable water depth most of the time. :)

[@dusk1947]

@@BRStv thank you :) And thank you for all the knowledge this channel imparts to viewers

[@jokerman826]

i love my hose reel modified with python hose. it costs more than $80 though. It is 80 for the reel and then another 50 for the python. but still though. it makes water changes so easy.

[@istandwithisreal8883]

Hey Ryan I was thinking about getting a Nuvo ext 75 gallon aquarium with APS stand from Bulk reef supplies but the people in my family are afraid that it can brake and flood the house, what’s the likelihood of that happening because I really want to upgrade but I can’t because my family thinks it’s dangerous for the house what do I do (PLEASE HELP) 😅👍🏽

[@BRStv]

I would do a search on our AskBRStv Facebook Group or Reef2Reef forum and see how many reefers are using that same tank and stand without any issues. Innovative Marine has been making solid tank and stand combos for years and I can't say that I've personally seen them fail when it comes to supporting the a tank that is matched with the right stand.

[@istandwithisreal8883]

Bulk Reef Supply Thank you I don’t have Facebook because I’m a kid but I’ll ask my parents on their Facebook really appreciate it

[@aaroncooper602]

What is the circular nano tank at 9:47?

[@BRStv]

That's the Innovative Marine atoll. That particular tank has been discontinued for a few years now.

[@weltsunlimited]

Love the vids. But I've used the tunze nano for few years and the pump would always fail (Excellent customer service as it has replaced under warran) I would get anywhere from 6 - 7 months out of it in a reservoir filled with RO (No Kalk being used) so rather then keep dropping the 22.99 on a new pump I went optic eye for a new ato and so far still using the same pump 5 months in...🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

[@BRStv]

Very surprised to hear that you had pump failures so often. We have a number of Tunze ATO systems with original pumps around the BRS office from years ago. Fingers crossed that you have better luck this time around.

[@kristianhandler2915]

Where do I find the flow lock you’re talking about is it called something else also?

[@BRStv]

Here you go! www.bulkreefsupply.com/flow-lok-leak-detector-for-rodi-systems.html

[@paulgerrard6085]

Nice thing about the osmolator (and i guess other ATO's??) is that the pump power is just 12v (forget amps). You can change the pump out for a decent Peristaltic pump from ie kamoer which solves the issue with kalkwasser degrading the pump life and solves the issue with head pressure. Just check that the pump draws less amps than the controller outlet. If it needs more amps then hook up to a solid state relay and power the pump through that. Ive tried both and works great. Currently have the osmolator running a 240v pump through a relay. The original osmolator pump lasted about 1 year from new... not impressed.

[@adamirfazilov5693]

Set up my ATO thing would go off every 2min, didn't even think of the siphon

[@jimmybyrne4272]

Starfish keep getting on my ATO sensor and causing it to overflow lmao I’m not sure if there’s a solution for this

[@BRStv]

If you can remove them all from your return chamber and put some sort of mesh (like aquamesh) between the baffles before it, you might be able to keep them out and off your ATO sensor.

[@chrissmith5911]

Always put in check valves on your auto line

[@JohnJones-vl2wt]

Question (Not related to ATOs): What type of corals are in the tank? Specifically the tall green one and the purple one. Thanks!!!

[@BRStv]

Those are both types of nephthea corals :)

[@kevinchiara2036]

the osmolator is SO LOUD! Worst aspect of the tunze. Thinking of using my GHL Doser 2.1 to do ATO because the noise is really annoying.

[@merrittmcdowell8675]

The noise is a small price to pay for reliability!

[@themorfeeis]

Wait, I thought putting a glass lid on was a bad idea because it reduces gas exchange?

[@claytonjenkins4431]

Wouldn't it be a safer idea to have your RO water to keep your ATO reservoir full and then have your ATO set up for your tank? Then you can install an overflow line in the reservoir as a final backup that gravity feeds to a drain or outside. Also prevents the salt to components attached to constant water. For that matter if possible an overflow could be set up in your sump if it's high enough for gravity feed to a safe location.

[@ScottieMacF]

I think the idea of the ATO is that you want to add chemicals like Kalkwasser to the reservoir. If you're feeding the ATO with RO water you can't get a baseline on how much chemicals to add. Also, if there's a failure it's going to keep failing until you address it, which may not be for a day or two. If filling the reservoir manually it fails when the reservoir runs out, which usually will cause less damage.

[@rochontaylor9727]

Please do a TIPS & TRICKS for battling dinos!

[@BRStv]

Have you checked out the tips in this video? kzbin.info/www/bejne/inrJpmqOmNeSbbs

[@merrittmcdowell8675]

Been in saltwater for 27yrs and never had issues with anything said here, common sense is rare today lol

[@bruce3579]

Yup

[@brendanredler3666]

Would directing ATO water over the float switch and optical switch help with salt creep? If the eye won’t trigger when water flows over it for a minute or so, it seems like an easy way to help mitigate the risk of salt creep. I mention the eye mostly because they are mounted next to the float switch on the osmolator. Clearly flowing ATO input over float valves could only help.

[@MatthewWagnerNOECA]

I use a Pepsi Brand : Auto Top Off... Never have had a problem.

[@TwoDogsFighting]

quality industrial standard solenoids go a long way.

[@LXXero]

1. evaporation=growth=kalk, you don't want to reduce evaporation...i don't like this advice... 3. i've found float switches are FAR more reliable than optical sensors, which i always find myself cleaning frequently, especially the apex ones, they are horrible. I usually do low/medium/high with madison floats, I rarely have to clean them in my setups, so your example seemed extreme to me. I've only ever had to clean them in a tank that has no sump, because algae grew on it. 6. long-run timeouts are an important feature on an ATO to prevent over-sized reservoir related issues. 10. when using a pump in an ATO filled with kalk - put the pump in a shallow plastic sandwich tray, this will prevent it from pulling the sludge off the bottom and greatly increase the life of the pump 11. same as 3, i just haven't had to clean float switches nearly as much. The optical sensors tend to build up a film over them, but for salt creep to actually form on the float switch, frankly, i don't see this as much. Still should clean it of course, but, i find the frequency is much different. 12. Naw, I still say don't do that. I would sooner setup my RODI to refill my ATO reservoir once a week on a timer. I would never hook a never-ending supply directly to my tank. The failsafe here is to not do that, and rather, re-fill the ATO reservoir. And still have all the regular failsafes on your ATO in addition to that. 14. I reduce TDS creep by using my apex to control the flush. Once when it turns on, and once every hour there-after. I also have high/low switches in the RODI tank that prevent from short-running the system. I also have dual pressure zones - a separate pressure switch that prioritizes keeping my kitchen's RO booster tank up to pressure before filling my RODI tank. 15. Yeah, I get the hint, the ATK sucks. Even the V2, they still haven't addressed the FMM module going corrupt, it definitely is better with latest firmware update, but it still goes corrupt occasionally. I don't hate the V2 PMUP, but I hate the optical sensors and FMM. I've got 5-6 tanks off break-out-box based Apex ATO with madison floats, never an issue, but I refuse to use the ATK or rely on the FMM for anything other than leak sensors and flow meters. 20. 2 of my tanks have a closet next to them. That's all ya gotta do!

[@BiologyIsHot]

Re your 1st point...it would be much better to increase alkalinity/Ca by dosing it appropriately, not letting like literally everything in the tank go up... which approach mirrors the actual ocean environment more?

[@jennychurchill8953]

I don’t get it one video says to have turbulence on top this one says not to another video says no Top or hood better and says not necessarily. Ughhh. I’m never gonna get this right.

[@SanjeevKumar-zk3jv]

I am not able to understand why one uses ATO? If it is to be kept aside SUMP then it is better to make a return chamber bigger and you will be having 40-50 ltr of water to maintain water level for a longer period. You can easily save money on ATO. I am using SUMP with 50 ltr of retune chamber and it is working fine. I need to fill it after 10-12 days. I hope I am talking sense.

[@awsome2ish]

why is that second guy there? he just stands there, nods, raises his eye brows and agrees with everything the other guy says.

[@jaguaresed]

😂😂😂 he is cool

[@justinfrags]

Get bigger sumps

[@mryes413]

What size sump for a 20 gallon?

[@bruce3579]

Tell me I don't have to clean my ato tote for atleast one year 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈

[@BRStv]

If you're not running kalkwasser, you should very rarely have to clean out your ATO reservoir. Once per year would be acceptable.

[@jeremy87turbo87]

Guys, they make a one way valve for a reason for ato