Quote:
Originally Posted by
justpeachy36 http:///t/397846/thinking-about-an-auto-top-off-and-contorller#post_3547850
Good Morning,
I'm looking at the controller APEX GOLD SYSTEM (looks really cool but very pricey) and the top offs AUTOAQUA SMART and the JBJ AUTO top off. Any suggestions on any of the products I'm thinking about getting an auto top off for my large tank, and was wondering if anybody uses these or any other that they like.
Hi,
I have the JBJ top off, it works really well without a problem. Do you keep corals?...if you have corals I can see needing the SG to always remain stable, and an ATO is the answer, but for only fish, a top off is a waste of effort and money.
You may already know this, but just in case (and for any beginners reading this)....An ATO won't save you any work, because
you will be topping off the container of freshwater that refills the tank when the sensors say it drops a fraction. Whatever you do...DO NOT RUN A DIRECT LINE FROM YOUR RO UNIT TO GO INTO THE SUMP/DISPLAY TO TOP OFF. You must rig up a container to hold your top off water, and hook the ATO to that. Because any slow leaks from any equipment, will mean a constant flow of freshwater into the display that will kill everything, including the live rock when the saltwater is completely replaced. With an ATO running you will not even notice any drip leaks until it's flowing onto the floor or under the house/basement...because the level of water in the tank will remain constant.
I had such a leak from my Coralife skimmer. The only thing that saved my reef tank was the fact that the JBJ sensor shuts off the pump in the holding container, to prevent it from burning up should it go dry. The SG was very low, but because it was a very slow leak, it was slow enough to not harm anything. If I had it connected to a direct line, it would not have had the happy ending it did. Shortly after that event, a new guy was asking questions about rigging up his ATO to a direct line so he didn't have to refill a container. My near disaster taught a good lesson for all.
