Best ATO?

[gotem86]

I've had an XP Aqua Duetto for 5 months, and it has worked flawlessly so far.

 

[C. Eymann]

I feel like after filling an empty ATO bucket and it kicks on it ALWAYS fills passed the sensor.. one of its biggest draw backs which will prevent me from getting another

Have you talked to roger vitko @tunze USA about this issue? my osmolator generally adds less than 200ml everytime its triggered.

 

[Water Dog]

It was so loud, it woke my kid up. If that is lab grade, I'm worried for laboratories.

Curious, which model did you own?

 

[twotangs]

+1 for autotopoff.com

 

[shred5]

Hey guys! So now that my 40B is up and running, I need to decide on an ATO. The problem is that there are so many options and mixed reviews for all of them. I can't afford a $300-1000 Apex aquarium controller so I need whatever ATO I pick to be reliable and dependable and if it's going fail, I'd like to know it's most commonly in off position. Any input or suggestions is greatly appreciated. Good or bad reviews will help.

ATO's Being Considered:

• Tunze Nano 3152
• Tunze 3155
• IM TI HydroFill w/ Sicce Micro
• AutoAqua Smart ATO Micro
• IceCap ATO
• JBJ ATO Controller w/ Sicce Micro

Out of those a Tunze 3155

I have also ran several Hydor smart level forever.

I have a IceCap that has been very reliable.

Had a XP Aqua that pump failed in a week...

 

[AdamB]

There are so many good ones out there. I've been happy with this for ~19 or 20 months. No issues.

Same here. Working great !

 

[Hallowhead]

Have you talked to roger vitko @tunze USA about this issue? my osmolator generally adds less than 200ml everytime its triggered.

I have not.. maybe I should because sometimes it just won't shut off until the high sensor goes

 

[homer1475]

Can't say enough good things about Tunze!

I have had the 3155 and the nano on my systems for about 5 years now. Only issue I ever had was a faulty level sensor. Contacted @rvitko on these forums and he had me a new sensor installed and back to me within a week. Now that us A++ customer service, and for that reason alone, they have me as a lifetime customer.

Can you guys say the same about any other piece of equipment you use in this hobby?

 

[homer1475]

I would most certainly contact @rvitko @Hallowhead . He's on these boards nearly daily and will get you fixed up right away.

FWIW,
@rvitko is the US rep for Tunze USA.

 

[Flippers4pups]

+1 for autotopoff.com

Me too. They have been rock solid for decades for me. It's the only one I've ever trusted. Performance and value is second to none.

 

[Hallowhead]

I would most certainly contact @rvitko @Hallowhead . He's on these boards nearly daily and will get you fixed up right away.

FWIW,
@rvitko is the US rep for Tunze USA.

I have contacted him

 

[jgaepi]

Curious, which model did you own?

I had a bad gut feeling about it right out of the gate. It didn't come with instructions or a website to find instructions. I emailed the company and they didn't respond. And the pressure sensor wasn't exact from day one. https://www.spectrapure.com/product/litermiter-lll-basic-auto-top-off-system-lm3-apm/

 

[Water Dog]

I had a bad gut feeling about it right out of the gate. It didn't come with instructions or a website to find instructions. I emailed the company and they didn't respond. And the pressure sensor wasn't exact from day one. https://www.spectrapure.com/product/litermiter-lll-basic-auto-top-off-system-lm3-apm/

I hope you really didn’t throw that out... I have one of those as a dosing pump for my kalk reactor. I use the pressure sensor as a failsafe so that I can never overdose kalk in my system. If the sump level gets too high, the pump cuts off and can no longer dose kalk.

As for an ATO, I use Spectrapure’s ULPC - ATO which is variable speed, so I can turn the flow down making the pump silent.

 

[infinite0180]

I hope you really didn’t throw that out... I have one of those as a dosing pump for my kalk reactor. I use the pressure sensor as a failsafe so that I can never overdose kalk in my system. If the sump level gets too high, the pump cuts off and can no longer dose kalk.

As for an ATO, I use Spectrapure’s ULPC - ATO which is variable speed, so I can turn the flow down making the pump silent.

Hey im thinking of picking up the ulpc ato. Im curious how much it lets the water fluctuate? I know the avast can be as much as a half inch. I dont want that kind of fluctuation on my nano tank. My total system volume is like 25 - 26 gal...

 

[Water Dog]

Hey im thinking of picking up the ulpc ato. Im curious how much it lets the water fluctuate? I know the avast can be as much as a half inch. I dont want that kind of fluctuation on my nano tank. My total system volume is like 25 - 26 gal...

The UPLC-ATO allows you to set the variance at which the pressure switch triggers, so it can be as much or as little as you want. For reference, see page 10, “Fill Mode Setup” in the owners manual.

https://www.spectrapure.com/product-manuals/Liquid%20Controls/Ultra-Precise%20ATO%20-%20New%21.pdf

 

[Water Dog]

https://www.spectrapure.com/product-manuals/

 

[ccejka]

I have been running a Smart AWC. This makes doing small water changes very easy everyday or depending on your set up you maybe able to do a full water change once a week with this kit.

I had a Tunze 3155 and the control stopped working and Tunze offered basically no support. The customer support with the Smart AWC has been above and beyond, nicked a wire while cutting a Zip tie and they got it take care of fast and free.

 

[Water Dog]

I had a Tunze 3155 and the control stopped working and Tunze offered basically no support.

Wow, really!?! Did you ever get a hold of Roger Vitko (Tunze USA rep) to address your issues? In my interactions with Roger, he has been nothing short of exceptional and I don’t think I’m alone in my experiences. I’ve read posts where he’s actually fixed 3155 controllers that were 7 years out of warranty.

 

[infinite0180]

The UPLC-ATO allows you to set the variance at which the pressure switch triggers, so it can be as much or as little as you want. For reference, see page 10, “Fill Mode Setup” in the owners manual.

https://www.spectrapure.com/product-manuals/Liquid%20Controls/Ultra-Precise%20ATO%20-%20New%21.pdf

Thanks! Right after i wrote that post i downloaded the manual. Currently reading through it. Is it worth the money?
One question, which will probably be answered as i read the manual but figured id ask. How does it respond when you shut down the return pump? Right now, my apex will power down my ato whenever the return pump slows to below 30% causing the water level to rise in the return chamber. Im curious as to what happens when the water level rises about 4 inches when i shut down my return...

 

[Water Dog]

Thanks! Right after i wrote that post i downloaded the manual. Currently reading through it. Is it worth the money?
One question, which will probably be answered as i read the manual but figured id ask. How does it respond when you shut down the return pump? Right now, my apex will power down my ato whenever the return pump slows to below 30% causing the water level to rise in the return chamber. Im curious as to what happens when the water level rises about 4 inches when i shut down my return...

I actually don’t do anything when I power down my return pump. The level in my sump rises and the pressure switch tells the peristaltic pump not to pump a up any water from my ATO reservoir. There is no need to power down the Spectrapure ATO when you cut power to the return pump.

For years I ran a trouble free Tunze 3155 ATO and loved it. The only reason I made the change was that for my current tank, as it matures, I plan to transition over to my calcium reactor set up with kalkwasser supplementation (for pH boost). Kalkwasser doesn’t play nice with optical sensors as they will foul them if not regularly cleaned off. Hence I switched to the Spectrapure UPLC-ATO. Is it worth the price? That’s up to you. I was fortunate enough to score a used unit for a very good price from somebody local who was shutting down their tank.