Post a pic/tell me about your mixing setups? I’m thinking of going two 20-25 gallon tanks for salt / rodi. I’ll have my 2 bio cube 32’s which will become Coral only / QT tanks for main display (maybe keep a pair of clowns in each for something constant) and then a new IM SR120 (on order) on same floor as mixing station / rodi system in basement so hoping I can run ato rodi water direct to tanks and then only have to worry about water changes? Also have 2 more smaller tanks, the 14 bio cube and 5 deskmate on 2nd floor which both require constant top off given open lids so may try to run a line to attic and then down through wall to tanks if this is possible (how much would I control this and how much power needed to push water up from basement to attic above 2nd story then down to tanks in 2 different rooms on 2nd floor of using typically ato tubing? Is there a way to push to all five tanks with one pump/system? Would like to have a circulation pump to mix salt as well as have rodi on float switch to keep the rodi tank topped off. Can this be done without an automation system? I would love to hear thoughts/concerns and how others have setup and thoughts on this type of setup.
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Mixing stations / ATO
- Thread starter northnjnano’s
- Start date
I have 2 55-gallon tanks for my mixing station. Top-off is connected to a low power Sicce pump, on a timer, turning on 4x per day for 15 minutes. Water is fed to a tank and a float valve, if tank is too full, float stops the water flow, pump is not powerful enough to push it through. You could do something similar to 5 tanks, with 5 float valves, on one pump (basically a manifold).
Interesting. My new tank has built in float valve for ATO. I was gonna ask if anyone has used a passive ATO system. I would have a reservoir higher than the sump to feed the ATO.
For mixing I used similar setup. Just 29 gallon tanks and use small pumps to transfer water. The rectangular tanks are cheaper and take up less space.
Passive is what pretty much all Red Sea tanks used, unfortunately (in my experience), that's not enough pressure to fight salt creep. You would need to raise the ATO container so the vertical pressure can handle salt creep. Red Sea design for example, that gives 8 inches of vertical space, was not enough for me. It works for a while and then it stops.
I see. Thanks for sharing the experience. I like your pump approach something I have not thought before.
The included reservoir is small. So I almost definitely need to have an external one. Maybe on a cabinet next to the tank. It can be temporary, only used when I am out for extended period of time.
@MadReefer I would need the 20g stand for this
The included reservoir is small. So I almost definitely need to have an external one. Maybe on a cabinet next to the tank. It can be temporary, only used when I am out for extended period of time.
@MadReefer I would need the 20g stand for this
Thanks for the thoughts. Vlad can you expand on the manifold concept, one pump was my goal so that makes sense. Each tank is an AIO setup so there will be no sumps and I’m trying to eliminate individual ato reservoirs and pumps at each tank cabinet and essentially have a sensor/airline tube drop into each tanks pump chamber and top off at that point. I think what you’re saying is have a container with float at each tank cabinet for normal way ato pump/float and then your main pump keeps all reservoirs at the tanks topped up stopping via a float. Am I following, am I too ambitious to hope it can all be centralized and eliminate 5 ato systems plus the main water station? Or this has to be connected through a larger scale automation that I’m trying to avoid.
It can be accomplished. A manifold is basically a single hose, split into 5 additional hoses. I have 1 tank on my setup currently, but I plan to add 2 more to it. My water reservoir is actually in a different room, I ran a hose through the wall., and plan to send it down around the entire basement, and split lines off of it for additional tanks.
Ok yea this was my thought. How do I keep each tank from overflowing, is there a float switch that can simply hang into pump chamber like a regular ato to close line so that would stop a line if that chamber was full as the main pump try’s to push to all? Sorry maybe an easy concept I just don’t follow that part.
That is something you will have to figure out. Most float valves are designed to be vertically placed through a hole. You may need to 3D print something, or drill your tanks (or a PVC wall if there is one) to make it work. But you want the float valve to be in a permanent place, as that will drive how much water is fed to the tank. Red Sea sumps use a small corner brace with a hole, which is siliconed in.