Auto Top Off w/o Sump

[sroot17]

I have a 50g tank without a sump. Has anyone had any experiencing using an auto top off system directly topping off the dt?

How does everyone handle top offs when going on vacation or away for more than a few days?

 

[pweissma]

I'm about to install one on a 6 gal pico. There is no special issue. I ordered an ATO from autotopoff.com. Should be here in a few days. It comes with a splash guard around the sensor and a nice hanging bracket. I will be using an aqualifter to pump the water into a HOB filter. I wouldn't think there would be an issue if you pump directly into the display as it mixes quickly.
When picking a ATO pump be very aware of the pump's head height which is the vertical distance the pump is capable of pumping. I use an MJ1200 for ATO in my Solana as I need to pump up about 50". The MJ1200 is one of a few pumps that have the head height.
As far as vacation goes, just make sure you have enough water in your topoff reservoir

 

[sroot17]

Thanks pweissma, let me know how the ATO from that site works out.

I'm looking for something that I can setup/tear down easily as I do not have much room for a reservoir. But I'm sure once it is setup, I'll probably never want to take it down!

 

[noelskii]

i also have an ATO from that site. works great! i don't have a sump on my solana, i have it hanging on the back wall and a rubbermaid container under my stand with a mj1200.

 

[pweissma]

I consider the rear portion of my Solana to be the sump.

There's a lot of really positive reviews for autotopoff.com here on MR and elsewhere. I just ordered their standard 1 sensor model for tanks. They have a very complete list of options from optical water level sensors, to low voltage options (so you don't run 120V through the float switch in your tank). The only additional thing I added to my order was a 35 cents fitting to go from the output on a pump to airline tubing.

 

[seldin]

I have the autotopoff.com setup. Main issue, is the lack of documentation. There was none. Much more painful than necessary. If you go that route, please buy the 2 float option, as one time early on, I had the first one fail, but the 2nd float did the trick. I am not sure why, but every once in a while, the 2nd float works great...