medi Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I am looking for a pump to use with my ATO that has a 1/4" output. The only one that I know of is Tom's aqualifter but it won't work due to it needs to move approx. four feet of head. I would be happy to retrofit a MJ if anyone has any good ideas on how to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddybluewater Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Try a tunze osomlator, it has a 8' head height. cost under $25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medi Posted January 9, 2010 Author Share Posted January 9, 2010 PERFECT!! even better Aquatek has them in stock. Thanks for you help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaJMasta Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 That actually does look like an awesome little pump. The TOM Aqualifter is a decent ATO option because it's low flow (uses airline tubing), and uses suction - but it's only got a 30" head. Still if you don't want to deal with finding a 9VDC power supply or have an ATO which switches 120VAC that's probably a better quality pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 The Peristaltic pumps that BRS sells are exactly what you are looking for. Not only do they pump water, but they automatically (by design) check the water from flowing in a reverse pattern. Peristaltic pumps are a much better method over any other pump. They do not suddenly kick on and add lots of water at once. They slowly drip water into the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexKilpatrick Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I use a aqualifter and a JBJ ATO and they work well together. The nice thing with the aqualifter is you just plug it into the ATO. The Tunze pump is nice, but you have to go find a DC power supply for it, and wire that up. Also, as I recall they use 3/8" tubing. When my aqualifter kicks on, it only adds a few ounces of water at a time. The float switch is pretty sensitive. I can't imagine this would make a difference in anything by an nano tank. I think if i used a peristaltic switch, it would have to run pretty much all day to keep up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Peristaltic pumps come in several different pump outputs. If you read anything I've ever put up, you'd already know that I'm using one to ATO my 75g under 750w of lighting. I lose 3g per day of water from my tank. My pump runs for 2 hours a day to make up my ATO. I run it on a timer as well as a float switch for dual redundancy. It is on a simple float switch to trigger it on, however it can only come on and run between 6-8:00pm, so I can void your mis-truth about your statement that it would "run all day". Also they can push water through hundreds of feet of 1/4" line and I've seen them used to push water over 25'. They use a simple piece of tubing that is squished and traps water. They pump like your heart does, and your heart does a great job right? Anyways, I don't really care what pump someone uses, I just wanted to clear up an "untruth". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Peristaltic pumps are efficient, but they're expensive....which may negate the relative benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaJMasta Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Yep. Cheapest i've seen is about $50, which is quite a bit when a whole basic ATO system can cost that much. That being said, they last longer, they have essentially no risk of ever contaminating the water, they have nearly unlimited pumping height, they can very accurately dose, and they pump slowly (good for an ATO). Certainly worth a look for those not as price conscious as I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Nor I. The only reason I feel that I can say I've had any success in this hobby is the fact that I only buy top notch equipment so that it does not disappoint later on. Why risk your $5,000 investment on a $50 ATO that may cause heartache if a $150 set up is almost faultless. I like the insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Nor I. The only reason I feel that I can say I've had any success in this hobby is the fact that I only buy top notch equipment so that it does not disappoint later on. Why risk your $5,000 investment on a $50 ATO that may cause heartache if a $150 set up is almost faultless. I like the insurance. Great point. Why is it easy to spend $100 on an anemone or coral, yet freak out when a light or pumps costs $200? Which do you expect to have longer, and which allows you to keep the other alive longer/easier? This is a lesson I was slow to learn, but I'm definitely jumping on the bandwagon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexKilpatrick Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I agree this is not a hobby for people who are trying to save money. But why spend $80 on a dosing pump for top-off when a $25 osmolator pump (or similar) works just fine. Yes, it adds water a little faster than a dosing pump, but it is such a tiny percentage of the overall tank volume that there is no way it will make a difference. If you are worried about back-siphon you can just add a $2 check valve. (aqualifters won't back-siphon, by the way) Not to slight dosing pumps in any way -- I use them for two part because I want really precise control. But personally I can't see any use for them as top-off pumps. Sometimes in the hobby it seems we have a perception that the more expensive equipment is better, and if you want the best for your reef you should not be cheap. Sometimes the more expensive equipment is better, but not always. Is the $2300 bubble king really better than a $230 skimmer? There are lots of examples where things just seem to be more expensive for the sake of perceived quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Cause an osmolator pump is useless without a transformer and because their impeller shaft is steel and I rusted 2 of them out before throwing away an entire $220 osmolator system. Is that a good enough answer? My entire ATO set me back $100 and will last a lifetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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