ATO storage ??

GlassMunky

Active Member
So I setup my ATO this past week, and its AWESOME! I love not having to add water every morning :) right now I'm just using a extra 10G tank laying around as the resevour for the ATO. My question is, is it ok to just have the water sitting in there not moving around? or do i need to get some kind of powerhead just to keep the water circulating?
 

GlassMunky

Active Member
thats kinda what i figured, but just wanted to double check...... never held more than like 2-3G at a time before of fresh. Thanks!
 

adresher

Member
I keep a 25 gallons of it that is never empties just added to. I have never had a problem and when I do a water change I let the water come from the ATO tank.
 

catran

Well-Known Member
I never stir my water either, but it's sealed with a rubber gasket until I use it. I never leave water open in my house because people smoke. It will go bad if there are any kinds of chemicals being used or smoke in the air unless it's sealed.
 

nightfire76

Active Member
yyea me too lol
I never stir my water either, but it's sealed with a rubber gasket until I use it. I never leave water open in my house because people smoke. It will go bad if there are any kinds of chemicals being used or smoke in the air unless it's sealed.

and yea i would let it sit open either cause if ya do it will also have a bit of evap
 

GlassMunky

Active Member
I never stir my water either, but it's sealed with a rubber gasket until I use it. I never leave water open in my house because people smoke. It will go bad if there are any kinds of chemicals being used or smoke in the air unless it's sealed.

I would KILL someone if they used chemicles anywhere neer my fish tank.......... i have a strict "no airspray" policy lol. But never thought about smoke causeing an issue...... I'll have to seal up this tanks openings.... good looks. how long will it take to go bad just out of curiosity?
 

GlassMunky

Active Member
on that note, what exactly does sthe smoke do? thinking about it..... i have an open top on my tank and i smoke....
 
I keep a 25 gallons of it that is never empties just added to. I have never had a problem and when I do a water change I let the water come from the ATO tank.

you dont mix salt water to return to the tank when doing water changes? how do you maintain the salt level in the tank if your just adding fresh water back into the tank from ATO? If your ATO is Salt water- then, with evaporation- you are just increasing the salt level of the tank over time. I am confused on your post here...

been running my ATO for years, and its a fresh water ATO sump. My salt levels stay level. when I do a water change- I pull the pump out of the fresh water and put it into a sump with fresh mixed salt water to draw from to refill the tank. when tank is back to capacity, I return the ATO pump back to the fresh water sump.
 
on that note, what exactly does sthe smoke do? thinking about it..... i have an open top on my tank and i smoke....

My aunt was a smoker. Before she died, I had to goto her home and help her with her computer a year after she bought it- took it apart and the whole inside surface was covered in a tar like film substance. It was then, that I realized how much general smoke can affect things around it.
 
So I setup my ATO this past week, and its AWESOME! I love not having to add water every morning :) right now I'm just using a extra 10G tank laying around as the resevour for the ATO. My question is, is it ok to just have the water sitting in there not moving around? or do i need to get some kind of powerhead just to keep the water circulating?

My ATO sump consist of a small plastic file cabinet with lid from Walmart. it holds about 3 1/2 gallons of water. My system evaporates 3 gallons a week. I use to have a circulating pump in my previous larger ATO sump that held about 8 gallons. with the newer smaller sump- I dont see any need in circulating the water. I did paint it black with fusion paint- left a stripe down one corner to create a viewing window to keep an eye on water level in the ATO sump. reason I painted - didnt want any light to enter - prevent algae growth in the fresh water.
 

catran

Well-Known Member
Think it's a Rubbermaid Brute that most people use. The safest trash container available. You have to be careful what you use since some plastics can leach poisons into the water.
I'm not sure, maybe 2-3 weeks it took for my water to go bad with smoking nearby. It smelled sour, very weird!
 

dltt

Member
Nicotine is extremely poisionous to fish...not sure about inverts, and it does enter the water colomn from the surrounding atmosphere.
 

adresher

Member
you dont mix salt water to return to the tank when doing water changes? how do you maintain the salt level in the tank if your just adding fresh water back into the tank from ATO? If your ATO is Salt water- then, with evaporation- you are just increasing the salt level of the tank over time. I am confused on your post here...

been running my ATO for years, and its a fresh water ATO sump. My salt levels stay level. when I do a water change- I pull the pump out of the fresh water and put it into a sump with fresh mixed salt water to draw from to refill the tank. when tank is back to capacity, I return the ATO pump back to the fresh water sump.

I add salt to the sump so my water coming in from my ATO mix and go into the tank during a water change....I know from doing it for years how much salt I need to add and with all the water that is rushing into my sump it mixes just perfect. Just works great for me....coral don't close it just works right.
 

mgraf

Member
I use a fiberglass water tank from an old water softner. Cut it down a bit, it will hold 15-20 gallons. My system seems to evap. about a gallon a day depending. Anything smaller than 5 gallons just seemed to be the same as adding it to my tank daily. Every time I looked at my 5 gallon ato container I thought " I need to add more RO". Now with the larger container, it can go for a couple of weeks without any additions. This also helps cause when I make RO water, I can make a bunch at once!
 

GlassMunky

Active Member
:faces:Glassmunkey, never mind what I smoke :laugh:
Yeah, I wish! Not with a CDL...

hahahaha..... yea, that comment about nicotene went right past me, that stuff is nasty...... and i mean..... i AM a pipe-maker by trade...... ;)
 
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