Trenton Henderson Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I am going to get the Hydor Smart Level ATO. It will be placed in a 20 gallon reef tank. Will an Aqualifter pump be fast enough, or will I need a bigger pump? Thanks, Trenton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bicyclebill Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) All depends on relative height difference between your reservoir and your display. They max out at about 30" vertical height they say, but I found mine didn't work unless it was close same level as main tank. But regarding speed, it's plenty fast. Edited November 21, 2015 by Bicyclebill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 There is a trick though. You can run two together and get 6' or so.. We are doing it on my sons tank works really well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bicyclebill Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 There is a trick though. You can run two together and get 6' or so.. We are doing it on my sons tank works really well.for real?!? What a great idea! Never thought of that. I see that avast marine sells one that handles higher head pressure for a lot more money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numb-n-stingy Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I made a diy auto top off out of $20 in parts from Amazon and one of those pumps and it worked very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 the Hydor topOff is a Sensitive bastard, so yes an Aqualifter would be the best because it is slow in replenishment. If the water is pumped to quickly the Sensor won't notice it till the very last moment when the top prong is covered and then you will deal with the annoying alarm (Trust me it really has no logical reason for being there) anyways I have a Maxi-Jet 1200 to lift the water and had to regulate the flow with a ball joint regulator, that still wasn't enough and I found the alarm loved to sound every night at 4:00AMish!!! Yay! My Hydor no longer has an alarm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssappington Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I use a peristaltic pump- they work great and will not allow a siphon- if you are handy at all, you can build your own for $40 with parts off ebay... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadySaber Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Oh I should totally look up a diy ato Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 for real?!? What a great idea! Never thought of that. I see that avast marine sells one that handles higher head pressure for a lot more money. It really works! It was impressive how much the flow improved. I like the price of these guys, and the ability to chain them. It still surprises me how one single aqualifter can top of the 400 gallon system easily. Math works out, 3 gallons per hour, that's allot of top off. Good stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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