phyto reactors/ato's/dosers

sparky · #1 11-21-2009, 11:09 PM

HI guys I'm new to can reef so please excuse me if i do this wrong! I have a 75 gallon reef tank and am about to move to bigger tank looking for advice on phyto reactors. Are they any good any thing I need to know? Also auto top offs is there one that can be hooked up directly to ro/di feed? and last who's got the best doser? thanks Sparky.

whatcaneyedo · #2 12-07-2009, 06:35 PM

Why do you feel you need to culture and feed phytoplankton? What are you keeping? Many people who culture phyto just use empty pop bottles, an air pump and light... take a look around the internet and you'll find lots of information. To my knowledge the only phyto reactor you can buy in Canada is by Aquamedic and its over $100.

Hooking any ATO system directly to any RO/DI is a great way to wipe out your whole tank if something gets 'stuck on'. No one recommends this.

Those Profilux dosers look pretty cool to me and they seem to be quite popular. But I personally use a calcium reactor.

sparky · #3 12-08-2009, 02:22 AM

thanks thats great I'd heard that piping the ro directly was bad too! so thats out! and a calcium reactor is a better way? perfect i look into it! Sparky

whatcaneyedo · #4 12-08-2009, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparky

thanks thats great I'd heard that piping the ro directly was bad too! so thats out! and a calcium reactor is a better way? perfect i look into it! Sparky

I wouldnt say that a Calcium Reactor is a better way, its what I use and I have my reasons why. Theres a poll on this forum right now showing preference towards 2-part dosing for the majority of people.

Bulkheads from different manufacturers require different bulkheads... they dont really always come in a standard size. I usually buy my bulkheads from J&L Aquatics, their 1/2" requires a 1-1/8" hole and a 3/4" requires 1-1/2". But like I said, yours can easily be different.

sparky · #5 12-08-2009, 02:43 AM

thanks again you"ve been a great help!
sparky

Skimmerking · #6 12-08-2009, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

Hooking any ATO system directly to any RO/DI is a great way to wipe out your whole tank if something gets 'stuck on'. No one recommends this.

I have been using my RO/DI unit hooked to my Top Off and KAlk reactor and my reserve garbage can for water changes. Never had a problem with it since 2002. may be im just lucky, Can't see it I think its the way that you hook it up like they say that you cant hook a Kalk Reactor straight to a RO unit , due to the pressure. But i have a solution for that .

whatcaneyedo · #7 12-08-2009, 04:05 AM

To clarify, what I meant to say is having an ATO system where your fresh water goes directly from your RO/DI unit to your tank is a really bad idea which is what I interpreted sparky's question as asking. Have your RO/DI fill a separate container and then have a unit like a Tunze Osmolator send that water to your tank. That way if your float valve or solenoid fails you dont have an unlimited amount of freshwater start shooting into your tank (only onto your floor). Sorry for the confusion.

rootbear · #8 03-02-2011, 03:36 PM

This is an old post but I have a question.

I am trying to add an ATO to my system. Now I understand the risk of hooking this straight to your RO/DI system however; if I install a seperate water container for my ATO to access would I not need two ATO units to keep this system running?

Al

monocus · #9 03-03-2011, 03:50 AM

i have 7 aqua-medics-what do you want to know about them

abcha0s · #10 03-03-2011, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rootbear

This is an old post but I have a question.

I am trying to add an ATO to my system. Now I understand the risk of hooking this straight to your RO/DI system however; if I install a seperate water container for my ATO to access would I not need two ATO units to keep this system running?

Al

Unfortunately, I'm not sure your question really makes sense? Why would you need two ATOs?

Side note: I have two ATOs but it's for redundancy. They both do exactly the same thing. I don't think that's what you meant?

You could hook your RO/DI to a resevoir with a float valve and a pressure activated auto shutoff. You could then put the ATO pump in the resevoir.

A couple of things to keep in mind.

While it is rare, if the float valve fails you will have a flood.
This setup will cause premature failure of your RO membrane and you will go through a lot of DI resin. For your RO/DI to work properly, it needs to run for extended periods of time rather than on/off/on/off/etc