ATO with no sump options

[donniea1800]

Hey I have a 50 gallon tank that is running without a sump. Yes I definitely would set up a sump if I had it to do over, but for now I have to run sumpless. I would like an ATO because I am getting tired and manually filling the tank and I will be going out of town soon.

What ATO would work directly on the tank with no sump? I looked at autotopoff.com and they have an in tank solution. Anyone have these?

Also what pump would i need? It will be pumped from the floor to the tank which is about 5 feet. I wanted to use a 5 gallon water jug for the container which will limit what size pump I can fit through the opening of the container. Anybody know of a small pump that may work? I was looking at the aqualifter but I dont think it will pump up the 5 ft to the tank.

Thank you.

 

[Frankie_Garcia]

I have a rio1400 that's cheap and efficient

 

[donniea1800]

I will take a look. Do you think it will fit through the opening of a 5 gallon water jug or would I need a different container?

 

[Frankie_Garcia]

Different container. Like a bucket. I drilled a hole in my lid and have the hose running through.

 

[donniea1800]

Oh yeah. Great idea. Thanks. I did not even think about a bucket with a lid. Haha

 

[Animal-Chin]

I have the tunze ATO that works awesome on my 55 sumpless set up. I just have a bucket of ro water in the cabinet. One of the best additions to my tank....

Tunze Osmolator Nano 3152 Auto Top Off - Bulk Reef Supply

 

[uh.oh...]

I'm a budget reefer, so the Tunze and JBL options are a bit much for me. I bought a Aqua Lifter and I use a light timer, about $8. I mix Kalk in 7 gallons, and top off with airline tubing and a little plastic valve. It runs for about 15 minutes twice a day, and the valve just barely drips. It does take a couple of days to really lock it in, and since evaporation rates vary its not exact, but it works for me.