what ato do you recomend

I use SpectraPure's Ultra Precise Level Controller and it has been great! Had a JBJ ATO and it almost killed my tank, though partly my fault. The Spectrapure has a hefty cost, but is well worth it IMO/IME.
ULTRA PRECISE LEVEL CONTROLLER

 

This def looks like its worth the money, especially since it comes with everything out of the box. Sorry to thread jack, but I think I'm sold myself!

 

The Spectrapure is the same price and a better controller with more adjustability and uses the same bulletproof 3 roller peristaltic pump as their LiterMeter III. It can be adjusted from 1/10" to 4" out of the box plus you can vary the flow rate in 10 steps plus has a back up float switch for a high high emergency shut off. Multiple levels of safety and very compact too.

 

IMO, if you're going to spend $200 on an ATO, you may as well get a full blown controller and add the ATO pressure switch. A hundred bucks more for a Reef Angel, plus you get temperature, pH, 8 controllable ports to control heaters, wavemakers, return pump and light dimming. Honestly, I wish I would have bought the controller before the two JBJ's. It would have been money better spent.

 

TO me it seems an important variable is not being mentioned which is where the ATO is drawing the source water.

JBJ is the unit I have purchased and even if it was to fail I would only have 2 consequences.

1: Bubbles would show in the display tank if the water was to drop too low.

2: The water rises in the sump. Since I am using RO / DI water I am only storing 5 Gallons of water at a time. IF 5 gallons was to empty into my sump, it would not over-flow. MOST of the time this is enough.

 

I was going to use like a 2.5 gallon jug, with a toms aqua lifter.

 

So if you throw 2.5 Gallons into your sump - would it over flow?

IF not then this is not a matter of having a complete failure point, this would be a matter of reliability I.e. you not wasting money on an investment.

The only reaction you will ever get on a forum is people recommending the best of the best, which is a good philosophy to a point, however, you need to take it with a grain of salt.

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I have a deltec skimmer, is it the best? NO, was it at the price point I WANTED to spend - YES. Seems to do the job and everything seems happy, would me spending the extra $400+ on the more "recommended" brands make things better - perhaps but yet many people have had plenty of success with less.

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IF you have the money to buy a Ferrari than do-it I will never say no but if you don't and a dodge will take you too and from work for the next 3 years without issues. You can always buy the Ferrari later

 

That is true, but it does give me an excuse to go buy the reef angel since it does come with it own ATO, and i can always upgrade the ATO later for it.

 

Ferrari's are nice - secretly we all want the best! It is the ones that can't afford it that say other wise

 

Ya but im figureing along the lines that if im going to spend 80 on an ato why not save another 120 and get a controller that comes with a ATO, that can do temp, ph monitoring, light dimming, wave maker control and such so I think its better deal just to spend the 120 more to get the reefangel.
I like the idea of being able to watch it from my phone or cpu always seem nice.