JBJ auto top off questions

[cp3823]

who has one and uses it? How well do you like it? Thoughts? recomendations? I'm looking at getting one.

[Poppy828]

Have one and love it. Works like a charm.

[ekrunch]

I have two of them. One on my 125g and one on my girlfriends 90g. They're simple devices, very easy to use and from what i've seen so far, very reliable.

About the only problem I have with it is that it won't go into the pantry and get a bucket of fresh water to fill itself up.

I would highly recommended them for simple setups.

[palawan]

Works great. There is an added safety "time out" feature that will shut off 120vac to the pump if the top level sensor is not activated within a certain time. This safety "time out"" is adjustable by turning a potentiometer on the circuit board inside the unit. The maximum time that I was able to set was 17minutes on my unit. The instruction manual does not tell you this, you have to call JBJ customer service. This is to prevent your pump from running dry. I had to modify mine because I needed longer time for my solenoid to stay on longer in order to fill my resevoir.

[Engine 7]

I have 2 of them going. They work great.

[drparker]

Add another plus vote. I have two of them.

Drew

[scottdwh]

What's the best pump to use with this unit? I was planning on using a Mini-jet 404 for my 120.

[fishgeeksrus]

I have one on my 30 gallon M-Tank. Works great! I believe that I am using a Maxi Jet 600. It is pushing up about 50" into the main tank.

[MSU Fan]

The pump used is based on the amount of water you are going to be needing and how fast it should refill. Also you should keep in mind the sloshing, etc that may result from the pump adding water and its relation to float switch.

I use an air pump into a sealed 5 gallon water bottle to "push" air into the bottle and force it to move water out in its place. I am pushing the water into the back of a 12g nano cube, so a mj400 would be a lot of flow hitting that area. Plus, air pumps don't care about head pressure very much, so the 4' rise wasn't a problem. I get nice slow flow it the back and it stays very consistent. Plus a 5g bottle lasts for weeks on a 12g tank!

[cp3823]

thanks for the info guys. If anyone has some links or a how to guide to make an air pump top off container that would be great. I'm looking to get a ATO now.

[ekrunch]

Originally posted by cp3823
thanks for the info guys. If anyone has some links or a how to guide to make an air pump top off container that would be great. I'm looking to get a ATO now.

You don't necessarily have to use an air pump and a sealed container, that's just one solution.

I use a 20g tank for a top off container on my 90g and a 46g tank for a top off container on my 125g. I use an MJ 900 on the 90 and a CA1800 on the 125, but it's about to be replaced with an MJ 1200. The MJ900 works great on the 90 b/c it has a smaller sump and can't take the splashing. Just remember not to submerge the top off hose or when the pump kicks off, it may suck your tank water out into your top off container.

Whatever you do, I doubt you'll regret the ATO. It has made our tanks so much more convenient... just remember to pay attention to your top off reservoir.

[cp3823]

cool, thanks. I have a 14 gallon bio cube so I'm thinking I should run an air pump design so that there is not a huge amount of water creating turblance in the refil chamber.

[flapjack1439]

I found this to be a good solution.

I use an aqualifter pump, it's cheap ($10) and durable. It can run dry with no damage.

http://www.aquahub.com/store/autotopoffcomp.html

[drparker]

I also use the aqua lifter