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Tw!tch321 
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Joined: October 02 2019
Location: Ogden, Utah
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 Topic: ATO question.?
Posted: October 26 2019 at 12:43am |
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Hey guys, when using a ATO system do you use strictly fresh water or do you add small amounts of salt?. I was told freshwater because when water evaporates, salt doesn't. But after hooking my ATO system up with just freshwater my salt levels started to drop. So it got me thinking, do some people add small amount of salt because of this reason?
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Kevin
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Posted: October 26 2019 at 1:28am |
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Your salt level levels shouldn't be dropping. Auto topoff is no different than you manually adding fresh water. How fast is the salinity changing?
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Tw!tch321
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Posted: October 26 2019 at 5:46am |
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It went from 1.026 to 1.020 in a day
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Kevin
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Posted: October 26 2019 at 10:24am |
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Either how you are measuring salinity is inaccurate or you are losing salt water somewhere. I would double check everything in your tank to make sure you aren't losing salt water. Is your tank leaking? Is your skimmer auto draining somewhere? Could the auto topoff tube be creating a siphon and draining backwards?
If you can't find anywhere that is losing salt water I would double check your salinity with something else, maybe take it to a fish store.
If it keeps happening remove the ato and see if your salinity still drops.
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: October 26 2019 at 6:12pm |
That's a huge drop. Almost not possible. I'd bet mis reading the salinity. You'd notice a leak like that.
Adam
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Lyscer
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Posted: October 28 2019 at 12:26pm |
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I'd go with a misreading as well. Are you using a refractometer? If so make sure to calibrate it prior to every use if you are getting inn-accurate readings.
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sleepingdeep
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Posted: October 28 2019 at 4:14pm |
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you could be losing salt water if you're skimmer is skimming really wet. but like others have said, i'd chalk that up to a misreading.
Edited by sleepingdeep - October 28 2019 at 4:15pm
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Tw!tch321
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Posted: November 04 2019 at 7:53am |
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So after looming into the issue more I realized it was something very simple. The end of my tube from the pump to the tank was underwater creating a siphoning effect every time the pump would stop once the float valve told it to turn off. So it was just back and forth pump on/ pump off water being sucked back out. Raised the end of my tube and its been running smooth ever since. Thanks for all the input everyone.
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: November 04 2019 at 9:35am |
Good catch. I set up another auto top last week and had to put a siphon break in, as the tube opening was close enough to the water surface to scare me about potential siphons.
Adam
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