Isolate float valve from current?

[treesprite]

The 20g I had to set up in a rush doesn't have any sump, so the float valve for ATO is just in there and the water current makes it flick on and off every few seconds. What can I use to create a no-flow perimeter around it? Would one of those feeding rings do the job even though it is just at the surface? Maybe a piece of 3" PVC pipe the entire depth of the tank which I don't really want to do and would have to find a way to attach? 

Edited Wednesday at 11:20 PM by treesprite

[DaJMasta]

A baffle like a PVC pipe (or maybe if you need a flat side, a cleaned out food container with the bottom removed) should do well, just takes up some space and could potentially jam with certain critters getting into it (big snails.)  You'd want it to extend an inch or two below the float (minimum, no max) to make sure any direct current was blocked, and you want it open on the top to prevent siphon related issues (not just an inverted cup.)

Worth mentioning that it probably shouldn't be the long term solution, mechanical float valves have a few failure modes that makes them dump a lot of freshwater into your tank and they generally aren't known to be super reliable.  If regularly inspected/replaced, they can probably work, but an electrical sensor with a backup sensor is a much more robust solution.