New Avast ATO Diaphragm Pump

[howaboutme]

Just saw the Avast newsletter and first I've heard of this pump. Does anyone (other than Avast) have any first hand experience or knowledge of it? Reviews? Thanks!

[Duke]

Awesome, this would go perfect with my avast ato unit

[CaptainRon]

I dont think there's much chance of anyone having much experience with it yet!

 

It looks to be much stronger than the standard aqualifter though. I'm currently using a 50ml top off dosing pump from BRS - I'd be tempted to give this one a try if the BRS ever fails on me. It'll either be this or the peristaltic pump that avast has.

[howaboutme]

Yeah, I would be replacing an aqualifter w/ this pump for my Avast ATO and have the aqualifter as a back up. This pump looks good because it seems much stronger than the standard aqualifter. I usually don't like to be the guinea pig but I may jump on this if it's also 13% off.

[zygote2k]

I use it. Works great. Quiet too.

[ctenophore]

Rob has the first few production models after we tested them in house for several months.  We wanted to have a pump option that wasn't expensive as a peristaltic pump.  This little guy works very well.  There is one key difference compared to the peri pump though- this one can backsiphon (like an aqualifter).  For many installations and use-cases, this isn't a problem.  I did spend some time writing up an instruction guide that attempts to show the various ATO setup options, and where certain situations need to be accounted for.  Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated!

 

Re: aqualifter.  It is far stronger than an aqualifter, no question.  I understand about not wanting to be a guinea pig, Jack.  It is a new pump for us too, but we've been testing them on our own systems and so far I'm happy.  I've been using one on my daughter's 11gal nano over hardwood floors since summer.  The ones out at the shop have been reliable too, except for the continuous duty stress test, but we were advised that the motors are not rated for continuous duty.  We even dropped one in water (motor and everything) and it still worked.

[ctenophore]

Also, to be clear, it is not 100% silent.  It's probably a little noisier than an aqualifter.  Probably 30-35db if I had to guess.  Not loud enough to wake up my daughter at 7am on a school day

[howaboutme]

Thanks,  Justin for the response. I figured Rob got it to test out.

 

My beef w/ the regular aqualifter is that it can take hours to top off the usual 1/2" or so that your ATO tolerance is. I would hope that this pump would be a bit faster but yet not as fast as say a traditional pump/ph. If I do jump on it, I know you guys will stand behind your product.

[ctenophore]

It is much faster than an aqualifter.  About 400ml/min or 6gph.  We also include a micro valve so you can regulate the flow rate to whatever you desire.  We recommend valving it back when using with kalkwasser, to a thin stream or very fast drip.  Instruction manual covers this setup.

[howaboutme]

I ordered one. Looking forward to seeing how it performs and will post up here. Thanks!

[dave w]

It looks like a good pump and should fill my needs to move live (small) food organisms without damaging them.  I'm not yet ready to order them but I'll need a bunch.

[dave w]

Justin, I assume that the tubing with the pump is standard 3/16"?  

Edited November 29, 2013 by dave w

[ctenophore]

It looks like a good pump and should fill my needs to move live (small) food organisms without damaging them.  I'm not yet ready to order them but I'll need a bunch.

Actually I wouldn't use this for live food.  We took one of the diaphragm assemblies apart and the flaps are pretty small.  Best to move water without large chunks in it.  Best bet for live food would be larger ID tubing peristaltic pumps.

 

Justin, I assume that the tubing with the pump is standard 3/16"?  

It comes with 1/8" ID tubing, although I believe 3/16" will fit securely over the barbs.  I like to go 1/16" less on soft tubing to ensure a very tight barb fit.

[dave w]

By live food I mean copepods that are half a millimeter, not brine shrimp that are half an inch.  Do you think small live food would be OK?

[ctenophore]

No, I don't think the flap openings will handle particles like that.  Once one catches in the pump mechanism, it's a magnet for others, and soon the entire pump is clogged up.  Peri pumps are designed for this.  I think you'll be surprised at what comes out of the rollers unharmed.  You could also make a DIY solenoid type system that pinches some tubing closed, and when open, allows copepod water to gravity drain into your tank.  If it has to go uphill then peri pump is the way to go.

[dave w]

Thanks.  I'm sure you're right so I will just use this pump for clear water.

[howaboutme]

Got the pump today, thanks Justin!

 

I tested it out for a few minutes away from the tank. The pump is small, which is good. It comes w/ a nice length of tubing and all of the fittings you would ever need. Without the valve, the pump is super strong. This is definitely not a trickle pump. Depending on your head height and how much water you want flowing, the valve does a good job at dialing that in. The one negative, and I think Justin did mention this earlier, is that it is definitely not quiet. In fact, it's louder than I would have imagined, especially if you're coming from an aqualifter. The noise fluctuates depending upon how much you have the valve dialed back. I wonder if I can put some foam between it and whatever I set or mount it on or wrap it around in foam...???

 

With that said, I am happy and will probably put it to use on the tank this weekend. Bummed I didn't get a towel though. I guess that comes w/ a higher price tagged item. haha.