The ingenuity keeps coming from Red Sea with news of their latest ReefBeat Ecosystem product, the ReefATO+. First and foremost this is a new smart auto-top-off device that could be used on its own or to replace the stock float valve on the Reefer. But knowing Red Sea like we do, they’ve added a long list of innovations to their new ATO that make it stand out from any other ATO before it.
Titanium probes
For ReefATO+, Red Sea has moved away from their traditional, gravity-fed float valve and opted instead for titanium probes, like they use in the ReefMat, to detect when they are in or out of water. Two probes set 3mm apart turn a DC pump on and off, regulating the height in the sump’s pump chamber while also feeding back information to the ReefBeat app. The app will log the regularity and duration of the top-off, estimating the amount of RO water dispensed, as well as how much is remaining in the top-off vessel, and notify the user of any significant deviation.
A microprocessor learns the average fill time on your tank, shutting the top-off pump off if it detects any unusual filling intervals, as well as shutting the pump off if the reservoir runs dry. It also has two emergency shut-off probes situated above the other two for added protection. A fifth probe monitors the system temperature.
At only 4.5cm diameter the powerful DC top-off pump is small enough to fit inside a Jerry Can, includes a siphon breaker as well as locking nuts on all pipework, a high-level return pipe that can’t back-siphon, and a nicely engineered return spout to discharge water against the inside sump glass, keeping noise and splashing to a minimum. It’s a smart ATO with many built-in safety features, and more on the app itself, including manual fill and emergency shut-off at the swipe of a finger. It’s all-encompassing.
The probe fits securely into the corner of the pump chamber with two large magnets to hold it in place (small circular ones can spin around and fall off when pulled,) or it can retrofit into any reefer model, replacing the supplied float valve as well as connecting to the ReefBeat app. The ATO pump comes with a rubber base to suppress noise and has a serviceable impeller. It can be used in any Red Sea tank including Reefer, Max Nano, and E Series, or any non-Red Sea tank, and can be fitted and will run autonomously.
Thermometer
The thermometer is accurate to 0.1 Celsius and also operates by way of a titanium probe. On the app, it will display readings as a graph, show ranges, and notify the user if the temperature goes above or below their set values. Note it’s not a temperature controller or a thermostat, but app-based temperature monitoring is a nice feature to have, and we’re not aware of any other ATO that offers it. Or a leak detector for that matter.
Leak detector
The leak detector again uses titanium probes and the app to notify you if it detects water on the surface it’s standing on. This could be the inner cupboard, outside the sump, or the floor that the tank and cabinet are standing on, and it will detect any water regardless of if it is RO or saltwater. If water is detected it will notify you. You then have the choice of shutting down one or all of the ReefBeat-connected devices to try to stop that water escape if you’re not there.
Some cool scenarios include being able to shut the ATO off, then if that doesn’t stop the leak turn the return pump off, then the skimmer, while leaving the ReefWave pumps and ReefLEDs on in the main tank. That may just buy you the time to send someone out and save any livestock if you’re away on vacation. And work out where the leak actually came from.
The exhaustive list above is just some of the features that the 3-in-1 ReefATO+ comprises, which compared to standard auto-top-off devices, is a lot! We can now clearly see Red Sea’s product development path, integrating everything into the one ecosystem app while rethinking and reinventing every new smart device and component at the same time.
Uniquely Red Sea
It would be easy for Red Sea to buy OEM equipment, color it red and black and send it straight to market, but they opted for the much more expensive, much more involved research and development path for every new product instead. Tooling and app integration takes a lot of time and money, vision, and commitment, but that’s now paying off with a family of evolved aquatic products, each with many points of difference that set them apart from their competitors as well as defining them as uniquely Red Sea.
A good product introduces features that we never thought we needed before and with five probes, app control, temperature monitoring, and a leak detector, the ReefATO+ goes above and beyond what we expected from an app-connected ATO.
It’s priced at $199/£199/€199 or $170/£170/€170 to upgrade the Reefer ATO, which doesn’t require the corner magnet mounts. Watch the video to see how it retrofits into existing Reefers, and the extensive app features.
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