You can’t talk about Auto Top Off devices without talking about Tunze, as it is Norbert Tunze who identified the need for stable salinity in marine aquariums way back in the 1980s and invented the first Tunze Osmotic Regulator as a result – The Osmolator.
Throughout its 40-year history, the Osmolator has been the go-to ATO, known for its solid construction and reliability yet continuing to update, leading with an optical sensor in 2001, (the Osmolator 2,) solid magnet fittings instead of clamps as well as some cosmetic changes to the 5017 controller. Now, new for 2023 is the Osmolator 3, and it comprises many new features.
Everything about the Osmolator 3 looks different from what we know from Tunze ATOs of old. First is the sensor, the largest optical sensor Tunze has ever used with 0.5mm water level accuracy and detection. Gone is the float switch safety backup and instead, it is replaced by a separate sensor above, on a separate circuit, and both are molded onto a large, sturdy magnet with a protective cover to prevent biofouling and any wandering critters. It’s been completely redesigned, with the brains now all built into the wet side of the sensor, doing away with the old separate 5017 controller completely.
At the ATO reservoir end the pump has been completely redesigned too. Gone is the old DC brush motor and it’s been replaced by a modern-looking 3-phase sine wave pump which is much quieter, yet can pump up to 6.2 meters high. It’s built totally in-house at Tunze’s Bavarian headquarters and it now comes with a push fitting for a 6mm pipe too.
When you buy a Tunze product you are not just buying a me-too product, for many Tunze innovations were the first of their kind. You’re buying into three generations of the Tunze family inventing aquarium products and changing the way we all reef forever. The Osmolator 3 is the latest part of that legacy.
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