Auto Top Ups

Auto Top Ups help and advice

Maintain the optimum water level

Whether you have a freshwater, tropical or marine tank, water loss is a fact of aquarium ownership. Evaporation is a law of life and your tank's water level is going to drop and require supplementing to keep all your systems from running dry and your fish and other organisms happy and content. Auto top up pumps are a great way to ease the stress and hassle of constantly topping up your tank with new water. We boast a range of superb auto top up pumps including products from Aqua One, D&D and TMC.

What are auto top ups?

Auto top ups are a combination of a pump and a sensor that monitors the water level in your fish tank and pumps in fresh water from a reservoir when more is needed. The sensor the pump uses can be anything from a floating switch to an optical sensor.

Why should I buy auto top ups?

Auto top ups ensure that even if you're away from your fish tank it won't become dangerous for your fish, plants and invertebrates. Aquarists are in a constant battle against evaporation and an auto top up can be a secret weapon to keep your fish safe.

What are the main types of auto top ups?

Auto top ups all do the same job, what differentiates them is the sensors they use and the volume of water they can move. Some models, like the Aqua One AquaFill Automatic Top Up, use floating switches which trigger when the water level is no longer keeping them floating. Other models, like the D&D H2Ocean Compact Auto Top-Up, use an infrared beam and optical sensors to monitor the water level. We even have a model, the D&D Kamoer X2S Water Change Pump, which can interact with you via your phone to both perform water changes and maintain the water level.

What should I look for?

Each pump has a flow rate and a max head height, these are important as you will need to know them to work out if the pump you are buying is suitable for the connection between your reservoir and tank. Ensure that your auto top up pump is suitable and that there's nothing in your tank that might interfere with the sensors, such as reflective materials close to the surface, as these could cause a flood.