***Update 12/3/2023 the ToM Aqua Lifter Pump appears to have been discontinued. See the end of the post for a comparable lifter pump.***
The ToM Aquarium Products Aqua Lifter Pump is a small vacuum pump. These pumps are also commonly called Tom’s Aqualifter pumps. These pumps can be used to serve various purposes in the reef aquarium. Some of the uses include:
- Dosing – Primarily Kalkwasser
- Automatic Top Off
- Calcium reactor pump
- A safety pump for removing air out of a over the rim overflow box
These pumps have two airline tubing connections. On is for drawing liquid from a reservoir and another tube to drip the liquid into the location you want. The pump is compact and powerful for drip type use. The pump uses a diaphragm and flappers to lift water from a reservoir and into an area you want. There are some accessories available for the pump that does not come with the pump itself. Two common accessories are an inline filter and a stand that allows you to mount and hang the pump off the side of your tank or refugium.
Technical Specs
- Pumps water up to 30” high
- Pumps 3 ½ gallons of water per hour
- Uses 1/4” airline tubing
- Flow indicators on the pump show which lines to connect
- Draws 3w of power
- UL Certified
- Pump is not submersible
Selected Online Summary of Reviews
Looking at existing online reviews of this product, here is a summation of some of the things users have pointed out:
Positives
- Well made
- Lasts a long time
- Perfect for auto top off
- Quiet operation
- Does a great job removing air from overflow box
- Simple installation and operation
- Great when ATO container is close
Negatives
- Cost has increased a lot from a few years ago
- Not good for moving large amounts of water
- Very loud if run dry
- 30” is max and pump can lose strength over time
- Some review mention failure before a year of use
Hands on experience
I first purchased one of these pumps as part of my ATO on my 55-gallon origin tank. I paired the pump with an Eshopps RS-75 sump and a Hydor Smart ATO unit. My ATO container sat directly next to my sump. When on my 55-gallon origin tank the pump performed well. It was quiet in operation and never failed at keeping the waterline in check. I like the system enough to migrate over to my 22-gallon long frag Clownfish tank. I’ve been using the same pump continuously for 2 plus years without fail. Set up is a simple and continuous operation in my ATO system has been great.
Final Thoughts and Score
The Tom’s Aqua Lifter pump is a compact efficient pump for ATO use in small systems. It has served me well on my 55-gallon tank and 22-gallon tank both of which used a smaller sump and didn’t require a large amount of freshwater to be topped off. I don’t think this would be a suitable option for a larger system and would probably take to long to fill before the ATO brain would shut it off. Reliability is where the Tom’s Aqua Lifter has shined for me. So far it’s worked for me for multiple years without fail and I would probably replace it with the same unit if it did fail.
The thing I don’t like was having to pay additional for the mount. The mount is nice and works well, but nearly costs as much as the pump itself. The other consideration with this pump is cost. The pump use to be well worth the low cost of the pump, but recently has gone up 2-3 times in price.
Overall a well-performing pump that has worked well for me as an ATO pump.
***Update 12/3/2023 the ToM Aqua Lifter Pump appears to have been discontinued. Below is a comparable lifter pump***
Koller Products Aqua Lift Dosing Pump 3 GPH Flow Rate
Koller Products Aqua Lift Dosing Pump 3 GPH Flow Rate
Koller Products Aqua Lift is ideal for moving small amounts of water from one place to the next, up to a height of 24 inches. Perfect for topping off aquariums, dosing reef supplements, drip system for reptiles’ terrariums, priming gravity fed siphon tubes and acclimating new fish and corals to your tank’s water.