The auto top off reservoir is fresh RO/DI water so it doesn't need any circulation. When water evaporates from the tank it leaves the salt behind, so you need to top it off with fresh water to prevent your salinity from going out of whack. I used a double float switch system that controls a maxijet 400 that pumps water from the reservoir (a food grade recycling bin I found at Canadian Tire) into the return pump section of my sump. I've also seen gravity feed systems that use a float valve, but they kind of scare me. I'd be worried that salt creep or a snail would prevent it from sealing properly and result in a flood. Something similar could happen with a float switch system as well, which is why I have a second float switch set slightly higher than my first to act as an extra safety measure.
As far as permanency of a fishroom, I had also considered that when I was thinking along the reno route. I think I would put the fishroom in the basement, and run the plumbing up through the floor through a hole the size and position of a furnace vent. Then when you go to sell, you can pull the plumbing out and put a vent cover over it and no one is the wiser. Put the sump in or next to your laundry room, put in one of those laundry sinks and your laughing. Of course, if you don't have room, you don't have room.
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