dosing questions

[JerzyFF61]

so with my new tank upgrade, i want to simplify things, and get the tank a little more automated.

so one thing i definitely have been reading a lot on is automated dosing. i see some of the units have they're own computers which will dose exactly the amount you want. but they're very pricey, and pretty bulky in size. so what im wondering is....i can figure out how much i will need daily, but how do you know how long to set the doser on time to be for that amount? im assuming that it should be split up over the course of the day, not all at once, correct?

so say that i have to dose ummm 90ml of calc per day...

do i just measure how many ml per 15 minutes the doser will put out. then split that up over the course of the day? thats all i can think of to do. is there a simpler way??

thanks all!

 

[mnat]

Take a look at the marine magic dosers on ebay. I have one and love it, they are much cheaper than the expensive ones and are essentially Chinese knock offs. When I started dosing I essentially read the directions for what I was dosing with (brightwell calcion and brightwell alk 8.3) and adjusted dosing from there. I tested every day for a few weeks to figure out if I needed to tweak the dosing at all. Dosing over the course of the day (say every hour) is more beneficial that dosing all at once.

 

[JerzyFF61]

excellent!!!! thanks so much!!! i have used bot tropic marin bio calc, and the brightwells u listed above. both great products! any benefit on using those two over brightwells reef code a & b??

also, how do you have your dosing pump mounted? it says on theyre website to mount it horizontal....i would like to hang it inside the stand....

 

[downbeach]

I've have a brand new Bubble Magnus FS in "deals and steals", for a couple of weeks, take a look. There is a mounting bracket available for it, that I didn't get because I intended to build a small stand that would just fit over the three slim line containers that are included.

 

[mnat]

As Jim said I picked up a mounting bracket that is mounted underneath my tank in the stand. I will try and get a picture so you can see how I do it.

 

[JerzyFF61]

aweome, id appreciate that

thx again!

 

[JerzyFF61]

hey, get that picture of your setup?

 

[downbeach]

I don't have this set up, but here is a picture of the Bubble Magnus bracket, and how it would look:

 

[mnat]

I took the pics just have to upload them onto the computer, been a bit busy. I will get them up tonight.

 

[mnat]

Sorry for the delay, been a bit busy. So here is my sump:

As you can see the pumps are on a bracked which is mounted inside my sump. The two shorty reactors are sitting on top of a cutting board with the chambers for the dosing liquids underneath them.
Closeup:

 

[Tazmaniancowboy]

Wow Mike, That looks tight!

 

[mnat]

Tell me about it, one of the things I learned is when switching to a sump you have to plan. In my HOB days, I just hung something in a different spot and did not have to worry about it. Now with the rimless and the fact that it is in our living room, I can't hang or mount anything on the walls. I had to get creative and buy those shorty reactors or I would have no carbon or phosban. The dosing pumps actually do a heck of a job for ATO as my salinity is 1.026 every week when we do water changes but they are not as exact as a true ato so the water level fluctuates slightly which can play with skimmer performance. That is why I tell people to plan and measure the stand before you get equipment. My stand looks a lot different then what I planned in my head in the beginning.

 

[radiata]

so with my new tank upgrade, i want to simplify things, and get the tank a little more automated.

so one thing i definitely have been reading a lot on is automated dosing. i see some of the units have they're own computers which will dose exactly the amount you want. but they're very pricey, and pretty bulky in size. so what im wondering is....i can figure out how much i will need daily, but how do you know how long to set the doser on time to be for that amount? im assuming that it should be split up over the course of the day, not all at once, correct?

so say that i have to dose ummm 90ml of calc per day...

do i just measure how many ml per 15 minutes the doser will put out. then split that up over the course of the day? thats all i can think of to do. is there a simpler way??

thanks all!

I like modular hardware - I'm not a big fan of multi-functional hardware. Ever see those TVs with built-in VCRs or DVDs? They cost more than a plain TV, and when the TV goes south, you need to replace your DVR (or VCR) too.

My dosing preference is for individual stand-alone pumps and a stand-alone controller (or maybe a digital timer if you're low budget). My pumps of choice are BRS' 1.1ml/min doser - they have nicer features than their 1.5 ml/min "Drew's Doser", and are worth the additional cost. I'm currently using a Digital Aquatics controller. It allows me to programmatically spread my dosing over 24 hours by dosing a small amount every hour. I currently dose Alk, Calcium, Carbon and Iron.