Article: DIY 2-Part Dosing System Video

[Jessy]

You can view the page at http://www.reefaddicts.com/content.p...g-System-Video

[evoracer]

Way to go Alan- You're famous!!

[Blennymower]

Sweet! This is definitely the way I'm going to go.

[GoinAcropoora]

If you were trying to follow along the math part, I guess it goes to show that a
mic + camera = arithmetic kryptonite

Here’s how it should’ve played out:

Say you need 30 ml of whatever additive.

I found that 1 drop per second will yield 6 ml (10 drops per ml). It's surprisingly precise. So, it'll take 5 minutes to yeild 30 ml. Simply program the timer for five 1 minute intervals throughout the day. That could be 12:00, 5:00, 10:00, 3:00, 8:00. Isn't that easy?

Just play with the drip rates and durations to meet your specific needs. I like the 1 drop per second drip rate because it’s very easy to eyeball and recalibrate for consistency. You could just as easily go with 1 drop every 6 seconds to yeild 1 ml per minute.

If you have any questions, just drop by CCRK

[Alaska_Phil]

Sweet! I just got the overflow box today for my sump upgrade and I'm putting together an order from BRS for their 2 part system, guess I'll have to add an couple aqualifters to my order now.

Maybe 3 of them, I use one for my auto top off too, so not a bad idea to have a spare.

[melev]

Heck, get one more for a back up.

[austin93]

Do you think these pumps will be able to replace peristaltic pumps? I thought they were pretty inconsistent in their dosing?

[GoinAcropoora]

Do you think these pumps will be able to replace peristaltic pumps? I thought they were pretty inconsistent in their dosing?

peristaltic pumps dose more accurately, and require less adjusting. But, those pumps also cost 6X more. If you can swing it, by all means.... This is merely a low cost alternative.

I found that the aqualifter is surprisingly accurate/reliable once you get it dialed in and then periodically make adjustments. I made adjustments daily for a few days, then only needed to fine tune weekly (if that). Some factors that will significantly affect the drip rates will be: changing height/distance of any component (keep distances as short as possible & maintain), back flow (use check valves to maximize precision), crusty buildup (wipe off nozzles as needed).
Even with the need for periodic adjusting it's so much easier than daily dosing by hand. It also allows you time to save up/look for a great deal on a peristaltic pump or reactor setup. Good luck.

[melev]

You know, it may be possible for me to do something similar to dose my vodka daily. It never even dawned on me until this moment!

[GoinAcropoora]

You know, it may be possible for me to do something similar to dose my vodka daily. It never even dawned on me until this moment!

Could work but BE CAREFUL with such a potent additive. Even a little overdosing can cause MAJOR issues. I manually dosed vodka for months and I think the dosage for my 90g was 0.6 ml (which is 6 drops). For that scenario, I'd adjust the drip rate to 1 drop every 6 seconds, and program the timer for 1 minute. Maybe one could dilute the vodka to 1/10th strength and dose 60 drops per minute, for 1 minute. Much easier to monitor and less potential for ODing. Ugh...There's that math stuff again.