Article: DIY 2-Part Dosing System Video

[melev]

I'm dosing 15ml per day, and this July will be 2 years straight. If I watered down the vodka, that might do the trick. And the AC III can turn it on and off but a digital timer is pretty fail-proof.

Deltec has a 1ml/min dosing pump for $100. I've thought about buying that a few hundred times since MACNA.

[GoinAcropoora]

One thing to consider is that the high alcohol content in vodka will evaporate in an "unsealed" reservoir. On the other hand a sealed reservoir will create a vacuum from the displaced air/liquid, severely affecting the drip rate. Best to use a collapsible reservoir like boxed/bagged wine (blech). Already sounds like too many variables to deal with for vodka.

Have you ever heard of a product called "Algone"? Daily vodka dosing became a pain, so I stopped. Then phosphates, nitrates, diatoms crept back up so I had to restart vodka again. Pain. Then I was turned on to "Algone" and tried it in lieu of vodka. Those who dose vodka have probably observed the characteristic white film of beneficial bacteria on the glass that replaces the diatoms. That point is when most find their phosphates/nitrates go undetectable and dosage is set. "Algone" are sachets of impregnated media that you throw in your filter sock and replace weekly (they smell like rotten eggs after a week). Even after stopping vodka, and switching to "Algone", I noticed that the beneficial film of bacteria continued along with undetectable PO/Na. I used all 6 sachets in the pack (6 weeks) and stopped to observe. The thin film, and undetectable PO/Na still continue to this day and I stopped 8 months ago. One of the best things about "Algone" is that it's an inexpensive product and your system doesn't become dependent on it. Give it a try and see for yourself.

[melev]

Yes, I did try Algone for a long time, since it is used to lower nitrate but it never was able to keep up with the needs of my tank. Those pillows would swell up, so I knew it was working and the smell was another indicator, but that wasn't enough.

[GoinAcropoora]

Well, I suppose 0.6 ml vs. 15 ml says it all....Reefaholic! LOL

[Alaska_Phil]

Reefaholic? or alcoholic Reef?

[Alaska_Phil]

Just ordered a pair of aqua lifters and a jug of calcium cloride. Guess what my next project is.

[Alaska_Phil]

Anyone know an on-line sourcr for the drip valves? The only ones I could find locally give me 22ml per min. Since I'm trying to dose 30 ml per day this makes things a bit tricky with only a 1 minute accuracy timer.