Dosing Pump Noob Questions

[stlblufan]

Hi, I am contemplating adding a dosing pump for daily two-part. I've searched the forums for answers to my questions, but haven't found an answer. Apologies if they have already been answered.

First, does the pump have to be in any particular location (i.e., above or level with the sump)? I'd like to place it just below the sump, but I don't know how much "pumping" power these guys have. If I understand the way they work, the rollers just move the liquid along so going up a foot or so shouldn't be a problem. Correct?

Second, is there any issue with dosing two-part, in that it won't be shaken/mixed?

Third, is it best to get a dummy pump and integrate it with my Apex or is something like the LiterMeter a better option? Related question--can the ProfiLux be integrated with an Apex or only with the ProfiLux controller?

Thanks again.

 

[CONSTANTNE]

I will try to answer your questions as best I can.

1. No. The rollers stops the liquid when it turns off and it will not go back into the two part container nor fall into the tank. The liquid actually will sit at the end of the tube so when its turned back on it immediately pushes liquid out. Going up a foot should not be a problem.

2. I have been using two part for about 8 months now and replace the 2 part maybe every 2 months. I do not shake or stir the containers during that time. Not sure if it makes a difference. Also, the tube in the container is on the bottom so that may help.

3. Not sure as to the question here. I have a Bubble Magus doser hooked up to my Reefkeeper controller but its just set to ON so basically the controller isnt doing anything fancy. Before this I had plain drew's dosers which needed timers and was using the reefkeeper controller as a multi-timer to come on and off for dosing.

 

[stlblufan]

Thanks for the response -- very helpful.

My third question was a bit jumbled but you got the gist. Basically I am trying to figure out if a stand-alone doser is better than one that works off of a controller. I feel like a stand-alone might have more precise control over how much is being dosed, but this is perhaps misguided.

 

[CONSTANTNE]

No problem. You may want to look into the Bubble Magus dosers. It has 3 dosers and retains all memory if power goes out. I believe others may not do this and that was def something I wanted.

 

[jrobbins]

just to chime in on question #1, while the litermeter wont back-siphon a bunch of the other ones will. in particular, the aquamedic dosers (which i hate with a passion) will back-siphon if there is not a check valve installed as will a bunch of the other peristaltic pumps. the other thing to remember is that some of the dosing pumps aren't calibrated really well, so they require quite a bit of futzing to get them to work correctly.

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

Since most have answered your questions I will also give my additional 2 cents. Get yourself a quality unit Litermeter or Profilux dosing unit.

 

[stlblufan]

Thanks. Leaning towards the Profilux.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[CONSTANTNE]

If you look into the reviews and info on the Bubble Magus doser you will see that its also a quality product. I feel a lot of products Bubble Magus puts out are as I dont hear negative things about them.

 

[jrobbins]

dosers are one of the few components that can kill your system quickly. if you are going to use one, i would suggest waiting buying one that already has a stellar reputation since you are essentially staking the survival of your tank on it.

i dont know much about bubble magnus except for the fact that they produce pretty cheap skimmers. i do know that litermeters have a long and proven record of not killing tanks.

 

[chinatown]

Question. What could go wrong if you have a BRS doser/Drew's Doser on a timer?

 

[tosiek]

Go with the better dosing units. Litermeter or profilux if you can afford it. Its worth it in the long run. The added functions and calibration can make the difference when coming home and seeing death and destruction in your tank.

I have a litermeter going 3 years strong without complications. All i do is run the calibration every 2-3 months and I always get a constant reading. Every 6-8 months I check the tubes for buildup and replace if needed but that rarely happens. Adjustments are as simple as changing the amount needed per day and it takes me 2 seconds. The litermeter doses a little every hour or three into the tank maintaining a constant alk/calc level in the tank throughout the day. Your getting the same off the profilux.

When you start adding more fuctions to your reef controller you greatly increase the chances that something will screw up on the controller and screw up your tank. IMO, its preferable to keep separate certain life functions for your tank off your reef controller or only on one phase on the breaker box or what ever. Anyways, you get my point. If your looking for heating elements or cooling for your tank use a ranco controller with the heater, not to your reef controller. If your looking for dosing options do it with a profilux or litermeter not on a complicated timer cycle on your reef controller.

I had problems with my RK2 where a power drop turned off and on certain timers and functions that weren't set. I was about to set my heater to it and I would have fried my tank if it happened 2 days later.

You should have no problem pushing the litermeter or profilux up 6+ feet of piping, I'm pushing mine up about 4-5 feet and I never had problems. Both are set to pump according to their calibrated rates. As far as mixing, every few days go where you have your alk and cal and shake your bottles.

If your buying the BRS or any of the stand alones you need to self calculate the rate per pump and do alot of math and add a crazy timer schedual to get your associated rate per min per day to get the correct dose. If you want to go through that trouble and save yourself 200$ thats fine but know what your getting yourself into and what to expect longterm from the setup.

 

[jrobbins]

1. They stop turning at the same rate and throw your ph slowly out of whack
2. One outright fails and the other keeps going and kills your system pretty quick
3. Timers suck.


You can (I did and occasionally still do) just run them off a controller and program it to shut off the dosers if your ph moves too much, but at the end of the day automating things like 2 part or Kalk can really nuke your tank. If you are going to do its fine, it I just wouldn't cheap out on it.

 

[ReefNut]

I've had the aquamedic for several years and hated them.The check valves always a problem.
I replaced it with a LiterMeter and haven't touched it since.Very nice piece of equipment.Worth the extra money.
I dose limewater so,one container no guesswork.

 

[stlblufan]

After listening to all of the comments on this thread, I have been pricing the LiterMeter and the Profilux. It appears that the LiterMeter is quite a bit more expensive than the Profilux, because the LiterMeter only comes with one pump head and each additional head is an extra $150+. I can get a four-head standalone Profilux for around $500, whereas the LiterMeter maxed out with three heads would run around $650.

Is the LiterMeter that much better than the Profilux?