Auto Dosers - How and When?

[allboutthe305]

So I've noticed my tank is using more alk and magnesium lately. I manually test and dose everyday after work or every other day and I'm noticing a similar number of dosage I need to keep it in proper ranges.

My wonder is how the auto Dosers work. I'm sure I have to program how much I want it to dose but how do you know if it's over dosing? Is it a matter of testing and testing and figuring out exactly how much I need or what?

They just seem confusing to me because I'm sure over dosing it can cause damage just like if it's not enough. I don't mind testing and dosing manually because I know it's accurate. There are times where I'm to tired to but I do it anyways. I just want to understand them more before making a purchase and adding more electrics into my cabinets.

(Sorry if there's a post already like this, if so please link it)

 

[totion]

Following this, I am building a 36 gallon bow front SPS reef and will need to set up a dose down the line...

 

[allboutthe305]

Hopefully it's worth following Totion lol.

 

[roman1]

I am following also

 

[d2mini]

You can test your parameters 24 hours apart to see how much of each your tank is using up in that 24 hour period.
Then you program your dosing pump to replace that much over a 24 hour period.
It doesn't have to be exact, just get close and test once or twice a day in the beginning until you tweak it to be stable and then you can start backing off on the testing a bit.
You might not even want to go two-part dosing yet if your tank isn't using much. Kalkwasser in the ATO is plenty for a lot of people for a while.

 

[totion]

I plan on starting with kalk in my ato until I can get a controller and a doser. I need to get a hdpe ato container first though. I learned the hard way that lime water will Crack regular plastic.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My wonder is how the auto Dosers work. I'm sure I have to program how much I want it to dose but how do you know if it's over dosing? Is it a matter of testing and testing and figuring out exactly how much I need or what?
)

Pretty much. If you know how much you are dosing now, you can just program them or set a timer on them to dose the same amount daily, or spread across many times of the day. But like manual dosing, you need to determine the amount by trial and error.

Magnesium should rarely need an auto doser. Once every 1-2 weeks is plenty for magnesium dosing. But having it on one isn't any problem.

 

[allboutthe305]

Just to me it sounds like so much could go wrong. Maybe I'm over thinking it?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well, things can and do go wrong, but lots of people do it successfully. It's not really any harder than determining a manual dose.

 

[allboutthe305]

Thanks Randy. Hopefully I can get a setup soon and give it a try. You've convinced me.

 

[nanoman28g]

I have heard of auto dosers going crazy and dosing too much, getting stuck etc. If I ever buy one, it would be a quality one controlled by my Apex, like the Neptune Systems DOS.