Dosing to feed? Anyone doing this?

[gregrock68]

I was at Reefapalooza Orlando and Aqua Forest was giving away samples of their new products, one of which was a room temperature stable artemia and mysis in a bottle. My tank loved both of these products! (my fish don't like the reef nutrition bottle foods) I have been thinking about using my extra dosing head to automate a feeding schedule at night more than likely.

So, is anyone else doing this? If so, what's your take on this? I head out on vacation in a few weeks and this could solve my feeding problems.

 

[tbrown]

I've considered it with phyto. @JoJosReef has used this method with Reef Nutrition ROE I believe.

 

[exnisstech]

Almost all of of my fish hide in the rocks at night so I'm not sure how beneficial feeding at night would be? My CBBs are the only fish I see active when lights are off.

 

[exnisstech]

I've considered it with phyto. @JoJosReef has used this method with Reef Nutrition ROE I believe.

That's a great idea. I've just started dosing phyto to two of my tanks for the first time and have two brs 1.1ml a minute dosers and timers on the shelf. I think I have something to do later. I've been dosing manually

 

[gregrock68]

I should have clarified, I wasn't thinking of the feeding the fish, but the corals. At night time I check I see many corals in feeding mode with their feeding tentacles extended. The artemia would be feeding at night, a small dose. Day time while away on vacation I was thinking of setting an alternate doser for the mysis

 

[Garf]

I should have clarified, I wasn't thinking of the feeding the fish, but the corals. At night time I check I see many corals in feeding mode with their feeding tentacles extended. The artemia would be feeding at night, a small dose. Day time while away on vacation I was thinking of setting an alternate doser for the mysis

Peristaltic tubes would need very regular cleaning, wouldn't they? I'd have thought the rollers would squish some of the food.

 

[tbrown]

Peristaltic tubes would need very regular cleaning, wouldn't they? I'd have thought the rollers would squish some of the food.

That was the issue JoJo was having with the ROE.

 

[gregrock68]

Peristaltic tubes would need very regular cleaning, wouldn't they? I'd have thought the rollers would squish some of the food.

Probably, but that's an easy pc to replace as needed

 

[gregrock68]

I should have clarified, I wasn't thinking of the feeding the fish, but the corals. At night time I check I see many corals in feeding mode with their feeding tentacles extended. The artemia would be feeding at night, a small dose. Day time while away on vacation I was thinking of setting an alternate doser for the mysis

Peristaltic tubes would need very regular cleaning, wouldn't they? I'd have thought the rollers would squish some of the food.

Good point. Appreciate the Insight! I will run a test for a week and see if I run into the blockage issue. If not, at least I know I will be good for vacation........ hopefully!

 

[JoJosReef]

Problem is that most dosers now are set up with 2mm inner diameter tubing, so artemia will just clog it. Keeping the tubes clean is no biggie. I have a link to my setup on the first page of my build thread.

The solution to artemia and mysis is a larger ID tubing. The Neptune DOS doser uses 3.3mm ID, which I think MIGHT work, but the best might be the Ecotech Versa, which uses airline tubing size (>4mm ID). PRICEY!! The problem with other larger ID peristaltic pumps is the high flow rate. Doesn't work well because you have to program it to run just a couple seconds at a time. The Versa is a stepper and can go slower, thus dispensing small amounts of food. I'm seriously debating going with a Versa to dispense AF mysis.

RE: cleaning tubing, use a second dosing head and a t barb into the food tube right after the head to "flush" the food out of the tube and into the tank with RODI. Works like a charm.