Kamoer F1 Dosing Pump for ATO and/or AWC-Long Term Success/Failure Stories

[Rpaulin]

Hi there!

I’m new to the saltwater/reefing community and am looking for advice and/or long term success stories (or failures! ) when using the Kamoer F1 Dosing Pump for ATO and AWC. I am currently running 1 Kamoer F1 for ATO, dosing approximately 1/2 gallon of RODI per day over a 10 hour period to account for evaporation. So far it has been working flawlessly…. BUT it’s only been about 2 months and I am concerned about the life expectancy of the pump given that I am using it for a higher volume of liquid than its intended purpose. Since it has been working so well and it was extremely easy to set up (and less expensive than many other ATO/AWC options), I decided to pick up 2 more to set up an AWC system. Part of me is concerned that in my efforts to go a less expensive route that it may end up costing more in the long run with either replacing the pumps every 2-3 months or failures causing unforeseen water leaks/damage . If anyone has experience (good or bad) using these dosing pumps for ATO and/or AWC, I’d appreciate the feedback!

Thank you!!

 

[blaxsun]

The Neptune DOS is kind of the gold standard for AWC in terms of reliability, distance, consistency, etc.

 

[MrGisonni]

On my 30 gallon mixed reef I use two kamoer dosing pumps, one for dosing AFR and one as my ATO. My big three salts are stable and so is my salinity.

 

[SPS2020]

I've been using two X1's for a couple of years as ATO solutions for my two tanks and they work nicely. I'd suggest to anyone looking at Kamoer to purchase the F1 instead (as you have done) since they are also Bluetooth and not just WiFi. I would not recommend them for water changes. Look at DOS instead as mentioned previously.

 

[Pntbll687]

Hi there!

I’m new to the saltwater/reefing community and am looking for advice and/or long term success stories (or failures! ) when using the Kamoer F1 Dosing Pump for ATO and AWC. I am currently running 1 Kamoer F1 for ATO, dosing approximately 1/2 gallon of RODI per day over a 10 hour period to account for evaporation. So far it has been working flawlessly…. BUT it’s only been about 2 months and I am concerned about the life expectancy of the pump given that I am using it for a higher volume of liquid than its intended purpose. Since it has been working so well and it was extremely easy to set up (and less expensive than many other ATO/AWC options), I decided to pick up 2 more to set up an AWC system. Part of me is concerned that in my efforts to go a less expensive route that it may end up costing more in the long run with either replacing the pumps every 2-3 months or failures causing unforeseen water leaks/damage . If anyone has experience (good or bad) using these dosing pumps for ATO and/or AWC, I’d appreciate the feedback!

Thank you!!

Two things I can see as potential problems.
1. The longevity of the pumps. They aren't designed to dose large amounts. I used one to dose kalkwasser and it got noisy quick from the volume. If you want to replace the heads of the pumps every month or two, then probably not an issue
2. The dosing pumps "wandering" over time. All pumps will deviate from calibration, but now you have doubled the problem. You may need to test salinty every week, and calibrate the pumps pretty often.

Better Option
2 x Komoer pro T stepper pumps, these are made for continuous dosing

Another option

X2SR Auto Water Change Pump

The Kamoer X2SR is a WiFi-controlled, peristaltic pump designed for auto water changes and auto top-offs in your aquarium. Instead of manually transferring large buckets of water on maintenance days, you can program your X2SR to replenish water at whatever time or speed you like. You can change...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Option 3
2 x Ecotech versa dosing pumps.
I have both the kamoer pro T and the versa. The versa is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the prot in terms of programming and options available.

Option 4
Go wild and setup an apex with a DOS unit to do AWC.

 

[Rpaulin]

On my 30 gallon mixed reef I use two kamoer dosing pumps, one for dosing AFR and one as my ATO. My big three salts are stable and so is my salinity.

Thank you! How long have you been using your F1 for your ATO and how much water are you adding per day? I’m trying to get a feel for how long I can expect these little pumps to last. If the pump dies after running 2000 hours and I have to replace it every few months (I’m dosing approx 1/2 gallon a day which is about 30 minutes a day split out 6x), it may end up costing me more than if I just buy a higher end set up like the Neptune DOS. Let me know!. Thanks.

 

[Rpaulin]

Two things I can see as potential problems.
1. The longevity of the pumps. They aren't designed to dose large amounts. I used one to dose kalkwasser and it got noisy quick from the volume. If you want to replace the heads of the pumps every month or two, then probably not an issue
2. The dosing pumps "wandering" over time. All pumps will deviate from calibration, but now you have doubled the problem. You may need to test salinty every week, and calibrate the pumps pretty often.

Better Option
2 x Komoer pro T stepper pumps, these are made for continuous dosing

Another option

X2SR Auto Water Change Pump

The Kamoer X2SR is a WiFi-controlled, peristaltic pump designed for auto water changes and auto top-offs in your aquarium. Instead of manually transferring large buckets of water on maintenance days, you can program your X2SR to replenish water at whatever time or speed you like. You can change...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Option 3
2 x Ecotech versa dosing pumps.
I have both the kamoer pro T and the versa. The versa is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the prot in terms of programming and options available.

Option 4
Go wild and setup an apex with a DOS unit to do AWC.

Thank you so much for the info!! I really appreciate it… I may just have to “go wild” and get the DOS. Thanks again!

 

[Rpaulin]

I've been using two X1's for a couple of years as ATO solutions for my two tanks and they work nicely. I'd suggest to anyone looking at Kamoer to purchase the F1 instead (as you have done) since they are also Bluetooth and not just WiFi. I would not recommend them for water changes. Look at DOS instead as mentioned previously.

Thank you! I’m probably going to have to go the DOS route. Appreciate the feedback!

 

[Garf]

Thank you! How long have you been using your F1 for your ATO and how much water are you adding per day? I’m trying to get a feel for how long I can expect these little pumps to last. If the pump dies after running 2000 hours and I have to replace it every few months (I’m dosing approx 1/2 gallon a day which is about 30 minutes a day split out 6x), it may end up costing me more than if I just buy a higher end set up like the Neptune DOS. Let me know!. Thanks.

I’ve had an X1 dosing 1500 mls a day for nearly 3 years. You’ll have to change the tubing occasionally for a generic 5mm x 3mm silicon tubing. Yeah, they do get noisy, I find it comforting in that I know it still works, without checking, lol.

 

[Rpaulin]

I’ve had an X1 dosing 1500 mls a day for nearly 3 years. You’ll have to change the tubing occasionally for a generic 5mm x 3mm silicon tubing. Yeah, they do get noisy, I find it comforting in that I know it still works, without checking, lol.

Thank you! 3 years is a long time, I can handle that for sure!

 

[Pntbll687]

Thank you so much for the info!! I really appreciate it… I may just have to “go wild” and get the DOS. Thanks again!

Dos + Apex if you go that route