Shelf-stable food dosing - is anyone doing this?

[DipSpit]

BLUF: What food can I feed via dosing pump?

After a quick search around R2R with some keywords I couldn't find much on shelf stable food products for corals/inverts. Let me put this into context, though, of what I am trying to do.

I recently switched from the KZ coral system (1-4) to the FM Balling system. I like the fact that the elements can be mixed directly with the 2-part mix and thusly frees up a whole 4-channel doser for...other things.

Currently it is dosing a gradually decreasing amount of carbon-source, and a very nifty "no shake needed" version of Acro Power made by FM called Ultra Amin. I have just started using the aminos less than 24 hours ago so the jury is still out.

ANYWAYS

I would love to have the doser also contribute some sort of suspended food. The obvious hurdles here are refrigeration and suspension. All the products I have seen need to be refrigerated after opening or need to be shaken/mixed before dosing. I would obviously coordinate the dosing with skimmer shut off via Apex.

 

[reefwiser]

 

[DipSpit]

This is SO close to what I want to do.

The issues are: I don't want to spend $400 on a GHL Doser (Yet!) and my current one doesn't have a reverse siphon option. Also, the wine bottle cooler isn't an option due to size and aesthetic. I looked into smaller, portable options with mixed reviews at best.

 

[mcarroll]

You're up against Mo' Nature on this...dead things tend to degrade.

Usually the things we can do to ****** (I really can't say the word that means "to slow them down"????) or stop that from happening aren't good or healthy. (Dead things are supposed to degrade.)

So stop thinking dead and start thinking live – no refrigeration needed! :)

I think @Paul B's baby brine shrimp "doser" (feeder) is good starting point! It isn't automated in that setup....but one dose can probaly go "all day".

You just need to invent a way to auto-collect them in a manner that a peristaltic pump could successfully dose them. Seems like it should be pretty doable!

Check out Paul's hatchery/collector too. More ideas!

 

[reefwiser]

Reverse on the motor is need to not spoil the food in the lines. Not much out there much smaller in the cooler. Especially something that is dependable.
Time is money