Thousand Ways To Use Dosing Pumps

[BaliSurferDude]

I'm curious to find out what people are using their dosing pumps for!
Mainly other than standard 2-part.

What other supplements can we automate by incorporating dosing pumps?

Diluting products that normally are dosed by drops or caps?
Using automatic magnetic stirrers, to suspend solids?

Come with suggestions, and I'll add them to the poll. Then people can vote for all that applies for them

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I have used dosing pumps mainly for diluting things like amminos and trace but also built a AWC setup for reef-pi. Frozen food dispenser would be pretty cool too.

 

[Mical]

I use my dosing pumps for feeding CoralVue's Easy SPS gel -> https://www.coralvue.com/easyreefs-easysps-evo-gel-coral-food

 

[afboundguy]

Just for 2 part dosing for now but I plan to use some when and if I get my tank upgrade to do something similar to the @WallyB DIY frozen food feeder...

 

[Brett S]

I’ve gotta admit I’m a little disappointed in the poll. The subject promised 1000 ways, but there are only 11 options in the poll.

On a side note, you are missing Calcium and Alkalinity in the poll. I think a lot of people, myself included are using dosing pumps for that.

 

[Mike from TN]

I use a pump for Cal and Alk but plan on using it as an ATO when the Spring and Summer come and we start taking weekend trips again. It’s a small tank (13.5 Evo) and I’ve been monitoring daily to see exactly how much top off I would need to set the pump at.

 

[Brett S]

I use a pump for Cal and Alk but plan on using it as an ATO when the Spring and Summer come and we start taking weekend trips again. It’s a small tank (13.5 Evo) and I’ve been monitoring daily to see exactly how much top off I would need to set the pump at.

For what it’s worth you really need to use a water level sensor for ATO. Water doesn’t evaporate at the same rate from day to day, due to factors like temperature, humidity, etc. You’ll never be able to exactly match your evaporation rate.

 

[alain Bouchard]

I use it for acclimatation. 1 take water from tank to holding tank, second take from holding tank to drain. used it for ca and soda ask dosing until I got a carx.

 

[Subtropic Reefer]

Because my tank is new I dose the seachem stability

 

[homer1475]

I use it for acclimatation. 1 take water from tank to holding tank, second take from holding tank to drain. used it for ca and soda ask dosing until I got a carx.

Great idea!

Would never have thought to use 2 dosing pumps to basically do AWC for acclimation.

 

[Mike from TN]

For what it’s worth you really need to use a water level sensor for ATO. Water doesn’t evaporate at the same rate from day to day, due to factors like temperature, humidity, etc. You’ll never be able to exactly match your evaporation rate.

Totally understood. It would only be used for temporary ATO for maybe two nights away. Even if not exact, it would still prevent drastic salinity swings. Should be able to get it fairly close. Our home HVAC keeps our house at a constant 70* 365 days a year and ceiling fan in the room with the tank runs on medium speed 24/7/365. Conditions change very little, if any.
I had thought about adding an ATO but I’m retired and “fiddle” with the tank daily and test with refractometer and replace water every morning So I figured I’d just put the money towards frags. LOL!

 

[BaliSurferDude]

I use a Versa that pumps the required mount of RO into my Kalk stirrer and I have never looked back. Very reliable and the Mobius app is brilliant.

I still have a Tunze Osmolator for my Auto top off, but this rarely kicks in these days.

Both fed off my RO reservoir.

My next job is to attach the Versa to a Milwaukee ph controller that will turn the Versa On/Off based on ph setting of Low/High.

I hear many people say good things about the Mobius app.
Will not setting up kalk dosing based on pH potentially get your Alk and Ca out of whack? I would think it is safer to dose as much kalk close to what your evaporation allows, then dose 2-part or calcium reactor to reach desired Alk and Ca levels? Take whatever pH benefit you can get? Dose kalk during night time and 2-part/ calcium reactor by day?

I have used dosing pumps mainly for diluting things like amminos and trace but also built a AWC setup for reef-pi. Frozen food dispenser would be pretty cool too.

Nice!
Have you followed a receipt? Or just diluted to the point where you can dose the equivalent of the reccommended doses on the bottles?

I use my dosing pumps for feeding CoralVue's Easy SPS gel -> https://www.coralvue.com/easyreefs-easysps-evo-gel-coral-food

Interesting product. Will look into it.

Just for 2 part dosing for now but I plan to use some when and if I get my tank upgrade to do something similar to the @WallyB DIY frozen food feeder...

Is it the one he made for his seahorse tank? With the mini fridge?

I’ve gotta admit I’m a little disappointed in the poll. The subject promised 1000 ways, but there are only 11 options in the poll.

On a side note, you are missing Calcium and Alkalinity in the poll. I think a lot of people, myself included are using dosing pumps for that.

I do not know of a 1000 ways to use dosing pumps. That is why I made this thread. So that we can collect ideas from what all our friends use them for! Add the 1000 ways to the poll, one by one.

I have kept Alk and Ca out of the poll, for a reason. It would shoot that specific poll through the roof, making any difference between other uses seem negligable. 2-part is the most common use of dosing pumps, so no informative function to have it in this poll.

For what it’s worth you really need to use a water level sensor for ATO. Water doesn’t evaporate at the same rate from day to day, due to factors like temperature, humidity, etc. You’ll never be able to exactly match your evaporation rate.

This +1

I use it for acclimatation. 1 take water from tank to holding tank, second take from holding tank to drain. used it for ca and soda ask dosing until I got a carx.

Do you calibrate each pump, every time? Or is it sufficient to leave the length of tubing the same?

Because my tank is new I dose the seachem stability

Interesting product. I will check into it

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Many folks use dosing pumps for organic carbon dosing. I used it to dose vinegar to my system.

 

[Dkmoo]

I feel like it shouldn't be dosing any kind of organic nutrition like amino or other coral food. Esp if you dose in the sump bc a lot of that will end up getting caught in your skimmer and other filtration. Dosing chemicals are fine.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Hmm, a thousands ways.... well I do have two doser pumps on my unit not being used...maybe, as I spend my days staring at my tank, I can have one dose me coffee in the a.m. and the other one beer in the p.m....