DIY Doser AKA "Drews Doser"

[TotalVapor]

I found this on another board and I have done the same research to make sure the information was correct. Once i knew it was correct I figured I would post it here.

Peristaltic Dosing pump, after reading another forum and making sure this was the same pump "Drews Doser" used I contacted the manufacture. APT Instruments, they are the manufacture of these pumps and they offer them in there online store. You may buy them with just the pump for $67.00 each or enclosed for $97.00 each. Since I wanted at least three (going to 6 once I start dosing with everything.

I do not want to pay $97 each for a dosing pump so I ordered the $67.00 one.
Larry at APT confirmed I'd need an 8RPM pump with 3mm Norprene tubing to pump 1.5ml/m. The pump itself is $65.00 and $2.00 for the neoprene tubing.
The part number for the pump was SP101.126

I ordered 3 of them with shipping was $201.00.

The enclosure you can buy a standard project box at radio shack that will hold up to two of them. This was where I need a box that would hold 3 dosing pumps. Which someone else posted where I could find one at West Florida Components for $8.99 plus $3.95 shipping

As far as the electrical power cords I will be going to the dollar store to pick up three 6' extension cords.

3 Pumps $201.00
3 Ext Cords $3.25
1 Project box 12.94
Total Cost: $217.00

Total savings over 3 BRS Doser or Drew's Doser - $53.00
Best part is that they will all be in one enclosure.
Total Savings over a Aqua Medic Triple - $152.99

Links:
APT Instruments
Radio Shack (2 dosing pump enclosure)
West Florida Components (3 dosing pump enclosure)

Should look pretty close to this when I am done.

 

[TotalVapor]

Timers / Aqua Controller

Timers:
I will be setting my AC Pro III to dose at random times based on the product I am dosing. I heard Target has a digital timer you can get if you do not have an Aqua Controller of some sort.

The way I am setting my AC u is to take a weekly dose base on the product instructions. Then dividing the weekly dose into 7 days. Next take 24 hours times 60 minutes, which equals 1440. Now take the daily dose and divide by 1.5, this will be the minutes it needs to run the pump lets say it is 6. Finally divide 1440 by 6 which is 240. So every 240 minutes the dosing pump needs to run for 1 minute.

If you have a daily dose already known you just divide the the daily dose by 1.5 and then 1440 by the sum of the daily dose divided by 1.5
(1440 / (daily dose / 1.5))

To program this in your Aqua Controller (at least I know this works on the pro III)

Timer Name
DP1%-A09 (dosing pump 1 = DP1 A09 = the Outlet you are plugged into Change as needed)

Programming Statement: (Note: You cannot use this statement if over 255 minutes, you would have to use a set time each day to dose)
OSC 001/240 ON/OFF Then DP1 ON

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Nice!

One question that seems dumb, but is probably obvious...

When you use any type of automatic doser for 2-part solutions, how do you keep the 2-part solution mixed? I always have a little undissolved solution at the bottom of my bottle every morning when I dose. I shake up the bottle to get it back into suspension then dose. Can't really do that with an automatic doser, unless you add some little powerhead or something to your 2-part reservoir. Or does that undissolved stuff not really make any difference if you just leave it behind in the container?

 

[TotalVapor]

I will not be using them for two part dosing. If I was going to use it for that then I would build a acrylic chamber like a kalk reactor and use a blueline 10HD pump. Then have it set up to "stir" the mix 1 - 2 minutes before dosing.

Something like this but on a smaller scale.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49486

 

[TotalVapor]

or you can make the same but have a maxi-jet sitting in the bottom of the reactor.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

OK... thanks. The maxijet idea was more or less what I was thinking about if I ever went this route.

 

[lvsuckerfish]

so this is just for kalk or you going with 3 part dosing?

 

[NWDiver]

Very nice!
As to the two part question, you need a pump for each solution part.
Typically one for alk and one for calcium.
If you mix them together, you will probably precipitate the calcium.
Kalk is a different animal as Vapor says.
You can of course use one for Mag as well, but it is infrequent enough on most tanks to be done by hand.

 

[TotalVapor]

so this is just for kalk or you going with 3 part dosing?

The dosing pumps will be for the following:
BrightWell KoralKolor or Vitamarin-C have not decided yet
BrightWell Replenish
BrightWell Iodion




What I have done and it has kept my tank pretty stable since I started it. Now that my husband and I are traveling more to see the grand kids I cannot nor do I want to rely on someone to dose my tank. I also figured this would be great to kleep things a little more stable to dose each day a little at a time.

Tank 400 gallons
1 Cal Reactor 18lbs of media
2lbs BrightWell NeoMag in the top of the Cal Reactor
1 Kalk reactor using BrightWell Kalk+2

I also use Reef Crystal salt and is very rare I have to dose buffer, ca, or mag

 

[TotalVapor]

I am so excited, I got my project box today, a lot smaller then I thought so that is a good thing. Now just have to wait for the pumps to get here. Monday / Tuesday maybe?

 

[TotalVapor]

Nice!
Or does that undissolved stuff not really make any difference if you just leave it behind in the container?

I went back and read your question again. With two part you should stir or shake it up from time to time especially when you add more RO/DI water to the mix. However like kalk only a certain amount can actually dissolve in the water is the way I under stand it. So "stirring" it up is less important if you have not added water. I would still shake it once a day to mix things up a bit.

Again this is the way I understand it and I may not be understanding it correctly.