Dosers

[Nana Chloropsis]

I would like to know if there are any of you out there who use a doser for Cal. or Mag. (or anything else for that matter.) What brands do you use? What are you dosing for? Can you hook them up to a controller? Any horror stories?

The reason I am asking this is now that I have a big tank with SPS in it, I'd like the parameters of my chemicals to be more steady. I HAVE heard horror stories about calcium reactors, so am a little more than apprehensive about them, although I know a lot of you use 'em.

Am I crazy to want to use dosers for everything? Would it be the most expensive way to dose? Thanks

 

[akunochi]

I think it would be the most expensive way to dose personally. You could hook one into a controller. The profilux for example has a doser as a module. With say an Apex you could program it to come on for a predetermined time to dose the proper amount based on the flow rate of your doser.

 

[mojoreef]

Dosers have their pros and cons like so many things we use. I used to use them back in the old days but always have issues with the tubing tearing or something going wrong so I move away from them. Since then I have gone more towards using both a kalk reactor and calcium reactor, to control these I use the aquacontroller, with commands like if PH goes above X then turn off the units, and or the same command but with conductivity.

Mojo

 

[akunochi]

Hey mike,

I would be interested to see how you used both in your set up. I have been tossing around the idea of running both and having my Apex control them, but am kinda unsure how to set it up. maybe a mini workshop?

 

[Nana Chloropsis]

I would be there for a mini-workshop. I was asking about dosers, as they don't seem to have the problem with PH as a cal reactor with Co2 does. I'd rather get away from the addition of a Kalk-stirrer just to get stable and correct PH. Unless the new dual chambered reactors eliminate the outgassing problem, thus not lowering PH? (thinking outloud here, adding Co2 absorbent somewhere too?)

I want this to be simple, and hooked up to my controller. Is there such a thing?

 

[akunochi]

Not in the way i think you are trying because there is no controller that can monitor your ALK, Cal, and Mag yet to control a doser. The most it can do right now is monitor the PH and control the pump for a predetermined amount of time. You are still going to have to calculate the run time to control the dosage yourself. There are rumors that the new vertex cerebra controller will be able to monitor all the cal, alk, mag etc etc it is also wireless, but expect to pay.

 

[Aquanaut]

If you place the reactor drip to the overflow box or into a drawer tower in the sump--my choice--the extra agitation of the water will release CO2 and Oxygenate add ORP to the processing water in the sump and thus reverse the PH drop. Many here rely on 2 part mixes for keeping chem up. Might be overall less expensive to just use a High Grade Brightwell salt and do more water changes to replenish missing elements. I went to using a GEO618 w/CO2 and ammend a portion w/Brightwell MAG. So far on a heavy SPS set-up I am only adding Iodine/Potassium/vitamin supplement bi-weekly. I plan to switch to Brightwells Salt since it now contains these additional dosings that are lacking in IORC salts.

 

[Nana Chloropsis]

Thank you all, I have been looking at the GEO reactors and have been getting a few ideas about how to off-gas the Co2. Some are saying that even to put an airstone near the drip, preferably in a enclosed "tower" or whatnot. I do want this to be as easy as possible and wow, how cool would it be to have a controller with probes for cal, alk and mag, etc! Yeah, I only have a PH and temp probe.

Aquanaut, can you explain how you are "ammending" your system with mag?

 

[akunochi]

You can mix Mag supplement (like flake etc) into the calcium medium so it is mixed as the media is dissolved.

 

[mcoomer]

I run Drew's Dosers to dose BRS two-part solutions. I have a Reefkeeper Elite so I setup a timer that turns on each dosing pump in the morning and again in the evening. I test for calcium and alkalinity with Elos kits and if I need to raise my levels I add time to the dosers; to lower levels I take time off. I'm at the point now that I rarely have to make a change.

Two-part is probably more expensive than running a reactor. Each doser was $90 and I pay about $14 a container for calcium chloride and soda ash. I buy 5 1 gallon containers of each every time I place an order (approx $140) and that will last me probably 10 months, maybe a bit longer. Still, I like the simplicity of dosing. I've heard too many horror stories of CO2 solenoids sticking open and dropping the pH to the floor. It works for me.

Mike

 

[akunochi]

I run Drew's Dosers to dose BRS two-part solutions. I have a Reefkeeper Elite so I setup a timer that turns on each dosing pump in the morning and again in the evening. I test for calcium and alkalinity with Elos kits and if I need to raise my levels I add time to the dosers; to lower levels I take time off. I'm at the point now that I rarely have to make a change.

Two-part is probably more expensive than running a reactor. Each doser was $90 and I pay about $14 a container for calcium chloride and soda ash. I buy 5 1 gallon containers of each every time I place an order (approx $140) and that will last me probably 10 months, maybe a bit longer. Still, I like the simplicity of dosing. I've heard too many horror stories of CO2 solenoids sticking open and dropping the pH to the floor. It works for me.

Mike

Enter Devils advocate-------

With your RKE couldn't you just tell the unit to turn off the feeder pump to the reactor if PH dropped below a given level? Thus negating the open solenoid?

 

[Aquanaut]

As I stated earlier I use Brightwells Magnesium "rock chunks" and use 1/2 container added into my reactor along w/ the top off of aragonite rock. This so far has kept my mag to 1300-1450 depending on my drip set. So the reactor disolves both media simotaneously, and is changed every 6months. This proportion worked well on my old 125g set-up, but I'm still making adjustments on my 250DD that is processing aprox. 300gallons on the system.

Thank you all, I have been looking at the GEO reactors and have been getting a few ideas about how to off-gas the Co2. Some are saying that even to put an airstone near the drip, preferably in a enclosed "tower" or whatnot. I do want this to be as easy as possible and wow, how cool would it be to have a controller with probes for cal, alk and mag, etc! Yeah, I only have a PH and temp probe.

Aquanaut, can you explain how you are "ammending" your system with mag?