Auto dosing equipment

[Growe]

Hey,we have seen auto feeder, auto ph adjuster, auto water top-up, auto this, auto that. Anyone have seen a auto fertilizer doser?

Maybe another myth, but being technical, i would like to pump my daily dose of fertiliser just before my light turn on, so nutrient will not go to waste oxidising away. Now, I'm turning on my CO2 45 mins before my light ON.

- Perfecting a system is every aquarists' dream!

[windcharm]

Definitely, there is a auto fertilizer doser. Do some research, you will be able to find it.

[madans]

Use a peristatlic pump.

I have one running on my tank for 30 minutes every 4 hours programmed using a timer. It delivers about 0.5 ml per minute. That's 90 ml of nutrient solution per day. The solution has KNO3 and Micros. I shoot for 25 ppm of NO3.

I use only one pump now. Phosphate is dosed dry x 3 times a week.
Phosphate precipitates out in the presence of Fe, so you'll need a different pump to dose PO4.

I have tried to get as close to continuous dosing of nutrients as possible, if that is achieveable :-)
There are a number of basic peristaltic pumps available online, pretty cheap. Choose your pump and get on the way.

[windcharm]

I think using a auto fertilizer doser, first you must calculate the dozage that your tank requires and only when the tank's water condition is stable. Therefore, don't straight away jump into buying one yet.

[Shadow]

that probably the reason it is not common but you can DIY your self simply using small powerhead, timer and a bucket of fertilizer mixture

[madans]

I use EI dosing. Instead of Dry Ferts, I used Chuck Gadd's calculator to give me liquid dosing values. The peristaltic pump gives me very minute control. A flow rate of 0.5ml per minute at 3 rpm is small enough for me.

My solution doses 0.04 ppm NO3 per ml for my tank. That's 3.6 ppm daily and 25.2 ppm weekly. The tank should level out at 50.4 ppm NO3 with no uptake by plants and 50% weekly water change. BUT the tank is high light and heavily planted, and I estimate that it will level off at 25 ppm NO3. Even if my plants do use more KNO3, there will still be a reserve in the water column.
You don't need the high degree of control for EI, but I am absent for long stretches from home, and getting people to follow instructions is impossible

Is it essential ? NO.
Can you work out the maths - it's easy.
Is this the only method ? - NO, you can DIY many methods.
Is this the most convenient ? Yes IMHO.
Is it cheap ? Fairly cheap, my off the market pump cost me less than half what Aqua Medic's pump costs.

[BFG]

Dosing pump from Grotech.

http://www.grotech.de/ENGLISH/index.php?c=1&s=teciiing

[madans]

This is the cheapest I have found without the shipping. Go for the SP100FO under OEM applications.

http://www.aptinstruments.com/Mercha...ory_Code=SP100

[Shadow]

just wondering how much is it? look expensive

[Growe]

Yeah, same question. How much a low cost, fit for purpose peristatltic pump cost?? any local shop selling them ?:g

[madans]

There was an old thread on this portal many years ago, where someone had DIYed using locally available peristaltic pumps, if I am not mistaken.

I am not sure though.

[TKS7011]

The auto dosing equipment in the market are just too expensive for me...
Thinking of DIY using this method:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/lofi...hp/t187889.htm
But don't think Aqua Lifter pump is available in Singapore. Doesn't seem to have 220V version..
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewItem~IdProduct~OE1137~tab~0.html

[Captain Telecredible]

just wondering how much is it? look expensive

Yeah, same question. How much a low cost, fit for purpose peristatltic pump cost?? any local shop selling them ?:g

Hi guys,
Yes its expensive. The LFS selling them is Aquamarin.
GroTech Dosing Pump TEC III Set Small - $799
GroTech Dosing Pump TEC III Set Large - $1319

Website.
http://www.aquamarin.com.sg/aproduct...Dosing%20Pumps

So I think its not cheap either..maybe wait couple of years later, the price might be lower down Hope this helps.

Cheers,
kenneth

[lEddyl]

google and find some info on aquafilters

[TKS7011]

google and find some info on aquafilters

Thank you so much bro! Had been google high and low.. how come I miss that..
Will check with Petmart.

[BFG]

Hi guys,
Yes its expensive. The LFS selling them is Aquamarin.
GroTech Dosing Pump TEC III Set Small - $799
GroTech Dosing Pump TEC III Set Large - $1319

Website.
http://www.aquamarin.com.sg/aproduct...Dosing%20Pumps

So I think its not cheap either..maybe wait couple of years later, the price might be lower down Hope this helps.

Cheers,
kenneth

The price quoted by Captain Telecredible is unfortunately wrong. The doser with the 3 dosing pump cost $699 while the extension module with the 4 dosing pump is $529. The Small and Large set is the package version with the ABC Trace Element for marine. You can just buy the dosing pump without the trace element.


Hope this helps!

[Captain Telecredible]

The price quoted by Captain Telecredible is unfortunately wrong. The doser with the 3 dosing pump cost $699 while the extension module with the 4 dosing pump is $529. The Small and Large set is the package version with the ABC Trace Element for marine. You can just buy the dosing pump without the trace element.


Hope this helps!

Thanks for the clarification BFG. Didnt realise that

Cheers,
kenneth

[ervinelin]

google and find some info on aquafilters

I just set this up over the weekend thinking that it's just the absolute cheapest way to get an auto-dosing pump. So I went out and bought the pump itself from Petmart for $15 and then another digital timer (analogue timers won't work as they turn on for 15min intervals) for $30. Other misc items include some hoses and elbows as well as a 5litre plastic bottle I had lying around.

Here are some issues I've faced so far:
1. I think the pump wasn't designed to lift water up more than 1m vertically, it barely manages to do so in my case.
2. It's not easy to get a fixed dosage as the moment the volume of water in the 5litre bottle dips, the flow rate dips as well. (physics)
3. There is no way to limit the actual volume of fluids dosed except by time. I had to do an average on the amount of liquid it doses over 1min and then extrapolate that into a correct dilution for the ferts in the 5litre bottle.

Overall, it is cheap, but it's not the most reliable way to dose ferts. I'll monitor it over the next few weeks to see how it goes.

[TKS7011]

I just set this up over the weekend thinking that it's just the absolute cheapest way to get an auto-dosing pump. So I went out and bought the pump itself from Petmart for $15 and then another digital timer (analogue timers won't work as they turn on for 15min intervals) for $30. Other misc items include some hoses and elbows as well as a 5litre plastic bottle I had lying around.

Here are some issues I've faced so far:
1. I think the pump wasn't designed to lift water up more than 1m vertically, it barely manages to do so in my case.
2. It's not easy to get a fixed dosage as the moment the volume of water in the 5litre bottle dips, the flow rate dips as well. (physics)
3. There is no way to limit the actual volume of fluids dosed except by time. I had to do an average on the amount of liquid it doses over 1min and then extrapolate that into a correct dilution for the ferts in the 5litre bottle.

Overall, it is cheap, but it's not the most reliable way to dose ferts. I'll monitor it over the next few weeks to see how it goes.

hi ervinelin,
Thanks for sharing. The height issue is my primary concern...
Have you tried connecting an adjustable valve at the output to adjust the flow?
For the pressure issue that result in inconsistent flow-rate, is it possible to design a float that hold the inlet at a fixed distance from liquid surface?

[ervinelin]

hi ervinelin,
Thanks for sharing. The height issue is my primary concern...
Have you tried connecting an adjustable valve at the output to adjust the flow?
For the pressure issue that result in inconsistent flow-rate, is it possible to design a float that hold the inlet at a fixed distance from liquid surface?

I actually had a valve ready, the thing is, at the height that I'm at the flow rate is so slow that there is no need for a valve.

As for the float, no that doesn't work. The pressure difference will still be the same thus resulting in an inconsistent flow-rate once the fert reservoir depletes itself. The only solution I have to this is to have a large enough reservoir with a slow enough rate such that the level in the reservoir remains more or less constant over a long period of time.

However, I've been told that it's unwise to leave ferts in their liquid diluted state for too long. Not sure if this will be an issue later on.