Small Volume Gravity Doser

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

I'm a fan of daily dosing Calcium and Alkalinity and the occasional Magnesium. I wanted a cost effective way to dose daily without just dumping the supplements in the tank or in the return section of my sump. I would have to pour in the alk slowly to prevent precipitation and don't like the small but abrupt change in Ph it causes.
I've seen lots of DIY gravity dosers but they were either too big to fit in my stand, or used syringes that were mounted to the back or sides of the stand. In my case, the back/sides of the stand aren't easily accessible due to the size of my sump so filling the syringes would be a task.
I came up with some squeeze bottles, used for candy making or holding sauces in restaurants. I cut back the tips enough to fit an all plastic air control valve. I also cut the bottom of the bottles off, used a heat gun (or in my case, not so carefully used a micro torch) to heat the cut off bottom section and slid it over a Kent vitamin bottle. After a little persuasion, the bottom section was large enough to use as a cap to prevent unwanted evaporation of the supplements.
I had a scrap piece of acrylic laying around so I cut it to fit the lip of the sump and drilled 3 holes where the bottle tips would go through. I used silicone to keep (not bond ) the bottles in place and adjusted the drip rate to my liking.
It's definitely not pretty but I think it will work just fine. I can premeasure the amount of supplements and just dump it in the bottles for a slow addition to the tank. It's a small volume setup (approx capacity of the modified bottles is 5 oz. which is plenty) but like I said, I'm a fan of daily dosing.

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

Forgot to mention that it cost less than $10 to make, minus the free piece of acrylic I already had. I think the bottles were $2.50 for a pack of 2 and the air connector kit was a few bucks as well. The bottles I used were found at a craft store and are 6 oz. Wally world sells 8 oz bottles.

[Original Fin]

Ok, I'm off to the craft store.

That's pretty slick...I have the same issues with the tedium of slow pouring.


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[Original Fin]

Hey James,

I ended up doing pretty much the same thing, except I'm not going to do the bottom caps. Mine lock up without an air vent of some sort, even at wide open valving, so I just cut the bottoms off and I'll leave it open.

I'm in the middle of building a canopy, so I think this is where I would ultimately like to mount my dispensers, with cal and alk on opposite ends of the tank to minimize precip. My sump area is just too crowded. For now, I'm going to put the three dispensers inside of my hang on overflow box. that's where I've been hand pouring all along anyway.

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

I forgot to mention that I put a pinhole in each cap to prevent that. Mounting them the the canopy is a great idea! I couldn't do it though. My light fixture sits on top of the canopy frame, rather thatn inside it so when I feed, I have to lift and slide the fixture out of the way. I can imagine myself bumping into the dozing bottles and making a mess of things. I debated making/ using caps but was worried about the solutions evaporating and getting all crusty. I might remove them to see if it causes a problem. It would be better without them. Just reach in and pour.

[Original Fin]

Here's what I was thinking for the canopy dispenser brackets. PVC or similar sleeves, screwed directly to the canopy. The valves I got point straight down, and I would position them such that the valves just break the surface of the water. The idea is that scale/deposits should be less likely to form at the valve outlets.




It will still be a daily chore to fill the 2 part drippers, but being able to just dump it quickly and go will be nice. Until I get that 3 channel Bubble Magus persitaltic doser anyway...Actually, I'm not sure I even have space for that. that may have to wait till I upgrade to something a little bigger, and by then I'm going to want a reef controller anyway...dah!

James, you should be able to get yourself a few of those stand alone peristaltic dosing pumps and run them off of your RKL, no? I know, I Know, but it's only money, right?

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

I could use the dosing pumps and price is somewhat of an issue. But another problem is that I'm already maxed out on available outlets for the RKL. The + package comes with two 4 plug power bars and I already have 10 or 11 things to plug in. I had to plug a surge protector into one of the power bars just to power up what I have. Adding 1 or 2 more plugs would mean I would have to but another RKL power bar and as of now, I just can't justify (to myself or my wife) spending another $80-$100 to plug in a $70-$300 device that pours liquids into the tanks for me . Wait... Maybe price really is the only issue...

Right now, the RKL has the capability of running up to 4 modules. The + kit already comes with three (2 PC4 power bars and the module used for temp/ Ph monitoring). If I were to add another module, I would want the one that allows for salinity monitoring. That way, I could set an alarm to go off if salinity is swinging due to the ATO being stuck on/off. I've had both problems happen to me already. Then there's the NET module, which would let me monitor/control the tank from a laptop or cell phone. I don't know...

You're canopy layout looks solid. I never even though of using the canopy to house some of the smaller things normally hidden in the stand. Talk about volumetric efficiency! I couldn't find the valves that point straight down. That's what I was looking for but none of the stores here had them.

I was also concerned about the crust building up in the valves and figured I would try to flush them with warm water before resulting to running airline tubing just under the surface.

Daily dosing is a bit of a chore but I'm always looking for a reason to fiddle with the tank. Arent we all?

[chrisfont23]

Have any of you used the BRS 2 Part Doser? Wondering if it's cost effective for my system? What about Drew's Doser Peristaltic Dosing Pump?

[Original Fin]

Have any of you used the BRS 2 Part Doser? Wondering if it's cost effective for my system? What about Drew's Doser Peristaltic Dosing Pump?

No, but I would like to...just a $ issue for me. I'd need three of them, and a way to control, either a reef controller or a bunch of timers.


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[chrisfont23]

Agreed on the $ thing. I am trying to justify two $100 dosers plus 2 $20 timers to run approximately 5 minutes a day versus me manually doing it (remembering and actually doing it included). Coming on the heels of the MP10, I think this will probably get voted down.

[chrisfont23]

James, you got me thinking. I never want to pay for something if I can do it myself. The other night, while cooking I got this idea for my own DIY Nano Gravity Doser - patent pending. I took a hot sauce top bottle, which allows you to control the drop rate of the sauce by turning the cap and inserted it into some extra beadboard I used to hang my tools. Here's the result:



It's not the best looking thing in the world, but since it rests nicely on my HOB fuge, has room for 3 gravity dosers and cost me nothing, I am all set. Quick ques... do you drop calcium and alk at the same time?

Thx for the ideas!

- Chris

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

That's even better Chris. No fussing with extra parts. I drip cal alk at the same time with no problem.

[chrisfont23]

The $15, 3-part gravity doser solution: Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce Huy Fong 17oz: Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food plus bead board. I measured each cap can hold an even 9 ml and is adjustable. Works for my 29 g.

[chrisfont23]

The finished product:

[Original Fin]

... and I would position them such that the valves just break the surface of the water. The idea is that scale/deposits should be less likely to form at the valve outlets.

Scratch that...reverse it.

Well this was a bad idea. Deposits form much faster when in contact with the tank water. Doh!




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