When you're on holiday or planning a trip, you may wonder who will take care of your aquarium while you're away. Failing to feed your aquarium plants regularly can lead to serious problems, but luckily, plant dosing pumps can help significantly. These convenient products make it easier to maintain your aquarium and ensure its stable operation. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced aquarist, it's simple to start conscientiously feeding your aquarium with plant fertilizers, but this can become less frequent over time. However, this is not good for the aquarium's biology, as not feeding the plants can lead to plant stress, algae growth, and nutrient deficiencies. This is where a dosing pump comes in handy, providing accurate and reliable delivery of the nutrients your aquarium plants need throughout the year. Dosing pumps ensure that plants receive the proper nutrients, even several times daily, ensuring optimal conditions for healthy plant growth.
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Thanks to the individually controllable dosing heads, you can feed plants with nutrients and minerals at different times without having to keep track of the day. Additionally, automatic systems have another significant advantage over traditional manual pump feeders: they deliver nutrients without splashing, keeping the aquarium environment clean. They also save you a lot of time while keeping your aquarium looking healthy and beautiful!
Dosing pumps use a peristaltic pump to deliver liquid nutrients to aquarium plants accurately. The process is the following: the pump picks up the required amount from the fluid container and then dispenses it into the aquarium at the right time under the control of a timer or control system. This eliminates the need for manual dosing and reduces human error, especially in the case of a more complex fertilizer method or when several nutrients are added weekly.
The doser is helpful for aquarists who travel frequently or manage complex or expensive systems. Its reliability helps maintain the aquarium's optimum nutrient supply and continuous remineralization in soft water. However, regular maintenance is important to ensure proper operation and long-term efficiency.
Keep in mind a few things to ensure that your dosing pump works efficiently and safely. Firstly, it's important to set up and calibrate the device properly. Luckily, using apps makes this easy. The placement of the fertilizer bottles or liquid-holding containers matters—they are at different distances and heights below the aquarium. Calibration helps ensure that the pump picks up the correct amount of liquid and delivers it to the aquarium. Overdosing can be a serious problem with more concentrated chemicals.
Some dispensers will warn you when the supply is running low. However, it's still a good idea to manually check the level in the nutrient containers from time to time, either weekly or monthly depending on the level and size of the container. To avoid unexpected issues like water on the floor in case of a power failure, it's recommended to put a check valve on all branches of the feeding system pipes. Ensure that the pipe connections fit securely and tightly to avoid problems of this kind. Aeration of the container bottles is also essential - a small hole in the cap will prevent the pump from creating a vacuum that could disrupt the pumping. However, this is not necessary for special feed dispensers like Chihiros bottles. In any case, feeding the plants before the lamp is switched on is advisable. Following these simple rules will ensure your feeding system works perfectly, and your aquarium will look amazing long-term!
Looking for a cost-effective and reliable way to auto-feed your aquarium plants? Consider the Chihiros Dosing Pump System. It comes in two or four heads to suit your needs. The pump delivers nutrients with 30-second breaks to prevent them from reacting with each other.
It features a modern, minimalist design that saves space and can be mounted on a cabinet. You can adjust the dosage in 0.1 ml increments for precise control. The "My Chihiros" app allows easy programming, guides you through calibration, and offers various feeding schedules. The built-in battery also ensures time and schedules are retained during power outages. The Chihiros Dosing Pump is a practical and economical way of simplifying daily aquarium maintenance.
Introducing the AquaVitro Sentia Doser: An innovative modular dosing system. The standout feature of the AquaVitro Sentia modular plant food doser is its ability to expand the main dosing pump with an unlimited number of additional dosing heads, allowing for full customization to meet your specific needs. Each unit can be conveniently controlled from a smartphone using the app to manage multiple aquariums. The app provides statistics, reminders, and alerts to keep you informed.
The packaging includes colored rings to easily identify the dispensers' contents. A removable mounting bracket makes it simple to secure each unit, while the 360-degree rotatable dispensing heads can be fixed in 8 different positions, allowing for mounting in almost any orientation. AquaVitro Sentia offers a smart and flexible solution for auto dosing, tailored to the needs of the modern aquarist.
Looking for top-notch technology, sleek design, and maximum safety in your nutrient dosing? Look no further than GHL Doser. Its special features make dosing extremely easy. The powerful 24V stepper motor, special liquid transfer tubes, and 3 roller pump design ensure precise and reliable operation over time.
Thanks to GHL Connect and myGHL cloud service, the doser can be easily programmed with smart devices via Wi-Fi or USB. Additionally, the dispenser can be manually operated using the buttons on the front panel. The LED lights on the housing indicate the current status of the aquarium or system, allowing you to monitor its operation accurately. With the Slave and Master design, multiple units can be connected in series to operate larger systems. GHL controllers are renowned for their premium technology and can easily handle multiple aquarium automation tasks.
Apart from the dosing pumps, various accessories are available to enhance the process. One such accessory is the Dosing Bottles With Metallic Holder for Chihiros dosing pumps. These bottles come in different colors to help differentiate between nutrients, and their scaled sides make it easy to monitor the liquid levels. Another useful accessory is the Chihiros Magnetic Stirrers, which can be controlled through an app designed to stir the liquid in the bottles at scheduled intervals, ensuring consistent dispensing each time. Multiple attachment and hose kits can also be added to your existing dosing systems.
Supplementary plant nutrients such as iron, phosphate, and nitrate are commonly used in addition to micronutrients and macronutrients. Dosing systems can help replenish minerals as well as humic acids after water changes, automatically add Carbo for algae prevention, or provide growth-stimulating nutrients. Since the quantity and frequency of dosing can vary considerably, a well-configured dosing system can be a helpful companion in everyday life.
In a reef aquarium, elements and nutrients corals and invertebrates use to survive must be replenished. The rate these elements and nutrients are depleted varies from tank to tank based on the organisms inside. If a reef aquarium is fully stocked, it may need to be replenished daily.
Hobbyists sustain these elements and nutrients using a variety of methods including water changes, calcium reactors, and dosing a variety of liquid additives. While water changes are easy and provide the exact ratio of balanced elements a reef tank needs, this doesn't suffice for most aquariums containing corals. Calcium Reactors work great for calcium and alkalinity, but you still have a variety of trace elements and nutrients to consider. That leaves us with liquid additives which are the most common way hobbyists maintain their reef aquarium's water parameters.
Some additives can simply be measured and added to the aquarium manually but when the tank demands daily supplementation, it's time to consider a dosing pump. A dosing pump is a peristaltic-style pump that can deliver precise amounts of fluids into your aquarium automatically. They operate using 1/8" - 1/4" diameter tubing and are designed for metered dosing at intervals, not a constant pumping action like your typical water pump.
Step #1: Choose Your Pump
There are a variety of different dosing pumps available. All perform the same basic duty of adding fluid to your aquarium at a safe, slow rate. The major differences between them are whether or not the pump can be programmed and how many pump heads are included in a single unit. Each pump head allows for a separate additive and you cannot deliver two different additives using a single pump head.
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Most modern dosing pumps are programmable meaning you can program them directly to deliver a certain amount of fluid on a schedule; set it up once and the pump follows that same dosing cycle every day/week. There are also more basic dosing pumps like the BRS Two Part Doser that will need to be connected to a 24-hour classic timer to run a daily dosing cycle.
Within that, you have the option of single-channel, dual-channel, and even quad-channel dosing pumps which directly refers to how many additives you can dose with a single pump. Quad-channel pumps have 4 separate pump heads which mean 4 different additives while single-channel pumps only have one.
The popular BRS dosers are your most basic option, all of which will require a classic timer to run a daily schedule. The pumps don't have any sort of ON/OFF switch or built-in programming. You have to set them up to have the timer run each for the necessary amount of time to deliver the amount of fluid you need.
Dosing pump technology has rapidly progressed in the last few years in that programmable single and multi-channel dosing pumps are pretty affordable. Kamoer is a popular brand that makes both Wifi and Bluetooth capable dosing pumps that can be programmed using your or smart device via an app. Bubble Magus dosing pumps offer digital programming using an onboard LCD screen.
Red Sea recently released the ReefDose which is quickly become a hobby favorite because it can be programmed via their ReefBeat app and operates with extreme precision.
If prefer to stick to high-end equipment, the Neptune Systems DOS and GHL Dosers are highly-regarded as some of the most advanced and capable dosing pumps on the market. When connected with the respective aquarium controllers, these dosing pumps provide the user with capabilities like setting up an automatic water change or having your tank's measured water parameters trigger and adjust your dosing.
Most pumps will include some length of tubing but this is certainly the most important accessory. You need the tubing to run from our additive containers, through the pump, and then into your tank. Measure the distances from where everything is going to be mounted and be sure you have more than enough tubing. Colored tubing is great for multiple channel dosing because you can color-code each additive so you know what each line contains at a glance.
A dosing tube holder is quite handy for mounting the tubing to your sump or aquarium wall. It keeps them organized, out of the water, and prevents back siphon
Dosing containers or reservoirs are simply containers designed to hold your additives. They typically are clear or have a window so you can see how much additive is left inside, some are even marked with measurements. They will have a secure tubing connection as well and are much cleaner and more organized than a bunch of bottles under your tank.
Of course, the last thing you need is all your additives. Remember, only one dosing pump head per additive, and never mix additives. You will need individual lengths of tubing for each of your different additives.
A dosing pump should be mounted up away from moisture and salt spray. Some pumps come with mounting holes or offer a separate bracket or shelf while some just need a flat surface to sit on. You want the pump itself above the water line and additives to help avoid siphon issues.
Setup the pump according to the manufacturer's instructions. It's best to cut and fit all your tubing as well. Be sure you're not cutting the tubing too short, you don't want any kind of pressure on the fittings and connections. A little longer than required is smart and be sure to route it through any channels you need, essentially cutting it to be as needed for final installation.
Mount your dosing containers but don't fill with any additives just yet. You will need to complete the calibration in most cases which is best done using some RO/DI water. So wait to actually fill with additives until after you have calibrated and programmed your pump.
If you are simply attaching the tubing directly to your additive bottles, just cut it to length but don't connect it. Using a length of 1/4" rigid acrylic tube inside the additive bottles can help you always pull fluid from the bottom of the bottle. Just connect your dosing tube on one end and drop the rod into your additive bottle after you have programmed the pump.
Now the time has come to set up your pump. Each dosing pump is a little different in the exact setup but most will require some kind of calibration. This involves pumping RO/DI water through the dosing pump line to see how long it takes to move 10mL of water. This will essentially give you the exact rate of flow which will be dynamic based on your particular lengths of tubing.
For example, if it takes 20 seconds to deliver 10ml or water, that would be 0.5 mL/second or roughly 30mL/minute.
After calibration, you can program each of your dosing heads to deliver the particular additives you need. This is going to vary drastically from pump to pump in terms of the exact approach. Some pumps have you enter the total daily amount and how often you want it dosed. Others will ask for how much fluid for each dose. It just varies and always be sure to follow the instructions carefully.
Once you have your schedule set up, do a trial run before applying the system to your tank to verify your programming.
After you have verified the pump is operating correctly, attach the dosing lines to your aquarium and let it dose. Test your aquarium's water parameters closely for the first few days/week. Of course, pull the doser offline should you see your parameters spike and correct the program. It's a good idea to verify the programming as outlined above every time you change the settings.
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