Who does automatic water changes?

[beatle]

Back when I had my 120, I had a Litermeter III set up to do automatic water changes.  It was great until it wasn't.  I had my drain pump fail which caused salinity to slowly rise.  I honestly was not paying much attention to the tank parameters until it was too late and I lost some coral (no fish).  Despite my issues before, the convenience was unmatched and I'd like to give it a go again.  This was 8-9 years ago and I see peristaltic pumps are a lot more commonplace.  There are standalone systems that do this like the Litermeter, or the Dos that is integrated into an Apex.  I need to pump water up about 10 feet and horizontally about 25 feet if that matters, though it seems most peristaltic pumps should not have a problem with that.  I'd just want to make sure they are designed for moving higher volumes of water per day (lets say 2+ gallons).

[BtmDweller]

I just started using Versa pumps with AWC of about five gallons day. Pumps are actually becoming available again. I used DOS, had heads leaks and pop off on fast settings. One thing to consider is water from any issues, such as a leaky head. So three heads over four years. Also, keep in mind lines should be changed out, as they can get clogged. Additionally, Calibration isn't always 100% over time, especially over long runs. Water level and salinity should be checked routinely. It's easy to let things go with automation, until it becomes a problem which maybe difficult to reverse and $$$ in livestock. 
 

 

[beatle]

That's good feedback about the DOS.  I'd thought of them as a more reliable option, but maybe not.  I wonder if the type of salt being used will affect clogging just as it affects precipitate in mixing containers.  Some are better than others in this regard.

 

Leaning towards a system like the EcoTech that lets me manage the system and push water up from the basement vs. running the pumps in my cramped stand and listening to them whenever they kick on, even if they are quiet.

[BtmDweller]

It may have been my fault. I set the the DOS on a high setting so they were spinning really fast. The versas are pretty quiet and I run from 12am-6am at a continuous slow rate. 

[cpeguero]

I use GHL maxi doser for my AWC. 2 gallons per day. I know GHL announced their new version of it, but, typical for GHL, radio silence for a long time. When they become available, they’re great. Can get the standalone version if you dont have GHL. The hardware has been great for me.

For automation, I love it. I do usually have backups because everything will fail, at some point. I need to get a salinity probe to help monitor mine, since I repurposed my primary conductivity probe to regulate my kalk reactor.


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[vnomus427]

I use dual head Millipore pump run a daily schedule by a reef-pi....

[beatle]

I just picked up a 4 pack of Versa pumps, though I'll have to look into the Reef Pi as well...