2 part dosing question(s)

[jason the filter freak]

The biggest tank I'm going to have for some years till I make it out of college is going to be a 75 or 90 at most. This being said I have have been slowly, very slowly procuring parts for my ultimate set up. I've come to realize though some parts are just too much. I don't need a chiller for instance. I also recently purchased a Ca Reactor wich one I don't think I'll need, two won't have the money to run/maintain, and three it would take up a fair amount of room. This being said I've seen a few tanks in the club now and have formed many ideas based on these. I've come to settle on a plan for a mixed reef, some softies, sps and lps. I think Eve's tank is a fantastic example of what can be done with 2 part solution. My question is, is there any good way to automate the dosing of 2 part. Perhaps 2 single channel peristaltic pumps? What is any one doing here. What can I expect to pay for decent pumps? What is the best way to go about dosing the stuff?

[Black Mammoth]

I dose by hand every night. It doesn't take very long and it's cheap. Maybe one day I'll spend the extra money to have it do it for me automatically. I bought 1 gallon dispensing containers. Usually people fill them up with water and put them in their fridge. Then they just use the nozzle to fill up their glass. I bought 3 of those and put my solutions (Ca, Alk, Mag) in those. They hang off a shelf and I just fill up my dosing glass every night and dose after I feed. Then you save yourself a little money

[Rascal]

With regard to the Ca reactor, I understand concern #3, but not really #s 1 & 2. Even if your tank isn't overgrowing with SPS, as long as you have calicfying animals and algae in a 70-90 gallon tank, your alk & calc demands will still be considerable. As far as cost to maintain & run, I don't think there is anything cheaper once you get past the initial set-up cost - which you say you have already done since you have one. This is expecially true if your Ca/Alk demands aren't too great. Refill the tank once per year and the media maybe twice, you're talking 50-70 bucks tops. The only thing cheaper would be if you could somehow find a 50lb bag of Kalk for $25 or something.

[YBeNormal]

The only thing cheaper would be if you could somehow find a 50lb bag of Kalk for $25 or something.

 

Especially if you happen to win a free kalk stirrer the same day that you pick up the 50# bag of kalk!

[jason the filter freak]

So it would be cheaper to do a CaReactor and Kalk Reactor v.s. a couple of dosing pumps hooked up to containers? I have the CaReactor and solinoid ... I heard CO2 tanks are expensive. And I have a power head cicculating kalk reactor... which I think I want to replace with one of dans creations, or one of my own... though I'm not too technical. Normally I'd just put up a poll but I would really really really appreaciate the clubs objective opnions and explantions here. Please any imput here would be appreciated

[SteveM]

I have a 110 and am currently dosing about 1 cup of cal and alk per night (2 part). I just bought a kalk reactor from Dan and plan to switch over to it when I get back from vacation. Even then you have to monitor your cal and alk and adjust as necessary.

 

If you already have the kalk reactor then you have to consider the cost of the items you need to make your own 2 part solutions and the meathod you plan to use for dosing. If you think that cost would be less than the cost to run the kalk reactor then that may be a better choice. Although, I think you will find the cost between the two in the long run will be about the same since you don't have to buy a new reactor.

[Lee Stearns]

Kalk Reactor and calcium reactor are very different.

I had always said that I did not want to go down the dark path of a calcium reactor with its CO2 bubble and all the clculations to balance the aquarium. But let me tell you that as Chip (flowerseller tells everyone) the main reason for a calcium reactor is alkalinity. It should be called an alkalinity reator.

When my daily alkalinity additions of baking soda reached a point that I could not keep it stable and required every day input, I broke down and bought a used GEO Calcium reactor from one of our members who built his own from scratch. This calcium reactor is the single most fire and forget peice of equipment that I have on my aquarium. Once set up my alkalinity has been perfectly stable for almost a year! The skimmer is more of a pain than a calcium reactor. It does take some room, but mine is plumbed through the wall into the closet where my sump /fuge is so no problem for me.

The Kalk reactor is primarily for keeping PH stable and adding a bit more calcium to the aquarium.

 

Two part pumps are effective and look to be pretty easy to set up - John at BRK has the set up on his main coral display I think- he would be a good person to discuss the pros and cons of two parting it or steting up a Calcium and Kalk reactor.

 

Regards,

[lanman]

The biggest tank I'm going to have for some years till I make it out of college is going to be a 75 or 90 at most.

 

Okay... I thought your avatar was a picture of YOU. I mean - I was even looking for you at the Spring meeting; looking for the person in that picture. But if you're still going to college at that age, and waiting to get a larger tank - you're missing life!

 

So apparently you're a somewhat younger gentleman. <<rearranging brain cells - at my age, no space left to be wasted>>

 

bob

[Eve]

Hi Jason,

 

"I've come to settle on a plan for a mixed reef, some softies, sps and lps. I think Eve's tank is a fantastic example of what can be done with 2 part solution."

 

Just to make sure you have all of the facts to make a good decision, I don't use 2 part (or any other additives) on the softies/lps tank. I only use 2-part on the SPS tank.

 

In my opinion, if you are just setting up the tank and even if you are transferring everything over from a tank 1/2 the size of your ultimate tank, you don't need to do 2 part or use a calcium reactor. Do regular water changes until you have a reason to start supplementing.

[wolfman]

I think a calcium and kalk reactor is a little much for a mixed reef, if anything hook up the kalk reactor through your top off water. If the demand for more calcium is needed than put the reactor on there or dose two part.

[flowerseller]

I think a calcium and kalk reactor is a little much for a mixed reef, if anything hook up the kalk reactor through your top off water. If the demand for more calcium is needed than put the reactor on there or dose two part.

 

Bingo

 

Well, almost.

 

Many tanks can be kept very successfully by exchanging water regularly and replacing all evaporated water with KALK, whether it's thru one of the many different types of reactors available, or the simple throw some kalk into a trash can full of water.

 

IMO,

you would want to add a CA reactor when you are first beginning to have difficulty maintaining a desired ALK.

CA will generally follow the ALK and remain at an appropriate level.

 

Adjusting your reactor and the effluent level you run is often a personal comfort level.

If you adjust one, you effect the other, so a word of caution saying - easy does it and know your true water parameters.

[davjbeas]

I am using the B-ionic 2 part additives. I dose 30 ml every evening of each part for my 75 gallon reef. The cheapest way to do this is to buy the gallon jugs from marine depot which go for about 27$ and order enough goods for the free shipping(min $175 order) . There a lot of people using I think dow flakes and something else for a home made recipe. I have noticed that I need to add every night or my tank seems to suffer. I am thinking I need to add more than 30ml now because my Alkilinity/DKH is at 7-7.5. I have a very heavily stocked tank. BRK has some setup there that looks like an autodoser system. I think a dual peristalic pump would be the best( one unit that has 2 hoses) because with the 2 part additives they need to be dosed in equal amounts. I also dose 30ml of magnesium once a week. I have a precision marine calcium reactor but could never get the bubble count stable and just gave up on it. It only takes a minute to dose the 2 part additives once a day.

 

Heres a link to aqua medic dosing pumps

http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic...exid=wp-wp-dos1

 

Here is a nicer one.

http://www.championlighting.com/home.php?cat=387

 

 

David B.

[jason the filter freak]

HOLY GEEEZE the pumps are about as much as the reactors... I think I'll go with the reactors at this point..

[stevil]

Look on ebay for an Enteral Pump. They are infinitely cheaper than those marked "aquarium dosing pump". bbatyv got one for about $25.... and I'll buy your CA reactor

[rrubberbandman]

Okay... I thought your avatar was a picture of YOU. I mean - I was even looking for you at the Spring meeting; looking for the person in that picture. But if you're still going to college at that age, and waiting to get a larger tank - you're missing life!

 

So apparently you're a somewhat younger gentleman. <<rearranging brain cells - at my age, no space left to be wasted>>

 

bob

No...thats his friend that owns the other gremlin they drive when they arent experiencing the german made VW's

[jamal]

i was looking at a ca reactor to stabalize my alk because i am doing the randy 2 part but then i just started dosing it in smaller amounts more frequently throughout the day. now not only is my ph between 8.2 and 8.0 but my calk and cal are much more stable. i do 4oz 3 times a day and now i will do 6oz 2 times a day.

[lanman]

I am using the B-ionic 2 part additives. I dose 30 ml every evening of each part for my 75 gallon reef. The cheapest way to do this is to buy the gallon jugs from marine depot which go for about 27$ and order enough goods for the free shipping(min $175 order) . There a lot of people using I think dow flakes and something else for a home made recipe. I have noticed that I need to add every night or my tank seems to suffer. I am thinking I need to add more than 30ml now because my Alkilinity/DKH is at 7-7.5. I have a very heavily stocked tank. BRK has some setup there that looks like an autodoser system. I think a dual peristalic pump would be the best( one unit that has 2 hoses) because with the 2 part additives they need to be dosed in equal amounts. I also dose 30ml of magnesium once a week. I have a precision marine calcium reactor but could never get the bubble count stable and just gave up on it. It only takes a minute to dose the 2 part additives once a day.

 

Heres a link to aqua medic dosing pumps

http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic...exid=wp-wp-dos1

 

Here is a nicer one.

http://www.championlighting.com/home.php?cat=387

David B.

 

How much water in the entire system? My 45-gallon tank has a 33-gallon frag tank, and a 20-gallon sump (about 4/5 full) - which brings my system up to almost 100 gallons of water. I've been dosing about 25 ML of two-part, and it doesn't seem to be enough even in my fairly lightly stocked system. I'm moving on up today to 30ml, and see how that does.

 

bob

Edited April 15, 2007 by lanman