brs dosers for 2-part or kamoer dosing pump w/ apex

[monkiboy]

i've always used BRS dosers to dose 2-part. now that i have my large system up and running for a little while and looking to add some colonies i want to get things in a stable rhythm. i have the full apex suite i plan to get operational in the next week or so.

 

on a large system with the apex, what are the particular reasons one would choose the BRS dosers or the kamoer doser (or any 3-4 head standalone doser) over the other?

 

price-wise, there really isn't much to argue and is not really a concern as is keeping things as stable and trouble free as possible. i was initially looking at the vertex libra (man, it's sexy) but there are firmware issues up the wazoo and failed heads experience with it even after multiple updates and fixes. so i look to the bubble magus on steriods, the kamoer which is nicely priced. but being standalone if it ever failed on me (continuously ran or didn't dose) it would be harder get my apex to let me know. i figure with the BRS dosers, i will know exactly how long they run and can set up fail statements to notify me with the apex if they run longer than specified.

 

provide any constructive criticism that would be helpful in me making this decision, please.

 

thank you!

[BowieReefer84]

BRS are nice being 1.1ml/min vs the others that are like 50-60ml/min.  This could also be a negative based on how much consumption you have.  Folks like Graham are dosing with the medical grade units that are able to be adjust to a slow enough rpm to be run 24/7...  The sky is the limit.

 

I like the BRS units, and will be ordering two come time for black Friday sales.

[sachabballi reef]

i love my brs ones and they are all hooked up to my apex

Edited November 11, 2013 by sachabballi reef

[epleeds]

I have a profilux 3 head and love it

[monkiboy]

BRS are nice being 1.1ml/min vs the others that are like 50-60ml/min.  This could also be a negative based on how much consumption you have.  Folks like Graham are dosing with the medical grade units that are able to be adjust to a slow enough rpm to be run 24/7...  The sky is the limit.

 

I like the BRS units, and will be ordering two come time for black Friday sales.

the tank is going to be SPS dominant if not SPS only. the aesthetics of the medical grade "dosers" really ruin it for me and they are quite large and clunky. if there weren't better or equal performing options that were better looking i might consider them. do you have an apex? if so, how do you plan to incorporate them (your future BRS dosers) into your apex system?

 

i love my brs ones and they are all hooked up to my apex

what failure protocols do you have in plan to use? are they hooked up independently to the EB8 (three plugs)?

 

I have a profilux 3 head and love it

it's completely standalone or do you have it hooked up to your controller?

[sachabballi reef]

I had (have) the GHL that eric has but after a few years of use the display panel went...I didn't bother getting it fixed and just went with the BRS dosers and they are all hooked up separately to the apex. There is no back siphoning with them so I don't have a failure protocol in place. I have complete access to each doser via the apex and can monitor when they are working etc and see the graphs to be sure they are working as expected. 

[monkiboy]

jenn, that's good information. thank you. i think that's the way i'm going to go. just takes up quite a few outlets/real estate on an EB8. i think i'm going to need to order another.

 

with a standalone system, is there much one can do in terms of a failure protocol to ensure if it fails and runs continuously that an apex intervenes? i'm trying to think of a parameter that could be watches or statement that could control this.

Edited November 11, 2013 by monkiboy

[BowieReefer84]

No Apex for me.  Just plain ol timers from Lowes.

[sachabballi reef]

i have 2 EB8 for the 180 and another one for the 72 all run off the same apex display. Go on Amazon and order them from there on the Drs Foster and Smith Site...cheapest I have found...and ship seriously fast. 

 

I love controlling from the apex ...the other day I noticed the calcium was a little lower than I wanted so I was able to just go on my phone that i had with me and adjust the dosing schedule from it using the apex app. And if I noticed it was stuck on something bizarre from the graphs I can remotely just turn it off...so I am not sure you can do that with a stand alone. 

Edited November 12, 2013 by sachabballi reef

[monkiboy]

No Apex for me.  Just plain ol timers from Lowes.

ok, thanks for the reply.

 

i have 2 EB8 for the 180 and another one for the 72 all run off the same apex display. Go on Amazon and order them from there on the Drs Foster and Smith Site...cheapest I have found...and ship seriously fast. 

 

I love controlling from the apex ...the other day I noticed the calcium was a little lower than I wanted so I was able to just go on my phone that i had with me and adjust the dosing schedule from it using the apex app. And if I noticed it was stuck on something bizarre from the graphs I can remotely just turn it off...so I am not sure you can do that with a stand alone. 

that sounds about right, jenn. thanks for helping to solidify my decision. going to get the BRS dosers now.

Edited November 12, 2013 by monkiboy

[wangspeed]

If you have an Apex, then BRS doser all the way, or Drew's doser from BRS.  You can setup safety features on dosing, like watching PH, don't dose if the return stops, etc.  Also, it's easy to adjust if you're away, and it's basically impossible for it to accidentally run too long, as long as you're using the right outlets on the power strip.

[monkiboy]

thanks for the input, not as pretty as a standalone but sounds like performance and accessibility is much more ideal so that's the way i went. ordered my two BRS dosers (will dose magnesium as necessary separately) and will get things setup on the apex next week.

[Der ABT]

sorry didnt see this earlier...Talk to avast ....they have slightly better dosers than the brs brand ones....

[YHSublime]

I love controlling from the apex ...the other day I noticed the calcium was a little lower than I wanted so I was able to just go on my phone that i had with me and adjust the dosing schedule from it using the apex app. And if I noticed it was stuck on something bizarre from the graphs I can remotely just turn it off...so I am not sure you can do that with a stand alone. 

 

How could you tell your calcium was lower than expected through your Apex? I'm running with Marcos on this one, I will be using my Apex to dose once I figure out what and how, no need yet. I plan on getting the PH probe, salinity probe, and I think I'm going to skip the ORP probe. I'll probably end up just dosing the usual suspects, calc and alk, but have never tested for magnesium.

[Der ABT]

i think she means she tested, saw the CA was low and added another min or two to the doser.

 

Apex i hear can shut off an in less than min incriments which is nice. ACIII is 1 min intervals which works just fine....definately a nice thing to have.

 

you really only need to dose ca and alk....you can manually dose MG after each gallon etc....or just get a CARX and have it all be done there. and controlled by the apex....thats my favorite.

 

 

ORP is something i have never monitored....just PH and temp.

[monkiboy]

sorry didnt see this earlier...Talk to avast ....they have slightly better dosers than the brs brand ones....

i've used them and they worked well but they are just too loud. the BRS and drew dosers are nearly silent from my experience. i also have never had issues over 2-3 years with the BRS dosing pumps with yearly maintenance.

[sachabballi reef]

if my BRS dosers are moving unless I can see them move I can't tell they are even on....dead silent. 

 

and yes Evan is correct..when i tested my alk and ca the ca was a little low so I just added some time to the apex...a couple of weeks ago I realized in the middle of a movie at the theater that I was screwing around with the alk doser hours prior and all of a sudden I got a pit in my stomach as I didn't remember switching it from ON to AUTO...I grabbed my phone and sure enough it was ON...I immediately switched it off...my babysitter had confirmed it was on and watched it stop immediately as I turned it off...it was actually uber cool LOL...

I find zero reason to go back to the GHL

Edited November 12, 2013 by sachabballi reef

[Der ABT]

your thinking of the 120ml doser...you should hear my BRS 50ml doser.....i can hear it two rooms away....mainly just the speed it turns....the brs 1.1 i have is pretty quiet...wouldnt call it silent but darn close....mainly cause it moves so slow

 

Avast should have a smaller doser out soon from what ive been told, since it will be spinning slower im sure it will be next to silent.

 

 

on a tank your size ill bet that thing will be on for 3 hours or more at 1.1ml a min.....heck my 40g frag tank takes about 90-100ml a day....

[sachabballi reef]

you shouldn't run the brs doser more than 30 minutes at a time. I have mine on for most of the night for alk and when that stops ca goes on...so they aren't ever on at or near the same times...but they go on in 15 minute increments every hour....

[YHSublime]

if my BRS dosers are moving unless I can see them move I can't tell they are even on....dead silent. 

 

and yes Evan is correct..when i tested my alk and ca the ca was a little low so I just added some time to the apex...a couple of weeks ago I realized in the middle of a movie at the theater that I was screwing around with the alk doser hours prior and all of a sudden I got a pit in my stomach as I didn't remember switching it from ON to AUTO...I grabbed my phone and sure enough it was ON...I immediately switched it off...my babysitter had confirmed it was on and watched it stop immediately as I turned it off...it was actually uber cool LOL...

I find zero reason to go back to the GHL

 

That makes sense. I interpreted it as you were out, saw your calc was low, adjusted your dosing schedule remotely, and you were good to go. Yeah, I got a call the other day saying my skimmer was making a funny noise with the pump, and shut it off from my phone while she watched. It makes you feel pretty accomplished, eh? I'll probably follow in Mikes footsteps, and buy black Friday deal pumps.

[sachabballi reef]

oh I wish we could just remotely see all levels all the time...pipe dream though LOL

[Der ABT]

thats what im trying to get at i guess....1.1ml is good for smaller tanks but when you get to a certain size you will wear out the motors really fast becuase of your needs (unless they have tubing that does more than 1.1).....i mean my 156 which is about 170-180 gallons was using over 260ml and there was only a couple of xl colonies in there....with it filled up now ill bet it would be over 300ml a day easy

so that would be 15 min an our every hour or some where around there 24 hrs a day....

 

 

i would think a doser that puts more in would be best (or double up the alk mix) so like a 30-40ml a min would be about perfect to me....

 

im not a huge dosing fan, yeh its a little safer but i love my carx....once its set up there is not much to do.

[monkiboy]

oh I wish we could just remotely see all levels all the time...pipe dream though LOL

i guess if mindstream aquatics or aquarium or whatevever is called comes through with their release early next year and it actually works that might be a pipe dream come true!

[Neto]

I have a marine color (china knock off version of bubble maggus) and love it.. but then I only have a nano

[monkiboy]

if you were interested in the kamoer which is getting rave reviews, there is no better time to get it from saltsupply as one of their doorbusters @ $239!

 

http://www.saltysupply.com/Kamoer-3-Channel-Aquarium-Dosing-Pump-KSP-F03A-p/ksp1111.htm