efficient/cheap way to dose 2 part?

[Cozen89]

I'm looking for cheap, reliable, effective way to dose 2 part. I'm going to be getting the mag/dow flake etc to make the solutions, but I'm looking for ideas on how to dose them. I need something automated to minimize upkeep as well as something not too pricey. Gravity drip is the cheapest, but it's not too reliable in terms of automation.

So what is everyone doing to dose their 2 part?

[Thales]

Define cheap.

[GreshamH]

Two Part Solutions has probably the best deal around on dosers. Your looking at $160 to $220 or so for two new ones.

I found some cheap used ones on Ebay and a few chemistry surplus websites.

[ianiwane]

right here is the cheapest place for dosing pumps. They are pretty much oem manufacturers for a lot of other places.
http://www.aptinstruments.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?

[sfsuphysics]

Well if you want cheap a couple plastic cups with the appropriate lines drawn is as cheap as you can get

[GreshamH]

Originally posted by ianiwane
right here is the cheapest place for dosing pumps. They are pretty much oem manufacturers for a lot of other places.
http://www.aptinstruments.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?

A large portion are OEM outa China now. One manufacturer in China I was talking to supplied me a list of who uses his pumps here in the states. He pretty much covers the spectrum of OEM'd dosing pumps, from soap dispensors to chemical usage.

Thanks for the link, I'll see if they can compete with the Chinese maker.

[Nuuze]

Originally posted by sfsuphysics
Well if you want cheap a couple plastic cups with the appropriate lines drawn is as cheap as you can get

You got it! 90ml of part A before I leave to work and 90ml of Part B when I get home everyday.

[funman1]

Saaahhhweeet link thanks!!!

[xinumaster]

Those pumps still look expensive and bulky. Try this one instead.

http://www.twopartsolution.com/index...roducts_id=237

[GreshamH]

Originally posted by xinumaster
Those pumps still look expensive and bulky. Try this one instead.

http://www.twopartsolution.com/index...roducts_id=237

Did you look over the site, wait, dumb question IT's nearly the same unit as Two Parts. The TwoPart one looks EXACTLY like the OEM Chinesse one I was looking into.


http://www.aptinstruments.com/Mercha...ory_Code=SP100

Compact size — 60 x 70 x 66 mm(W x H x D).
Shpg. Wt. 0.4 kg (0.9 lb).
$62

and for $6 you can have a AC cord end put on it. FOr another $24, you can get a NEMA enclosure for it. So for ~$10 more then the TwoPart bare bones you get a housing and cord to boot.

BTW< TwoPArt does not give size specs on the unit other then showing a penny compaired to it. Is that all your going on in terms of size of each unit?

[GreshamH]

OK, so a penny is roughly 19mm. Just looking at the TwoPart picture bare bones unit with the penny next to it, I count roughly 100mm tall by 60-70mm wide. Can tell the depth though but just on those I would say it's actually larger then the APT one that has more bells and whistles for nearly $20 less. More expensive, nope, cheaper in fact

[Cozen89]

Originally posted by Thales
Define cheap.

Cheap means, as cheap as can be =).

This may cause a lot of clutter, but I'm thinking 2 aqualifter pumps and 2 gallon milk jugs. 1 for alk, 1 for calcium. Both pumps set on timers and have a little valve at the end of the tubing so it will drip. Set one a little after lights out, and one a little before lights on.

The thing that scares me about this is unreliable timers. Don't want them to both get stuck on and mixing with eachother or running the whole day. And buying 2 digital timers for this seems like wasted money.

The total costs for the aqua lifter pumps is $24. Say $5 for tubing and small valves. $5 for 2 gallons of milk. Not sure of a cheap reliable timer.

Any thoughts?

[Thales]

Originally posted by Cozen89
Cheap means, as cheap as can be =).

That doesn't really help me find you an answer.

Do a search on aqualifters - there are reasons people don't use them the way you are thinking about.

[raddogz]

Using aqualifter pumps in that fashion as Thales wrote is just asking for trouble.

[Qwiv]

To automate the addition of 2 part or lime water, you really need percision and reliability. Installing a system that has neither of these is risking your tank. I would suggest maintaining a manual scheme until you can set up a propper system.

Figure out how much 2 part your tank uses a day then search ebay for a used, dual head, masterfelx peralistic pump that meets your tank's needs. You can read up on all the masterflex pumps at colepalmer.com. Remember that your tank will need more 2 part as it matures and grows, so a variable pump is worth the extra cash. You can count on a masterflex to last for many years. The tubing will also last many years. Not months like some of the other pumps. I have found pumps on ebay that where perfect for $30, but $100 is more likely. It just takes time.

Rigging up some stupid system from aqualifters for $40 is stupid when it brakes and you either kill $$$ worth of corals, flood the carpet or you need to replace it at another $40 every year.

[Ebn]

Second on the APT instrument dosing pumps. They're just OEM dosers. I used two of them for dosing ferts in my freshwater planted tanks for years. They're quite small.

Here's a shot of a couple of them in operation in a friend's tank.

[klam114]

What is the best model from APT to get for dosing 2 part?

[GreshamH]

see my post above with the model number and link

[klam114]

ok, thanks.

is a housing needed since units are near water?

[ianiwane]

there should be no need for a housing.

[klam114]

thanks

last question, what size tubing is best, there seems to be 3 choices? i'm thinking 3mm?

[ianiwane]

You just have to look at the chart and determine how much you want to dose. It gives you a breakdown in ml/min. See what fits best for you. But the 3mm is probably what you want.

[Nuuze]

You may also want to dose 2 part manually to start with to see how much your tank actually needs and get a feel for the product with your animal load. Not all tanks are the same and if you start off too high of a dose you can overdue the Alk and nuke your entire tank while you're at work..HTH.

[klam114]

I'm using about 25-30ml per night, is 3RPM motor with 3mm tubing a good match?

[ianiwane]

That is what I would use.