2 part dosing lines keep clogging

Jake_the_reefer · Dec 21, 2019

So I recently started dosing. However, I notice every couple days the line is almost completely clogged for both of my tanks and I have to manually remove the buildup. I dont have a sump so I have the lines just pouring the solution directly into the display (I would do into the aio portion but idk if the water movement is enough to mix it in) how can I keep my tubes from clogging so much?
Added note. The lines are only a couple inches from the water surface so splashing is a possible problem. I havent noticed a decrease in alkalinity due to the clogging because I remove it before it's a problem

Auquanut · Dec 22, 2019

That's a hard one. I had the same problem when I first started dosing into the sump. The dosing lines were too close to the surface of the water, and splashing caused excessive buildup. Easy fix for me, i just raised the lines. Not so easy in your situation. I agree that you want to dose (especially Alk) into a high flow area to minimize precipitation. Not sure what the fix is, but I'm sure someone has figured it out.

Jake_the_reefer · Dec 22, 2019

Auquanut said:
That's a hard one. I had the same problem when I first started dosing into the sump. The dosing lines were too close to the surface of the water, and splashing caused excessive buildup. Easy fix for me, i just raised the lines. Not so easy in your situation. I agree that you want to dose (especially Alk) into a high flow area to minimize precipitation. Not sure what the fix is, but I'm sure someone has figured it out.

Can I put a check valve on the end of it and submerge it?

Auquanut · Dec 22, 2019

Jake_the_reefer said:
Can I put a check valve on the end of it and submerge it?

Not sure if that would work. If the check valve is at the very end if the line, I would worry that precipitation from where the Alk meets the tank water would clog the valve. If you put a short piece of airline on the output side of the valve, you may get precipitation inside the line where it meets the water. I guess I'm not being a whole lot of help here.

lavoisier · Dec 22, 2019

The problem with check valves is that they will fail at some point, but in your situation that would be the same as the clogged lines you're dealing with now. I'm in a similar situation and I just pinch the end of the lines where they might clog with my fingers every couple of days to keep them clear.

Jake_the_reefer · Dec 22, 2019

lavoisier said:
The problem with check valves is that they will fail at some point, but in your situation that would be the same as the clogged lines you're dealing with now. I'm in a similar situation and I just pinch the end of the lines where they might clog with my fingers every couple of days to keep them clear.

Yeah I've been doing that