Can I use Dosing Pump for ATO?

[SudzFD]

Hi guys,

I dose 2 part Bionic and have been doing that manually but I’d like to start using a dosing pump. I picked up a 4 channel dosing pump and will use two channels for bionic. I was wondering if anyone has used their dosing pump to “dose” RO water?

I have a 60 gallon tank and go through a gallon of freshwater per week. I keep a 5 gallon jug of RO water below the tank and thought it might be good to send 400 mls a day into the tank.
The concern of course is overfilling and no auto shutoff but if I monitor it to know exact usage (obviously it would change with weather) I think it could work with minor weekly adjustments. Thinking that would keep salinity more stable.

any thoughts?

second question. Should I dose my 2 part in a little by little over 24 hrs or all at once like I currently do?

thanks!

 

[Midrats]

I do. I use a Litermeter to add three liters of kalkwasser per day which is almost exactly what I evaporate. I make small seasonal corrections. I like not relying on a sensor or float ATO. It's also nice when I do maintenance or have my arms in the tank the ATO doesn't need to be turned off.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Personally I wouldn’t do that without a tank controller and sensors. It’s a perfectly reasonable way to do ATO with a controller but without it you’re just shooting in the dark about your daily/seasonal evaporation. If you go this route I would suggest you dose the absolute minimum and top off by hand as needed. Better too little than too much as long as you’re monitoring daily. Remember dosing pumps can get stuck in the on position too and have ruined tanks. I’m not saying ATO can’t be done this way, it certainly can, but just know the risks and plan accordingly.