Competition - who has the cheapest set up for AWC ?

[D3DPrintedThingz]

My phosphates are 0.06, I had to start dosing nitrates to raise it to 3-4 ppm range. Just got ICP test back and with an exception if slightly lower Iodine everything is in a green zone. Any reason I should do water changes on regular basis, especially AWC?

how big is tank, what corals are in it using the nutrients that need replenishing, there are literally 1000's of threads all about the difference in cost/effectiveness of WC vs. dosing. I have seen the term "reef moonshiners" thrown around quite often, but know nothing of it. Top right corner of the page type auto water change and look for the article Randy wrote on it, you won't get any better advice here than you would there

 

[a.t.t.r]

82 bucks plus cost of 1/4 inch tube... free for me since it was sitting around.

edit added link https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/simple-auto-water-change.861954/

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

82 bucks plus cost of 1/4 inch tube... free for me since it was sitting around.

how did you accomplish it ?

 

[a.t.t.r]

how did you accomplish it ?

Simple auto water change

Using a cheap dosing pump a few check valves and lines placed in my overflow box(my sump since the tank uses a canister) pump pumps in fresh saltwater raising the water level in the tank and overflow. Every few minutes dosing pump kicks on and pulls out water from a line that is only slightly...

www.reef2reef.com

pump in water then form a siphon with another dosing pump and a "H" bridge configuration with a check valve and remove to start level. Been going for a year now.

 

[Aspect]

I use a Neptune DOS programmed with an Apex. Isn't cheap but it is 100% automatic and can pump from pretty much anywhere.

 

[bushdoc]

how big is tank, what corals are in it using the nutrients that need replenishing, there are literally 1000's of threads all about the difference in cost/effectiveness of WC vs. dosing. I have seen the term "reef moonshiners" thrown around quite often, but know nothing of it. Top right corner of the page type auto water change and look for the article Randy wrote on it, you won't get any better advice here than you would there

Thanks for your reply. That was more of a rhetorical question although I am opened to different ideas. I already chose my method and it is infrequent water changes and dosing/supplementation. It works for my tank, it’s inhabitants, myself my wife and my floor.

 

[Joe31415]

If you have any pictures, or a video, I am following this about 80% but some of it is a little beyond me. I don't really ever pull too much salt water out of the tank, and with 100 + gallons if I grab a bucket I don't really think twice about the shift in salinity, but if I can have it top off salt water when needed and fresh water when evaporated, that would be awesome

I'm running this on a 20g AIO (invert only QT) tank. Even grabbing a half gallon of tank water will have the ATO running for several minutes to refill it.
As for the rest of the system. I really can't take pictures of it. It's just a few smart outlets and some pumps and they're all kinda scattered around so they're close to where they need to be.
Also, it should be noted that it doesn't top of salt vs fresh water based on what it needs. It's always topping off with fresh water *unless* I tell it otherwise.
It's different than, for example, when I know my tank level is about to drop, so I unplug my ATO and flip on the fill pump. But in this case, it's just slightly more automated.

I was looking at the 4 headed Jebao dosing pump. Am I dumb in thinking I could set up two of the heads to pull water from the sump and push fresh saltwater into the sump at the same rate, so it wouldn't cause the ATO I have set up to turn on.

This is essentially what I do in my DT with the two Versas*. The 'trick' I use is to start the fill about about 15 minutes early. That helps ensure the ATO sensor remains wet and it doesn't kick on during the water change procedure.

*The nice thing about using a Versa, or anything more than just a motor in a box like the BRS dosing pumps, is that their calibrated so you tell it to pump X liters of water in Y minutes and it'll figure out the speed.

 

[n2585722]

What pumps are you using for awc? Is there a list of pumps hydros recommends/compatible for awc?

The two Intllab dosing pumps on the left in the photo are the two AWC pumps. The lower pump is the drain pump. The upper pump is the fill pump. Both are dosing pumps since the tubing goes u through the attic between the garage where the pumps are and the tank which is 32ft from the garage.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

in the 80s i got 2 medical iv's from a hospital that upgraded their systems for super cheap like $50 bucks.. they worked great on my small reef tank but took up alot of space, worked in the closet behind the tank. they even alarmed when out of fluid

 

[blstravler]

I use 2 Versa pumps - works very well. I do a daily 2 gallon change on my tank. Though I’m changing salts so I’m probably going to tweak that a little.

 

[Joe31415]

It's different than, for example, when I know my tank level is about to drop, so I unplug my ATO and flip on the fill pump. But in this case, it's just slightly more automated.

That should be "It's NO different than..."

 

[MrGisonni]

AutoAqua Smart AWC Duo worked well for me.

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

Thank you everyone for the help. Planning on going the 4-headed dozer route so I can have 2 heads if/when I need them in the future. I was digging the single pump with siphon idea. I am a man who loves a good siphon, but figured this hobby pretty much requires investing once in a hood product rather than piecing it together slow and cheap

 

[Snoopy 67]

Smart thinking -- I should have done that myself.