Need a pump recommendation - auto feeding NPS tank

[biophilia]

I'm in the process of setting up a small deep-water/NPS biotope tank (gorgonians, dendrophyllia, tubastrea, assorted porifera, possibly nephthyigorgia, feather dusters, etc. The plan so far is to set up an auto-feeding reservoir using a small cooler to feed various planktonic food sources multiple times throughout the day. Food (ranging in size from phyto and rotifers to mysis) will be mixed with water and kept in suspension inside the cooler along with ice packs.

I'm looking for recommendations for a small pump that can be run for a few seconds at a time to dose maybe 10-20mL or so into the tank, but am thinking a dosing pump or aqualifter will end up getting clogged. Would love some recommendations! Thanks!

 

[Rakie]

Arka doser is perfect for this. It is a 4 head doser and it back flushes so that none of the food will rot in the lines. Additionally, it mixes up the food every few minutes to keep it in suspensions and properly mixed so it doesn't all settle into the bottom. It also always mixes before dosing.

It's like $230 and you can use it to feed multiple foods.

There's other options, but this is the one that has all the boxes ticked for an NPS tank that I can think of.

 

[biophilia]

Arka doser is perfect for this. It is a 4 head doser and it back flushes so that none of the food will rot in the lines. Additionally, it mixes up the food every few minutes to keep it in suspensions and properly mixed so it doesn't all settle into the bottom. It also always mixes before dosing.

It's like $230 and you can use it to feed multiple foods.

There's other options, but this is the one that has all the boxes ticked for an NPS tank that I can think of.

Wow - the Arka does look pretty impressive. It's quite a bit more than I was hoping to spend, but would solve a bunch of problems I've been trying to work through. I'll do some more research into it. Thanks a lot.

 

[Rakie]

Wow - the Arka does look pretty impressive. It's quite a bit more than I was hoping to spend, but would solve a bunch of problems I've been trying to work through. I'll do some more research into it. Thanks a lot.

You could ALSO get a very simple doser like a BRS 1.1mL doser. The problem is the food will fall to the bottom. You can combat this with a simple air pump that runs for a minute before dosing but putting air into the food will make it spoil faster (I think...). So it opens a new set of problems.

To be fair, NPS tanks are NOT CHEAP, nor are they easy... They are quite challenging, and while they CAN be done cheap, typically are anything but.

You MAY consider looking into a Phytoplankton reactor... in the long run, it might be simpler.. You could also have pre-mixed food like PolypLabs set up with an electronic solenoid that opens and closes. It could be simply gravity fed, open for a few seconds, and closed nearly right away, allowing it to drip right infront of your flow.

To make your food stay suspending longer, I would suggest a bare bottom tank.. It will keep the food in suspension feeding the corals better.

There's a lot of ways to approach it, some may require you to be more creative than others, but it CAN be done. it CAN be done within budget. And it CAN be effective. You just need to fully flesh out your design goals, your budget, and your feeding regimes.

 

[ispookie666]

I know GHL dosers can do this and I feed my tank every alternate hour, my gorgs are in the DT. I used to do backflush, but found them to be a pain.
I use a magnetic stirrer to keep the food suspended; but without backflush the food will settle in the tube.
BRS doser with a magnetic stirrer would be a easier option and a fridge.

 

[leahfiish]

This guy used a GHL doser