Should I invest in a doser?

[nitro]

Hello,
I am using the Aquaforest program and I am adding 15ml of their 1,2,3 supplements daily by just pouring them in. I would like to know if you think a doser will be beneficial or wait til I am using more supplements? Also I am running apex and if I do get a doser would you recommend their doser or use something else?
Thanks, Nitro

 

[Salsa777]

I'm in the same boat, I have a feeling that a doser will help me stabilize things even more. I'll be following along. One of the best reefers i know told me he uses a Bubble magus, has for years and hasn't had any problems with it yet.

 

[pelphrey]

I'm not dosing anything in my tank at the moment, but this exact thought has crossed my mind. For me the answer would be yes, just because my daily plans change and I wouldn't want to miss a day if I am manually dosing. Also we try to vacation once or twice a year and I fear having someone feed my tank for me let alone dose it!

 

[Waboss]

I'll go out on a limb and say yes.

I struggled with stability of my tank for a long time and once I added dosers and "let it ride" for a few months, everything started turning around and thriving much better that before.

 

[Bozoman]

Yes. Dosing pump is very much worth it for you (daily tank work) and the corals (stability) you keep.

I would recommend getting a spare dosing pump. IE if you need 3 pumps to dose 3 part, get a dosing pump with 4 pumps. Having an extra is very useful for all sorts of applications. The DOS from Neptune is really nice and accurate, but kind of pricey for 2 dosing pumps. If you decide on the DOS, depending on your system and water change habits you might consider just dosing KH, Ca and Mg. Aquaforest has a line where you weigh these and mix them in 2 containers (KH in one and Ca with Mg in one) with RO water. That way you don't have to break the bank and get 2 DOS pumps, just need a kitchen scale.

 

[Napa Reefer]

Following.

 

[jsker]

I went with the jeboa dosing pumps and I pretty much have everything on auto pilot. If you look at the insides of the pumps they are all pretty much the same. For the price I am very happy. Also get some silicone line instead of using air lines.

Make sure you dosing pumps are calibrated. My parameter stay the same unless I change them. I am also at bi weekly water changes and going to monthly soon with everything running steady.

 

[dcraigj]

I was in the same position a few moths ago. I also dose Aquaforest component 1,2,3. I have a 120 gallon DT and dose 200 ml a day. Your dosage amount will increase as your corals grow. Personally I went with the Apex DOS and have been very pleased with my purchase. It has made my dosing automated so that there is one less thing I have to worry about putting in my tank. Like @Bozoman said this helps maintain the stability of your tank.

 

[Napa Reefer]

I have a DOS pump and container waiting to be set up... I'm now regretting not going with the GHL Doser.

 

[nitro]

I would think with all the capabilities of the Apex the DOS would be a no brainer. What is the reason why you are not satisfied, price?
Nitro

 

[Napa Reefer]

I would think with all the capabilities of the Apex the DOS would be a no brainer. What is the reason why you are not satisfied, price?
Nitro

Less pumps on the DOS, but I'm going to give it a try anyway since I have it... I'll just have to get another one later on if needed.

 

[drawman]

If you're using Aquaforest components you'd probably want two DOSs or another doser with more pumps...especially if you use -NP Pro as well. I personally have BRS dosers on an EB4 and am very happy with it.

 

[SaleenCB]

I have been in a similar boat as you have nitro. I was dosing 2 part calcium and NoPox but there were days I would forget or get so busy, etc. I just got a Bubble Magus BM-T11 because I wanted more stability and I am very pleased overall!!

 

[Trey302]

Just got back into reefing this year after a long time out and I have quickly figured out this time that anything you can do to automate things makes it much more enjoyable. I dose about the same amount you do a day and adding dosing pumps have been one of my best decisions so far. That and adding a top off system have taken most of the daily maintenance down to a minimum. It doesn't sound like much but to me those little things become very tedious to do every day over time. Plus if you go out of town or just happen to forget a day you don't have to worry about your parameters getting out of line. I've got 2 brs dosing pumps that I run off an apex jr. I wanted their dos system but it is pretty expensive for what you get I think. Still may get it down the road though because it's probably a little easier to dial in the exact amount you need to dose.

 

[gtbarsi]

One thing I will say about the Dos is that it's integration to the Apex that the OP indicated they already has is 2nd to none.

In addition the DOS unlike most other units uses high precision stepper motors, which really lets you take and break down your dosing to super small amounts over a period of the day. The result is you are able to maintain a nearly completely even level of whatever it is you are dosing to the system. If it is KH, Ca, and Mg, you can stretch out the dosing through out the lighting period when the elements are used the most, alternating which one is being dosed every 5 minutes with a 5 minute rest between each. I do not know the others but I doubt that the motors they use can be controlled down to 1/200 of a rotation, and managed with software as friendly and flexible as that of the Apex. If you want to use a dosing pump for ATO or water changes or something else I would not use a DOS unless I had money to burn. Such operations do not need the level of precision the DOS offers.

 

[reefwiser]

The GHL Doser 2 has 24 volt D.C. Stepper motors that have 3 speeds and let you dose down to .01 ml. You can also run them in reverse after dosing for additives that need to be refrigerated. I have three of them and use them to make my life simpler.

 

[nitro]

Thanks guys great points all around.