Simple fridge feeder

[ReefBeta]

An simple auto coral feeding setup.

The fridge I got from Amazon, 5L capacity. It's using semiconductor chiller, not compressor. So it's really quiet. Basically all I need to do is drill some hole to get the hose in.

In order to minimize the food stay in the tube out of the fridge for too long, I choose not to run the doser output directly back to the tank. Instead I run a line from the tank to the fridge and back. I didn't put that line into the fridge, cause otherwise the doser need to be in the fridge as well. This line has continuous flow from the tank and back. When the doser run, it put a bit of the liquid into that line, then it got quickly washed away into the tank.

Now I'm dosing PhytoFeast and Oyster Feast, once an hour from 9pm to 7am, to keep the NPS coral fed. And Red Sea AB+ hourly throughout the day. No more manual dosing.

 

[Deep]

this is neat, thanks for sharing. So there must be some food left over in the pipe feeding the tank ? How do you deal with that ? Do you flush that ?

 

[lelandmarine]

Nice setup

 

[garbled]

Do you have a quick diagram of how the lines are setup?

 

[moonwaxx]

Nice Looks great . I have had mine running for a few years now and love it. I ran a 3/8 line off my return pump manifold and went through the fridge with it. I have a T in the in the fridge with both Phyto and oyster T'ing into that with check values . Only thing ive found is the little check values need to be cleaned every six months or so. other than that is has been great. I chose to put my BRS pumps for those two in the fridge and have the AB+ doser outside as it is not quite as perishable as the other two.

 

[CK00020]

From what I understand, he has one pump always going when stuff is dosed to wash the tube out, good idea

 

[moonwaxx]

nice thats another way of getting the job done..
always more than one way to skin a cat.!!

 

[ShawnSaucier]

This is very cool and I hope it works for you. But as a side note, IMO, I’m wondering if the dozers should be in the fridge. At this point you have several ml of food/phyto/vitamins warming in the line.
Have you factored in how long it takes for 1ml of liquid to move from the chilled environment to the point it’s infused into the tank water?
Example: say 1ml is in 1” of line and you dose 1ml an hour. From the point that the liquid is leaving the chilled environment to when it is introduced into the water may be 6-10” of line. In my mind that means 6-10 hours of being I chilled. Not sure how quickly some of those would degrade in that amount of time..

 

[moonwaxx]

yeah thats why put my dosers in the fridge. I dose heavy three times a in 24 hours period . otherwise like you say you have food warming and possibly going bad. I didn't look at his plumbing closely. from the last post it sound like he was flushing out the lines some how with another pump..

 

[ReefBeta]

this is neat, thanks for sharing. So there must be some food left over in the pipe feeding the tank ? How do you deal with that ? Do you flush that ?

Not flushing that, just leave it there. The pipe from out of fridge to the connector is about 0.2ml, that it's just one feeding. So it will only stay there for an hour. Longest is when it's not doing during the day. I don't think it will be a big problem. I will love to have to push back 0.2ml after feed, but the dosers don't have that function.

 

[ReefBeta]

This is very cool and I hope it works for you. But as a side note, IMO, I’m wondering if the dozers should be in the fridge. At this point you have several ml of food/phyto/vitamins warming in the line.
Have you factored in how long it takes for 1ml of liquid to move from the chilled environment to the point it’s infused into the tank water?
Example: say 1ml is in 1” of line and you dose 1ml an hour. From the point that the liquid is leaving the chilled environment to when it is introduced into the water may be 6-10” of line. In my mind that means 6-10 hours of being I chilled. Not sure how quickly some of those would degrade in that amount of time..

putting doser to the fridge is probably better solution if I have more space. But I don't. Having dosers in will mean need of a lot bigger, compressor based fridge, and I won't be able to fit it in the closet. To minimize the drawback of having dosers out, I run the line as short as possible out of the fridge, so it's literally just the length of hose of the doser itself. I tried it out and it holds about 1 feeding volume. So it won't stay there for too long. But if have space, better fridge with dosers inside is definitive better option.

 

[ReefBeta]

Do you have a quick diagram of how the lines are setup?

here you go

 

[ShawnSaucier]

putting doser to the fridge is probably better solution if I have more space. But I don't. Having dosers in will mean need of a lot bigger, compressor based fridge, and I won't be able to fit it in the closet. To minimize the drawback of having dosers out, I run the line as short as possible out of the fridge, so it's literally just the length of hose of the doser itself. I tried it out and it holds about 1 feeding volume. So it won't stay there for too long. But if have space, better fridge with dosers inside is definitive better option.

Sorry I didn’t give you more credit.
But very glad to hear that you had considered this.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Not flushing that, just leave it there. The pipe from out of fridge to the connector is about 0.2ml, that it's just one feeding. So it will only stay there for an hour. Longest is when it's not doing during the day. I don't think it will be a big problem. I will love to have to push back 0.2ml after feed, but the dosers don't have that function.

So you are using brs dosers that stay in the fridge ? I am also using brs doser in fridge but after 1 week doser stopped working almost like it’s frozen. Fridge temp is 38 degrees. How are yours doing ? Are they still working ?

 

[ReefBeta]

I don't use BRS doser, nor I ever mentioned it in this thread.

I stopped using the setup because the food are getting too expensive for the size of the tank. It was working well, just need regular cleaning or the tubing will be clogged by biofilm.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I don't use BRS doser, nor I ever mentioned it in this thread.

I stopped using the setup because the food are getting too expensive for the size of the tank. It was working well, just need regular cleaning or the tubing will be clogged by biofilm.

Oh sorry I quoted wrong person

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Nice Looks great . I have had mine running for a few years now and love it. I ran a 3/8 line off my return pump manifold and went through the fridge with it. I have a T in the in the fridge with both Phyto and oyster T'ing into that with check values . Only thing ive found is the little check values need to be cleaned every six months or so. other than that is has been great. I chose to put my BRS pumps for those two in the fridge and have the AB+ doser outside as it is not quite as perishable as the other two.

So you are using brs dosers that stay in the fridge ? I am also using brs doser in fridge but after 1 week doser stopped working almost like it’s frozen. Fridge temp is 38 degrees. How are yours doing ? Are they still working ?