I just made 2 of these that have been running for about a week without a hitch. They are on 2 tanks side-by-side and run off of one double outlet air pump.
I use a digital timer to run the air pump for one minute. Each outlet goes to a 1 gal. Apple Juice/Gatorade jug. There is nothing restricting the flow except a check valve between the pump and the jug. I mix everything in the jug, except Phosphorous because it will cause precipitaion. Everything includes(Currently all SeaChem): N, K, Fe, Excel and Flourish. I have had no problems yet that I am aware of and there is no Growth, etc inside either container which are currently exposed to light.
Right now, the tanks contain Anubius, Crypts, Compacta Swords, E. tennellus, and things are booming.
What I have found is that because of Height/Head the system needs to be setup in the actual location that it is going to be used--Desktop gauging doesn't work well at all. It will pump a lot more fluid with a much weaker pump on a desktop than it will after its setup and has to battle Height/Head. Once You have built the system--set it up with the jug full of water and do the 1 minute increments to determine how many doses the system is good for in that particular setup/location.
Maybe someone can explain it to me, but in theory and in use--I don't see the need to go over the 1 minute increment on the timer. With an adequate pump, it will pump sufficient fluids in one minute. 2 minutes will just reduce the number of dosings the setup is good for by 1/2, thereby doubling the work required to maintain the system. Both of my setups will last 3 weeks (21 doses) before they become unreliable. So, I set mine up for that and I will only need to deal with ferts--once every 3 weeks. I am currently using the old-style $10 Whisper pump from wally world and it works great.
Finally, my 55 gal. is on a standard stand. I have found that moving the jug up directly behind the tank greatly reduces the Height/Head that the air pump has to work against allowing the use of a much less -powerful, -expensive air pump. The pump itself can be placed on the floor, but raising the jug helps tremendously. The 1 gal. Apple Juice/Gatorade jugs come with a sturdy carrying handle--I have mine hanging behind the tank on a small chain.
This system works Great and is just what I needed. The prospect of daily dosing long-term was just not very attractive to me at all. I love automation--always have.....
Many Thanx!
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