Autodosing for Dummies

[Martin]

while contemplating the Sodium benzoate, I came across a wikipage stating that it only worked at a pH of less than 3.6 .. so no go there.

Anyway, I mixed my first solution of autodosing liquid.
my normal weekly dosing schedule is found in my signature. I just doubled the dose for 1 week, apart from the K2SO4.

So my mix is:

KNO3 4,5 tsp
KH2PO4 1,5
K2SO4 1 tsp
micro 120ml


Sound ok?

[Wasserpest]

Sounds like a lot of phosphates to me, but, each tank is different, and it might be right for your tank.

Regarding marmelades, I just sterilize the glasses/covers with boiling water, fill them with the hot marmelade, close them, and let them cool. That way you can keep them for years, as long as the seal is tight. No preservatives.

There are reports on the Krib about the use of HCl as a preservative.

I will let you know in about 3.5 weeks how the solutions held up for that period... If so, I change to a 2 month cycle, with autodosing every other day.

[Martin]

¼ tsp KH2PO4 3x week adds up to 1.5 tsp.. I hope.

Perhaps you add something different to your marmelades when preparing them..

[bigstick120]

1/4 X 3= 3/4 its 1.5 in 2 weeks if that is the mixture that you made up

[Wasserpest]

Originally Posted by Symbiot

¼ tsp KH2PO4 3x week adds up to 1.5 tsp.. I hope.

Perhaps you add something different to your marmelades when preparing them..

Sugar and fruits... nothing else!

I think your math is correct, I just add much less phosphates to my tanks, but like I said, every tank uses nutrients in a different way.

[CardBoardBoxProcessor]

mm.. care to make a sketch of how it is set up?

[Wasserpest]

The first image tells most of it, but here is a drawing that also shows how I integrated the Fluidoser into the dosing setup.

Basically the Fluidoser pushes the micros into the macro hose, then once a day the macros are squirted into the tank, taking the micros along with them.

That way, you can not add phosphates (KH2PO4) to the macro mix, but I found that they spoil the mix anyway, while the mixture of KNO3 and K2SO4 alone lasts 4 weeks without degrading. I just squirt phosphates into the tank once a week after water change. No biggie.

[CardBoardBoxProcessor]

picture is too small xd

[vidiots]

Here are some pics of my autodoser which hold about 2 weeks worth of ferts:

[Wasserpest]

How does the AquaLifter work out for you? It was mentioned that it is very head sensitive, so are the amounts dosed about the same whether the mix bottle is empty or full?

My goal was to extend the time for refills. If the "fluidoser" works out, I can let it run over long periods, just refill the concentrated micro reservoir once in a while. The macro solution is now running for 4 week periods, leaving the KH2PO4 off keeps it smelling fresh for that much longer.

Thank you for sharing your setup, yet another way to auto-dose.

[vidiots]

This setup seems to be fairly stable. It might over dose by say 30% one day, and underdose by say 30% on another day, but it all averages out in the end.
I mix up 1 weeks ferts each week, and add them and top off the 1 gal jug with water. So it gets the same pretty much the amount each week, just varies slightly from one day to the next. The jug holds two weeks worth, just incase I forget or am unable to top it off exacty on schedule. This was pretty cheap too, $10 for each pump, and a few dollars for the timer and power strip. The 1gal jugs were free, and I had plenty of tubing laying around. You just have to try different heights of the pump or reservoir to get fairly consistant dosing.

I just timed how long it took the pump to drain an amount of water out of the jug to figure out the timer setting and amount to dose with everything set in the position it was gonna be used in.

[Just40Fun]

Originally Posted by vidiots

Here are some pics of my autodoser which hold about 2 weeks worth of ferts:

wonderful setup, how has it been working so far? How much do you dose daily? Your tank and mine are the same size, in fact, even the sump is the same size.

[vidiots]

Originally Posted by Just40Fun

wonderful setup, how has it been working so far? How much do you dose daily? Your tank and mine are the same size, in fact, even the sump is the same size.

One gallon lasts approx 2 weeks with the timer set for 2 min per day which dispenses roughly 270ml of solution per day. So I just mix 14 days worth of dry ferts in each gallon jug. The dosing routine is roughly the EI method modified to suit my setup.

If you meant amounts:
my 2 week macro mix is currently:
11.8 tsp KNO3
1.86 tsp KH2PO4
1.65 tsp K2SO4
1 gallon water

my 2 week micro mix is currently:
3.22 tsp CSM+B
1 gallon water

And if all the math is correct my daily doses should be:
4.00 ppm NO3
0.80 ppm PO4
4.35 ppm K
0.10 ppm Fe

But this is also for a very bright tank with pressurized C02, and lots of plants and >10% daily water changes. I occasionally make minor changes to the amounts dosed. A different setup might need different doses..

Tom Barr's site has a lot of good info about his EI method (EI=Estimative Index).
http://www.barrreport.com/

[Justintoxicated]

Would this be a good pump?
Micro-Jet Pumps

[vidiots]

Originally Posted by Justintoxicated

Would this be a good pump?
Micro-Jet Pumps

Looks like that pump could work. You just need to try to match the flow rate to the head height of your intended setup. A higher head height will reduce the flow and dose more consistantly. The reduced flow will allow you to set your timer for a longer period of time which means you have better fine tuning of your doses.

This calculator link will help you determine actual flow rate at a given height:
Reef Central Online Head Loss Calculator