Dosers
Contents:
- Building your own doser
by scotts-at-cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com (Scott Schaeffer) (23 Mar 93)
- The Best Protein Skimmer
by ()
by scotts-at-cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com (Scott Schaeffer)
Date: 23 Mar 93
Newsgroup: rec.aquaria
In article <C3GD9C.EDD-at-noose.ecn.purdue.edu> vkoser-at-niblick.ecn.purdue.edu (Vincent R Koser) writes:
>Has anyone ever made thier own doser Im wanting to switch from
>liquid premixed calcium suppliment to killwasser but Ive heard
>you need to add it slowly so as not to change the ph. Could it be done
>by inverting a bottle and having a valve on a tube to the sump so
>it drips in slowly. Gravity feed would be easy to build but
>is it possible to get it to accurately add slowly.
>
>Any response would be most appreciated
>vince
>
My doser is a closed plastic bottle with an air line feed into the
top and an air line feed from the bottom of the bottle through the top and
into the tank sump. The pump pressurizes the bottle and forces the water
out the second tube. A timer turns an air pump on for a minute at certain intervals.
The bottle is above the sump level so the air pump just has to push
the fluid out of the bottle top then it gravity feeds. There is a
T at the top of the tubing bend with a 6" verticle tube which is a
siphon break. You can adjust the flow by varying the pump output
using a gang needle valve. IE divert some air pressure out of the
system as opposed to restricting the pump output which can kill the
diaphragm after a while. Making the interval timer might be tough
my computer does the work. You could use a computer with a BSR board
to control the air pump. I'm not sure if the BSR stand alone controllers
are fancy enough to do this. Another hint is if you use a micky mouse
air pump just reduce the plastic line diameter so it has less water
weight to pump out of the bottle.
Scott Schaeffer
scotts-at-cbmvax.commodore.com
by klefstad-at-binky.ICS.UCI.EDU (Ray Klefstad)
Date: 17 Jan 94 23:46:39 GMT
> What parts did you make your DIY osmolator out of?
>
I use a 5 gallon drinking water bottle suspended upside down over a 2' section
of 6" diameter PVC. There is a hose running from the bottle top to the
sump. I drilled a hole in the PVC to allow the hose to exit. The level
of water in the sump is maintained at the hight where the end of the
hose contacts the water. I got the idea from watching my drinking
water dispenser. I mounted the hose in the sump with suction cups with
hose clips they sell at the fish store. I mix five gallons of
Kalkwasser each week and let my osmolator replace all the evaporation
with that. I do add a bit of (real ocean) salt water each week to
compensate for that removed via skimming. Otherwise, the salinity will
drop slowly. One more thing. I use just a bit of silicone sealer
around the bottle cap to ensure there is no leak. I've been using this
osmolator since Thanksgiving because I was going to be out of town for
a while and I couldn't be there to add a gallon of fresh each day.
The Krib
Plumbing and Filtration
The Krib