When to Use Dosing Pumps？

Dosing pumps will automatically deliver measured amounts of fluids into your aquarium on a regular basis which alleviates the need to manually add those fluids.  While this is most often in the form of calcium and alkalinity supplements designed to maintain water chemistry, dosing pumps can be used for the addition of trace elements, coral food, carbon dosing, or any fluid that requires regular incremental dosing into your aquarium.  They can also be used to feed calcium reactors and perform automatic water changes, both of which are more advanced applications.  

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How a Dosing Pump Works

A pump is a pump, right? While it might seem like a pump simply moves fluid from one location to the next, the way they go about doing that plays a huge role in their application.  Utility pumps, like those we use to move water through our filtration or to perform water changes, are centrifugal-style water pumps that are intended to move higher volumes of water.  The term "Centrifugal" refers to the technology used to propel the water and basically means the pump uses an impeller.  

Dosing pumps are called peristaltic pumps and use rollers (instead of an impeller) to propel water or other fluids. The process of compressing and relaxing the internal tube with the rollers is called peristalsis and is what creates the movement of the fluid. The peristalsis allows the dosing pump to move much smaller quantities of water and is much more accurate in how much water it can move. Dosing pumps are so accurate that you can rely on them to move measured amounts of water. Connect a dosing pump to a timer and you can move specific amounts of fluids on a schedule. The most advanced dosing pumps are directly programmable meaning you can control how much fluid is being dosed and at what frequency it is being dosed. 

You will typically use 1/4" diameter or similar small diameter tubing for connection with a dosing pump; there is a suction side connection which is where you pull the fluid into the pump and a discharge side connection which is where the fluid comes out. The pumps are mounted up above the source fluid and will pull the fluid up into the pump, then push that fluid wherever you want it to go via the tubing. 

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Applications For Dosing Pumps in an Aquarium

• Two-part dosing << is the most common application and most likely will be your first experience using a dosing pump.
• Automatic water changes << awesome! 
• Micro-dosing of aquarium additives
• Feeding calcium reactors

How to Choose the Right Dosing Pump

There is a range of dosing pumps available in the aquarium market and there are some important considerations to make the best choice for your tank. Some pumps are controllable and some come with a fixed speed. Some can be programmed directly and the most advanced pumps can be wirelessly programmed using an App on your ! Some pumps have multiple pump heads on a single platform to accommodate multiple additives while others are single pump heads designed for a single additive. 

1. Number of Pump Heads - You will need one pump head for every individual type of fluid or "additive" you plan to dose.  In other words, a single dosing pump head can only move one type of additive; you cannot use the same dosing pump head to deliver multiple types of additives from separate containers.   For successful two-part dosing, you need two pump heads, one each for calcium and alkalinity.  You would then need a third pump head if you plan to use a separate magnesium solution. Choose a dosing pump that can accommodate all of the additives your using, or buy multiple pumps, one for each additive. 
2. Size of the Pump - The physical size of the pump matters but most of them a fairly small.  Just be sure the intended pump will fit where you need to mount it. 
3. Flow Rate - This may be tough if you have no past experience or know exactly how much you need to dose.  Some pumps have speed control which gives you a wider range here but knowing exactly how much you need to dose each day will help you determine the appropriate flow rate for you. Flow rate is measured in milliliters per minute. Dosing pumps can deliver anywhere between 1ml per minute all the way up to 100+ ml per minute.  
4. Pump Lifespan - Many dosing pumps have a lifespan rating which refers to exactly how long the pump motor and assembly will last.  Since dosing pumps are often only run for short period of time each day, this really only comes into play when your dosing larger amounts of fluid very frequently.
5. Mounting Options - Consider the available mounting options for the pump to ensure you can accommodate it. 
6. Controllability - This is a big one and is often reflected in the price. The most affordable pumps come with a fixed speed and will need to be connected to an external timer in order to dose on a schedule.  Advanced pumps that are directly programmable are often more expensive and give you the ability to adjust the flow rate and save dosing schedules.  

Best Dosing Pump for Beginners

We created the BRS Dosers specifically for simplifying two-part and other dosing applications around a reef tank so it goes without saying, the BRS Dosers are our preferred choice. They are affordable, easy to use, and reliable. They are available in two different sizes which can be selected based on your particular application.  Note: You will need to connect the pumps to a separate timer or controller for most applications. 

How To Set Up a BRS Dosing Pumps

1. Calculate how much you need to dose each day.
2. Setup BRS Doser and connect tubing.
3. Calibrate your BRS Doser using a graduated cylinder to find out exactly how much fluid it moves.
4. Fill up your dosing container with the appropriate additives.
5. Install the BRS Doser under your tank and attach tubing to your sump or aquarium. Be sure the end of the outlet tube is above the waterline. 
6. Determine how long the doser needs to operate based on your calibration results and required daily dosage. 
7. Set the timer to run for the calculated time each day and plug in the dosing pump.
8. Submerse the inlet tubing into your additive container.  
9. Check to ensure the doser operates accordingly and test your aquarium's water daily for the first few days to ensure stable chemistry. 

Best Advanced Dosing Pumps

While the BRS Dosers are great, there are some other dosing pumps that offer great value and controllability which really simplifies setup and operation. These pumps are directly programmable and do not require the use of a separate timer.  The setup is very similar but instead of using a timer, simply program the pump directly after calibration.  

Flame Hawkfish

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Hey everyone,

I was wondering if I would need a reef dosing pump for my reef aquarium? All help is welcomed.


Flame Hawkfish

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All depends on what type of corals your looking to keep. One thing most members will agree on, if you keep sps, you'll need one of two things, dosing chemicals for manual or pump dosing or a calcium reactor.

jasonp87

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Do you need a dosing pump? No. But it will make your life easier since you wont have to remember to dose certain amounts at the required intervals. It's like an ATO. Not necessary but very helpful for keeping things consistent; which your corals will like.

RedReefer

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Depends on your plans for your tank! It's definitely worth the cash in the long run. OP OP F

Flame Hawkfish

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If I had a dosing pump, what things would I need to dose for SPS corals?

revhtree

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Dose for Alkalinity and Calcium. Add Magnesium manually. :)

ReefMadScientist

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No. Does it make life easier? No.

I have all sorts of SPS and LPS. I have a reminder on my to dose dKh on Tuesday and Calc on Thursday.

If you have a doser, you still need to replenish it...so how is that any easier?

saltyfish

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If you have a dosing pump, you can have it dose small amounts at several times a day instead of dosing a large amount once a week. It keeps things more stable. I dosed calcium during the day and alkalinity at night. I use a calcium reactor now, which is even easier.

ReefMadScientist

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If you have a dosing pump, you can have it dose small amounts at several times a day instead of dosing a large amount once a week. It keeps things more stable. I dosed calcium during the day and alkalinity at night. I use a calcium reactor now, which is even easier.

I dose once a week and have zero issues with growth, coral health, and fish health.

I am actually growing SPS at the moment at a phenomenal rate. I have a few threads open but will have to update them.

saltyfish

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I dose once a week and have zero issues with growth, coral health, and fish health.

I am actually growing SPS at the moment at a phenomenal rate. I have a few threads open but will have to update them.

You can get great growth with just water changes to replenish, without dosing anything else. It just depends on the demands of the system. I'm just saying you want to keep the alkalinity as stable as possible, and if you dose several times a day, it is going to be more stable than dosing once a week. It all depends on what corals you have as some are more hardy than others. I'm not saying dosing once a week will not work, but why not make a small investment in a dosing pump to make it work even better.

3dees

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I have all soft corals and I don't dose anything. the salt has everything my corals need. everything changes for lps and sps. OP OP F

Flame Hawkfish

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Do I need to dose Magnesium or should I just dose calcium and alkalinity.

ReefMadScientist

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Do I need to dose Magnesium or should I just dose calcium and alkalinity.

It all depends on how your tank acts. Every tank is different. Check your parameters every two days and right down how your tank reacts. Dose as needed and you will get a small routine down. I haven't checked my parameters in over 3 months now.

akitareefer

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If you dose daily it makes things easier. I've been hand dosing for 3 years and 2 years daily. I finally ordered dosing pumps last week. I'm sure it won't be any less time consuming for the first few months but I think the tanks will be more stable. Will have to see how things go :)

chrisfraser05

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my tank uses over 1dkh alk per day, to try and keep it stable I'd need to manually dose it a few times a day.
Being able to have a night away my tank would swing by 2dkh, potentially damaging my sps.

If you can dose once a week you must be having next to no growth!

Slm222

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The main question is what size is your tank?

tyler

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The main question isn't "do I need one?". It isn't "how big is my tank?". It isn't even "what corals do I want to keep?". The main question is "can I keep my tank stable and healthy without one?". If you can keep a healthy, stable environment without one, no you don't need one. Water changes are seriously under rated.

Pete polyp

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I have to dose daily with the addition of dripping kalk. Could water changes work for me? Sure, if I changed 10% 3 times a day maybe. In my situation water changes instead of dosing would break my wallet, stomp it into the ground, light it on fire and scatter the ashes in a parking lot somewhere.

ViktorVaughn

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I don't have a dosing pump but plan on adding one because it will make things way easier and more stable. Having to only dose twice a week like you do I can see not having a need for one. I have to dose 24 ml of calcium and alkalinity daily as my tank consumes about 12 ppm of Calcium and 1.4-1.5 dKH of alkalinity a day. That's 14 weekly doses. Rather than dumping in each at seperate intervals in big doses, I will have 6 or more seperate doses for each Calcium and Alkalinity to keep things consistently where I want them. I start the day at 9 dKH and end up around 7.6 so instead of the large swings, ill have a stable 8.4 dkh and 420 ppm Calcium. WAY easier in my opinion.