glennr1978 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Ahh Good idea! Basically, I can run 3 aqualifters one for Cal and the other 2 for ALK and MAG I have an aqua controller and could run the pumps with that. your a genius! PS I also been using these aqualifter pumps for quite some time for top-off and they work flawlessly. make sure you use either outlet #4, or #8 (might want to double check that, but i'm pretty sure those are the ones that are recommended for low wattage pumps, etc.) if you use your controller. if not you may have issues with the controller not switching the aqualifters off. i've thought about using my acjr instead of the little wal mart timer to simplify my set up. Quote Link to comment
Kevin McG Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 make sure you use either outlet #4, or #8 (might want to double check that, but i'm pretty sure those are the ones that are recommended for low wattage pumps, etc.) if you use your controller. if not you may have issues with the controller not switching the aqualifters off. i've thought about using my acjr instead of the little wal mart timer to simplify my set up. Hmm.... interesting I never knew that. I actually had an issue when I had the aqualifter plugged into outlet #5(DC8) for my auto top off and always wondered why. Thanks for the info Quote Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Hmm.... interesting I never knew that. I actually had an issue when I had the aqualifter plugged into outlet #5(DC8) for my auto top off and always wondered why. Thanks for the info no problem. seriously, double check and make sure that it is #4 and #8. i could be wrong, but i think those are the right ones. Quote Link to comment
Kevin McG Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 no problem. seriously, double check and make sure that it is #4 and #8. i could be wrong, but i think those are the right ones. Any idea where I would find that info? Quote Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Any idea where I would find that info? google? Quote Link to comment
Kevin McG Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 google? LOL Google top search shows this thread http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz...amp;btnG=Search Quote Link to comment
Kevin McG Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Found a bunch and it appears #4 & #8 are for low wattage and you mentioned. I will be switching my auto top off into one of those as soon as I get home, it is in #5 now Quote Link to comment
dtfleming Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 go to neptunes website or look at hour DC8 manual. Quote Link to comment
darkside212 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 (edited) here's mine.. I don't have a sump so I made a holder for the lifter out of scrap acrylic....the tube doesn't touch the water so no check valve is needed Edited May 15, 2009 by darkside212 Quote Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 here's mine.. I don't have a sump so I made a holder for the lifter out of scrap acrylic....the tube doesn't touch the water so no check valve is needed How is it working out for you so far? Quote Link to comment
darkside212 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 How is it working out for you so far? great, but instead of using a valve I changed the solution concentration. I have it about half the concentration of the recommendation by brs. Quote Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 great, but instead of using a valve I changed the solution concentration. I have it about half the concentration of the recommendation by brs. i thought about doing the same thing, but I'd have to dillute my 2 part quite a bit to get it right. Maybe I should go ahead and switch to the BRS stuff.... Quote Link to comment
darkside212 Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 i thought about doing the same thing, but I'd have to dillute my 2 part quite a bit to get it right. Maybe I should go ahead and switch to the BRS stuff.... um just bake baking soda in the oven for an hour at 300f then buy a 20-50lb bag of calcium chloride... same as BRS at about 1/10 the price Quote Link to comment
cbachman Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 very cool. very simple. very brilliant. Quote Link to comment
apt220 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I'm glad to see someone tried this, I'll be giving it a go pretty soon. Quote Link to comment
wesleytf Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I'm glad to see someone tried this, I'll be giving it a go pretty soon. how many mLs does it put out in a minute? I need to automate my two-part and this seems like a cheap way to do it if I can get the doses just right... Quote Link to comment
apt220 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 how many mLs does it put out in a minute? I need to automate my two-part and this seems like a cheap way to do it if I can get the doses just right... I believe he tweaked the little valve to the tune of 5mL/min. I have some needle valves laying around so I'm hoping to have an easier time getting it to about that. Even if one was to buy these valves, it would be still far less than those peristaltic pumps. I'm out of town right now, but I'll post again to let you know how the needle valves work. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.a...duct%5Fid=15616 Quote Link to comment
apt220 Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 (edited) Glenn are you finding that it pumps less when the container is almost empty, since the pump technically has to "lift" the solution farther? Thanks Edited May 28, 2009 by apt220 Quote Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 Glenn are you finding that it pumps less when the container is almost empty, since the pump technically has to "lift" the solution farther? Thanks i thought about that when i first set up the pump so i tested it with the container almost empty, and then again with it completely full. it didn't make any difference either way. btw, i typically only keep enough solution in the reservoirs to last ~4 days. that way if the system were to fail and the pump stayed on continuosly it wouldn't be as likely to crash my tank. i keep my tank at 7-8 dkh (because i dose vodka) so even under the worst circumstances my tank could only rise to ~12 dkh. granted, that much of a spike in a short period of time would probably cause some problems, but nothing catastrophic, i would hope. Quote Link to comment
smarcus3 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 i got to try this too. Im going to see if my LFS sells an aqua lifter. I have one that I use for my DIY ATO and love it. Quote Link to comment
wesleytf Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I put mine together today--started to anyway. I guess my ACjr for this tank has the old DC8, with NO outlets that will turn on/off the aqualifter(4 and 8 get stuck on when aqualifter is plugged in, just using manual mode), so tomorrow I'll be off to pickup some splitters and light bulbs to add a bit of extra draw to each plug. I also couldn't calibrate mine exactly--got one at 6 mL/min and one at 4mL/min, so at least they share a lot of multiples. I haven't started mine yet, but do you find that it's siphoning back when it clicks off, and do you account for that somehow? I tend to hate putting any faith into check valves, but if I have to, I suppose I could pick up a couple of those, too... Quote Link to comment
wesleytf Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I put mine together today--started to anyway. I guess my ACjr for this tank has the old DC8, with NO outlets that will turn on/off the aqualifter(4 and 8 get stuck on when aqualifter is plugged in, just using manual mode), so tomorrow I'll be off to pickup some splitters and light bulbs to add a bit of extra draw to each plug. I also couldn't calibrate mine exactly--got one at 6 mL/min and one at 4mL/min, so at least they share a lot of multiples. I haven't started mine yet, but do you find that it's siphoning back when it clicks off, and do you account for that somehow? I tend to hate putting any faith into check valves, but if I have to, I suppose I could pick up a couple of those, too... Just made it through my first gallon a few days ago. Calibration isn't perfect--I had to adjust minutes so that the amounts being used match, but it's working well so far (knocks on wood). Quote Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 I put mine together today--started to anyway. I guess my ACjr for this tank has the old DC8, with NO outlets that will turn on/off the aqualifter(4 and 8 get stuck on when aqualifter is plugged in, just using manual mode), so tomorrow I'll be off to pickup some splitters and light bulbs to add a bit of extra draw to each plug. I also couldn't calibrate mine exactly--got one at 6 mL/min and one at 4mL/min, so at least they share a lot of multiples. I haven't started mine yet, but do you find that it's siphoning back when it clicks off, and do you account for that somehow? I tend to hate putting any faith into check valves, but if I have to, I suppose I could pick up a couple of those, too... I just put the end of the tube up higher than the reservoir. that way creating a siphon is impossible. Quote Link to comment
wesleytf Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 well, unless the level is the same as in the holding containers, I've found that it will siphon to some small degree--either forward or backward. I've minimized the importance of this by trying to do all the dosing in one or two intervals, so that the first mL or whatever isn't really that big of a deal. I just put the end of the tube up higher than the reservoir. that way creating a siphon is impossible. Quote Link to comment
hooligan_78 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Dumb question: Glenn, how did you calculate your Cal/Alk usage for your tank? Quote Link to comment
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