Nemo_0916 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 What ype of doing pumps do you guys use to accomplish this task? Link to comment
jimb Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Very little actually, but that depends on how many feet of plumbing is required. I've used all sorts of pumps to feed a kalk stirrer. A medical peristaltic pump, industrial peristaltics, powerheads, the Tunze osmolator pumps. What works best? Something with a slow feed. You don't want to add a significant amount of kalk at a single time, it'll cause a pH spike. Also, you don't want to push a large volume through the reactor at a single time because you increase the chance of dosing undissolved kalk into the tank. Peristaltic pumps really are the best choice. They offer enough PSI to push a through a decent amount of 1/4 tubing at a very slow pace. This is even more important in a nano. I'd suggest you look for a medical grade enteral feeding pump that has an adjustable flow rate of somewhere around 0-150 or 300 ml/hr. Now remember, these pumps will never stop pumping. You'll need to set the dose volume equal to the volume your tank evaporates during the day. As a side note, if you are planning on using this with an auto top off, make sure the dose volume is not too high. You can cause a snowstorm (calcium precipitation) very easily in a small tank with a kalk overdose. grim Link to comment
Nemo_0916 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 I liked teh medical dosing pump but wasn't sure if the ~15 psi waould be enough as I wil need to run it through about 10 total feet of plumbing. Hence, I was going to go with the SpectraPure LM3 or something (adjustable vloume, vcontinuous feed, etc.) The problem with medical dosing pumps for me is the availability of the replacement tubes. Just seems to eitehr be too much or can't find it. With the SpectraPure, seems many ppl carry it so I can just buy a few and stockpile it just in case ... what do you think? Link to comment
jimb Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 I liked teh medical dosing pump but wasn't sure if the ~15 psi waould be enough as I wil need to run it through about 10 total feet of plumbing. Hence, I was going to go with the SpectraPure LM3 or something (adjustable vloume, vcontinuous feed, etc.) The problem with medical dosing pumps for me is the availability of the replacement tubes. Just seems to eitehr be too much or can't find it. With the SpectraPure, seems many ppl carry it so I can just buy a few and stockpile it just in case ... what do you think? You don't need anywhere near that pressure. I just sold a flexi-flo that used standard peristaltic tubing. All you need to do is pick up the phone and call cole parmer, they'll send you enough to last you till you die. The pumps that need special drip sets? Agree, don't bother with those. The Spectrapure is nice, but very expensive. There are industrial peristaltic pumps that are much less expensive, although some minor DIY would be required. grim Link to comment
Nemo_0916 Posted January 20, 2006 Author Share Posted January 20, 2006 jimb ... minor DIY required? I don't mind doing it but problem is, the Reef Filler pumps are too loud, medical dosing pump, reset each time they lose power (power outages what not) ... UNFORTUTENLY I think I am at the point where I might just have to put the $$ out for a SpectraPure so I can sleep better at night ... Thanks for the info regardless. Link to comment
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