This is a design that was found in Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Monthly, FAMA, For What Its Worth section. Unsure who the original designer is as cannot find the article, this is just from memory. It allows automatic addition of trace elements several times a day if required, and is low on maintenance. This thing is dirt cheap, reliable, and any Tom, Dick or Fred can handle this one. The parts used for construction are as follows;
1 x 4.5 lt Plastic Bottle
Is the storage vessel for the liquid to be dosed into the system.
2 x Check valve
1 x Airline Tee
2m x Airline
More or less would actually be required, depending on the dosing rate required.
2 x Suction Airline Holder
Use to stick the airline to the inside of the sump.
1 x Plastic Lunch Box
For the storage vessel to sit on and place to keep the airline tidy in.
Also require a small air pump and timer
Construction is as shown in the following diagram.
Trace element doser diagram.
This is pretty much self-explanatory. In addition to the parts listed above a small air pump and a digital timer is required. The way it works is that a siphon is set up out of the vessel, and the solution passes through the check valve, airline tee and fills up the airline to the level of the solution in the vessel. It is essential that the airline goes above the solution height in the vessel, otherwise a continuous siphon will form. The check valve between the tee and the air pump stops the solution from flowing back into the air pump. When the air pump is activated, the check valve back to the storage vessel stop flow back and the solution is forced out into the sump or tank, where every the end of the airline is placed. To avoid the airline from moving, to use the airline suction cups to stick it to the side of the sump. After the air pump shuts off then the siphon refills the airline.
The air pump is placed on a timer, preferably with the shortest activation time, 1 minute. It can be activate as many times a day required, the more often, the more constant the conditions in the tank.
The amount of solution dosed is dependent on the volume of solution that syphons out of the vessel into the airline between the air pump check valve and the solution level in the vessel. It was found that the airline that was used held around 22ml for a 2 metre length. Just adjust the length of airline so that the correct volume of solution is dosed with each addition. A little bit of solution leakage occurs through the check valve to the storage vessel, so the actual dosage will be higher than that calculated. Also the amount of dosage will decrease slightly as the level in the vessel drops.
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