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peiji 
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 Topic: DIY auto topoff / float switch suggestions
Posted: June 21 2007 at 9:49am |
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before I go on vacation this summer, I want to finally rig up my sump to an auto topoff / Kalkwasser dosing thing. I was thinking of just setting up a dosing pump to drip Kalk at night and then having a float switch turn it off when it reaches a certain level. Is that the best way to do it? Is there a better way? Where do I buy a cheap float switch to accomplish this?
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Jared Page
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: June 21 2007 at 11:31pm |
The dosing pump can be adjusted to add just the right amount of water for the season. If it gets a little low, just dial up the dosing pump. If it gets a little high, simply dial it down. Dosing pumps are so good at adding small amounts that the float switch is superfluous.
Plug the dosing pump into the same timer as the RDP lights and you will have kalkwasser top off dosing all night.
For the kalkwasser reservoir mix up kalk in a 7 gal bucket. It lasted about a week for my ~120 gal tank and frag setup. I usually just dumped in a cup of kalk powder then refilled with RO water ~3 times before dumping the residue and adding new Kalk powder.
Be sure to dose the kalkwasser near an area of high water movement and not directly in the way of a coral.
Hope this helps.  |
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peiji
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Posted: June 22 2007 at 7:33am |
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I can't "dial" my dosing pump. It doses the same amount. I can control when to start it and when to shut it off though. I'm just worried that the water levels won't always be consistent. You think the evap rates are consistent enough that I can time it just right?
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Jared Page
Highland, UT
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: June 22 2007 at 6:51pm |
Evaporation increases as outside temp increases, to some extent even in an air controlled room.
Sure, adjust the ON-OFF time to control the delivery. When it's ON, does it run continuously or on a timed schedule? How much fluid can it deliver in an hour?
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Corey Price
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Posted: June 22 2007 at 11:11pm |
Better yet, just turn off any auto-top-off you have before your vacation, bribe Jamison to come and take care of your tank, and have him top it off. Murphy can't kill your tank if you plan for him.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: June 23 2007 at 12:50am |
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How does one bribe Jamison? He has it all!
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ct79
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Posted: June 23 2007 at 1:31am |
I just made a DIY auto top off for my nano for about $30. I bought a float switch online from aquahub: http://www.aquahub.com/store/ifloatfloatswitch.html The aqualifter from marinedepot http://www.marinedepot.com/ps/ps_ViewItem~SearchStr~dosing%20pump~action~view~idProduct~OE1137~idCategory~FIOFOA~category~Tom_Aquatics_Aqua_Lifter%E2%80%94Dosing_Pump_Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies_Overflow_Box_Accessories~vendor~.html Since you want to dose kalk. you might want to buy the Tom Aquatics Aqua Lifter Suction Pre-Filter it's only a few bucks more. You'll see it on the bottom of that page. And an extension cord. I had a 2 gallon bin that wasn't used so I didn't have to buy that. It was real easy to make and works great. I have looked around for an auto top off system and couldn't find one under $70. Aquahub also had instructions on how to set it up. They mention that you need a relay and all that but I found that you can bypass that. You should check that out. It definitely saved me some $. If you want to go that route and need some help setting it up, just send me a pm and I'll walk you through it. It only took me about 5 minutes to set it up. Hope that helps.
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Midvale
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Mike Savage
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Posted: June 23 2007 at 9:42am |
Check out this link on a do it yourself auto top off.
Mike
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Seth
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Posted: June 23 2007 at 1:06pm |
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I used a 10gal tank drilled a hole in the bottem. Raised it above and to the side of the sump. than ran the line in to a Kent Marine Float Valve. It works by gravity.
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75gal sps dominated reef.
Bigger and better coming soon
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: June 23 2007 at 9:59pm |
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The Glug Jug works well too.
Edited by Mark Peterson - June 23 2007 at 9:59pm
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