Adding a dosing pump to a closed loop...can it be done?

[kaserpick]

As the title states, I'm wondering if you can add a peristaltic dosing pump to a closed look without leaks. To give you a better idea, here's an illustration of my system as it stands today (sorry for the cheap Paint pics):

And here is where I'm wondering if I can put a dosing pump:

I know that the water in the DT is causing pressure on the drain (right side, returning the pump), but I was wondering if the fact, that the pump is drawing water on that side, would cause a vacuum on the inlet for the dosing pump (counteracting with the pressure).

Really, I'm wondering two things:

1. Will it leak to the reservoir, especially when not water is moving (i.e. power outage)?

2. Or, would it draw from the reservoir due to a possible vacuum?

Thanks for any help!

 

[kaserpick]

Now that I think about, the rubber hose that is being 'rolled' in the pump will eventually need to be replaced. So if it cracked, I'd have a leak for sure. It seems like it would only be a matter of time before I had a real mess on my hands.

 

[moondoggy4]

No sump just a canister filter. In one of my tanks I use one of those acclimation air line tubes they have a bleed valve and a U hard plastic, I use the U to hang on the sump or you could hang it on the tank as long as it is not in the water, and I also use a Aqua lifter with the little puck for my ATO.

 

[jaharr01]

dose the tank through the reservoir

 

[kaserpick]

No sump just a canister filter. In one of my tanks I use one of those acclimation air line tubes they have a bleed valve and a U hard plastic, I use the U to hang on the sump or you could hang it on the tank as long as it is not in the water, and I also use a Aqua lifter with the little puck for my ATO.

Yeah, the only other option I have is to dose the display tank, directly. My main concern with that is asthetics. I'll have to find a clever way to hide everything. I'm not painting the back. Thanks for the helps.

dose the tank through the reservoir

The reservoir isn't plumbed to the system, so I can't dose through it. I'll have to dose directly to the display tank. Thanks for the input!

 

[JMan192]

The best investment to make at this point would be to ditch the canister, add a sump and dose direct to the sump. Are you running a HOB skimmer? If not, how are you planning on successfully keeping SPS, etc? Yes it can be done skimmerless as I have myself for over 1.5 yrs, but long term you will lose your SPS unless you remain religious with Water changes, etc. How are you topping off now?

 

[kaserpick]

You and I differ on our thoughts of husbandry. It's not a canister filter, just a reactor to house the heater and carbon. Yes, it can create Nitrates, but it'll work. This'll be sumpless and skimmerless. The dosing system is what I'm trying to use for top-off, for now. Later, I'll use it for Ca+, Mg, and KH.

If you have thoughts to adapt a dosing system for my current system, I'm all ears. Thank you for your thoughts so far.