Dosing twopart the right way

[apexi]

I have just setup two peristaltic pumps (Drew's Doser) on digital timers and was wondering is it OK to drip both the calcium and alkalinity at the same time, so long as it is dripped into different areas of the sump?

OR do they have to be added separately (ie/dose all the calcium first and then the alkalinity) and if so, what is the reasoning behind this? Is it better to dose one part or the other at different times of the day as well?

THANKS.

 

[downhillbiker]

from what i have read they have to be dosed separately to keep it from precipitating. that is the only reason i have heard. i do however think you can dose one and the other soon after, you dont have to wait 12 hours or anything.

 

[Toddrtrex]

While I dose manually...

I wait about the amount of time it takes me to put the cap back on the part 1, and then open up part 2, fill up my dosing cup and slowly pour it into the tank. Maybe about a minute.

 

[fierceseaman]

I don't dose with a pump but I would think that doing both at the same time would cause some undo precipitation. When I dose manually I make sure that the water is clear from the previous dose bfore adding the next part.

 

[cmm1970]

Your best bet to avoid precipitation is to set the dosing pumps up on a staggered schedule. This will allow each of the solutions to mix into the tank water prior to the next, contrary, solution being added. Sure, you can put the input tubes in different locations in the sump or overflows to separate them, but the staggered schedule will do the most in helping avoid unwanted precipitation. I use a Liter Meter III this way and the addition of each of the three solutions(Alk, Ca, and Mg) occurs in a staggered fashion. Nice and neat.

 

[LOTUS50GOD]

I dose with a 50 ml a day with a litermeter III.

both hoses are in the sump.
I dont have any issues.

If you wanted to be safe, then put Alk in the sump and Ca in the tank.

 

[phurst]

I dose with a pump. Both are going 24/7 Alk in the sump, cal in the DT. No issues at all.

 

[apexi]

Drip dosing with a peristaltic pump then would be slow enough as to never cause any precipitation due to a dramatic increase in PH in the addition area. Before when I was doing it manually, and I dumped in the Alkalinity, you could see the "white clouds" that formed in the water immediately upon pouring it into the sump, caused by the dramatic PH change in the local area of addition. In a sump with decent flow, the effect is very short lived as the solution disperses and gets sucked up the return line. Now that I'm dripping with the dosing pumps, you never see any color changes as the drops are too small to cause any significant PH changes.

 

[jpa0741]

I add mine at the same time with pumps with no problems. They are about 2 feet apart.