Which dosing pump? Pros and cons of each!

Want a deep dive into a heap of different dosing pumps to distinguish the strengths and weakness of each? Sure, why not!
Find all of these pumps and accessories with price match guarantee across australia at:
www.aquaristiconline.com.au

[@sdotsonmyfeet]

This is incredibly helpful, honest information like this is just so hard to come by and having it backed by a retailer rather than a manufacturer is great as there's no agenda to sell a particular product.

[@ParkersReef]

Glad you’re enjoying the spotlights! I’ve got some more to come, same style, no pressure information designed to help you make the best decision for you and your reef :)

[@antoniofaustino2548]

Good info, this is something I'm going to do in the next couple months and this video will help me to decide what to get . Thanks Sam!

[@ParkersReef]

My pleasure!

[@stuartgreen7203]

Loving this style of comparison video. Lots of information all in one place. Regarding the Reef Factory and mounting, they do sell mounting kits that take 4 pumps. It allows a mix of pump sizes powered from a single supply. A number of comments about the Versa pumps and availability. Unfortunately they have been caught up in the component shortages effecting supply chains. Seen this first hand, had a quote stating 70-weeks lead-time! I believe that the Versa pumps are now being manufactured and should start hitting stores soon.

[@ParkersReef]

Indeed they do, but it is an expensive extra for what it is (although is neat!!) As for Versa, yeah the do seem to have got caught up in that - but they were in very short supply even before that. Either way, be good to see them back!!

[@sailorjbn]

Good video. Reminds me a bit of watching the safety procedure before flying :-)

[@ParkersReef]

hahaha always remember to buckle your seatbelt!

[@DKLordByron]

your review was the reason I bought a Reef Factory Dosing Pump, you said it could move the liquid further away, which is needed here. 😊 It actually lifts it up 1.5m in the aquarium, which I was a little worried about which pump could do that. However, the Reef Factory hose is not a standard measure, so had to drop the idea of ​​attaching it to a dosing container.

[@ParkersReef]

should be able to get it to fit onto any dosing container?

[@DKLordByron]

the hose has an odd size (2/5mm) and does not fit into RO fittings. so I just chose to stick the hose in the "all for reef" bottle.

[@ParkersReef]

@@DKLordByron yeah you'd need a stem to barb adaptor if you want to use 1/4 john guest fittings

[@michaelhoward7115]

Thanks for the video Sam, great information. Didn't catch if the Red Sea doser is shaft or gear driven?

[@ParkersReef]

Gear driven. It’s a quality unit!

[@seanmcateer6345]

Great video Sam, thank you, question for you, I asked you about AWC pumps you recommended for moving water with about 2.4m head height over 10m and I was pretty sure you recommendd a kemoer pump, which model was it? I remember you said they were about $250 each and I would need 2

[@ParkersReef]

Hey Sean, I would look at either the Kamoer X1 Pro T (about $250) or the Kamoer X1 Pro T2 (about $350 - same pump with a screen and local control). The Pro T2 is what I am currently using for auto water change myself :)

[@seanmcateer6345]

@@ParkersReef thanks Sam Pretty sure it was X1 now you Mention 😊

[@dxfgful]

I have been looking into dosing pumps and controllers for a new aquarium. I am new to the hobby, so this video helps. Thankyou. I do have my concerns on some of these systems, - Reef Keeper relies on the cloud for control. What happens if you are relying on a reef keeper water level sensor to turn off a dos pump and your internet drops? Can the water level sensor talk on the local wifi to stop the pump, or is the system essentially down until internet is restored? Seems very risky not having a local controller. - GHL doser looks honestly to be the nicest, in terms of hardware. GHL also has some other pro's in that they have a power bar available for automation here in Australia. Sadly everyone seems to say their software is crud, and their response to one of your video is very disconcerting. - Neptune doesn't seem to care much about Australia. The EB632 is still nowhere, and we need to use the 8 year old 6 port power board which lacks in features. Local LFS no longer stocks Neptune as its very hard (according to them) to get stock, and the Trident reagant is constantly out of stock. One day we might see the Hydros here in Australia, but not counting on it anytime soon. I do like the Reef Keeper, and it is easily available here in Australia, but the cloud reliance is turning me off.

[@ParkersReef]

I will have a hydros here to test and review soon :)

[@georgef5968]

Have you tried the Ekoral doser, how does that stack up to the red sea doser?

[@ParkersReef]

I have not, I am not sure if they are still in production?

[@deanfielding4411]

I think I’m going to go for the whole GHL family of aquarium system. I was very tempted Reef Factory, but they offer no way to download a CSV of the data for my data logging, which I want to be able to do to track dosing against parameters so I can better understand and learn in a more evidence based way how to best run my reef tank.

[@ParkersReef]

Good luck with GHL. Hope you have plenty of hair to tear out 😅

[@Puciferthegreat]

Like you said, the kamoer app is pffffftt. The reef factory x1 is a bit difficult to place, alltho with the mount bracket it`s a dream, downside is having to buy it. A neat feature is the calibration reminders. The red sea one was nice when i tested it but a bit pricey. As always quality vid!

[@ParkersReef]

totally agree with all of that :)

[@vargagergely152]

Not sure what to buy , red sea ( dont have any other device from them but seems better for me ) or reef factory ( in europe they are about 400 euro both ) on the other hand i have some reef factory products and i might gwt a kh keeper later :/ so dont know what to do :/

[@ParkersReef]

Both brands are great quality, so I doubt you would be disappointed with either. It'd really come down to which brand you see yourself using other products with down the line

[@panthereyes2009]

I have been using the red sea Doser 4 x 2, so i have 8 lines using the Sustainable reef products through these its great with the app and setup is easy enough, The downsides i am seeing, you have to check the lines at least once a week, to make sure they are still dripping the chemicals into the tank. I re calibrate these once a week, and also the app sends alerts to your phone when there is low chemicals and also why you are about to run out, Alot of this information was missed in the videos, which would of helped more with people decision. Yes you have to buy accessories, But they have colour of 8 different lines, which is great.

[@ParkersReef]

Not sure if that is a weakness of the doser or if something is up with your setup. Shouldn’t have to check that weekly?

[@grantrogers2878]

The continuous dosing is definitely a big miss for the Reef Factory Large. I bought and assumed it would do continuous dosing. Using it for my kalk dosing and 24 doses means I am dosing 150ml in one go, which isn't ideal. The app also does something funny with the split of the doses if the volume isn't a multiple of the number of doses. It's a pain in the A when you need to manually enter 24 dose amounts and times for the schedule.

[@ParkersReef]

Yeah it was a miss I feel for that pump, I assumed it was continuous too. Hopefully they release one soon as it would run a calcium reactor pump so well with the KH keeper monitoring it

[@vargagergely152]

Why no Versa from Ecotech? You dont like them anymore ?.. kidding i read nothing personal but tought they are pretty good for example for Kalkwasser dosing

[@ParkersReef]

I didn’t have them in this video as they weren’t available for purchase at the time of filming (they weren’t for sale for like 2 years….)

[@JCTReefer]

Had a feeling Versa wouldn’t make the cut due to zero availability. Sad really. Things been out of stock for what seems like years now🤣. Might as well be discontinued. I’m assuming the Versa is no longer a priority for Ecotech.

[@ParkersReef]

Yeah it was nothing personal that Versa wasn't in the line up here, I received a huge bunch of dosers that Aquaristic Online carry for the video and sadly Versa just isn't in stock :/

[@JCTReefer]

@@ParkersReef No worries. I knew it was nothing personal. It just blows my mind how there’s been almost zero availability for the Versa. I have 3 brand new ones still in the box. That and the base station. I took me a year just to find what I have. Now, I’m not so sure I want to use them. I mean what’s the point in using a doser that can’t be replaced if one goes out. I was told directly by BRS that they’d be back in stock pretty soon. And that was over a year ago. I’m sure covid did screw some things up production wise. And I believe Ecotech did move to another facility. I’ve heard plenty of reasons as to why the Versa isn’t readily available. My guess is, they’re more focused on other products like the new G6. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️. But who really knows. Availability here in the states is no better than over there apparently.🤣🤣

[@frgggggdsedd6913]

Versa is bluetooth which sucks you get no notification nothing

[@one-armed-reefer5184]

great vid as always and loads of info and oh yes the apex dose are load I run 4 of them lol

[@ParkersReef]

Haha you’re a game man!!

[@one-armed-reefer5184]

@@ParkersReef they may be noise but there great dosing pumps lol

[@ParkersReef]

@@one-armed-reefer5184 can’t disagree with that!

[@one-armed-reefer5184]

@@ParkersReef one of the best I’ve used that’s for shore lol

[@christianknab7016]

Threw out my Red Sea Doser, since it kept losing the wifi connection.

[@ParkersReef]

that's no good!

[@frgggggdsedd6913]

Would you say redsea is better than versa?

[@ParkersReef]

in some ways yes, in other ways the versa wins out. But they are fairly different pumps to be fair

[@frgggggdsedd6913]

@@ParkersReef thanks for quick reply, if its strictly for dosing and ensuring it does not malfunction and overdose, which one would you recommend?

[@bobbyknox9258]

I've got that x4 pro but the old one. Without the front display. Never missed a beat but right from day one all the heads are proper noisy. It sounds like 20 hamsters on a squeaky wheel. Pretty annoying

[@ParkersReef]

hahaha oh no! I would suggest a service, but if they've been that way from day one - would suggest it is just the way it is going to be :(

[@bobbyknox9258]

@@ParkersReef when I said pretty annoying it is. But I think I'd miss the noise now. At least I know its working. 🤣🤣

[@ParkersReef]

@@bobbyknox9258 always an upside! :P

[@rogerread3452]

No Versa Sam - not a fan?

[@ParkersReef]

Yeah sure am a fan, I run a couple myself. Just you know, no stock available to include in the video!

[@rogerread3452]

@@ParkersReef gotch ya

[@ParkersReef]

Wish they did have stock 😅

[@damiandeans9265]

What, no Jebao???

[@ParkersReef]

lol nope :P

[@clkong3427]

The red sea has a weird limit of 999ml per 24hrs

[@ParkersReef]

Yeah ok, that is odd

[@knight_gaming954]

Hello Parker been awhile have some bad news I got scammed for some l046 would think this hobby hade people like that so I’m down $1600 now just spread the word

[@ParkersReef]

Sorry to hear mate, what happened???

[@knight_gaming954]

@@ParkersReef I was trying to get some l046 plecos on some Places online like gumtree and a internet page made for selling and buying this guy message me and he sent pics and was believable they were $500 each plus’s shipping (airport to airport) $120 I got three of them so spent a total of $1620 When the day come he turned off his phone It shucks didn’t think I’m this hubby that there were people like that please spread the word for other Australians

[@ParkersReef]

Oh wow that really sucks man, so sorry to hear :(

[@jhaych]

@@knight_gaming954 did you pay through PayPal?

[@knight_gaming954]

@@jhaych yes friends and family tho PayPal won’t do anything

[@Goose_133]

This has got to be the worst review I have seen…….. you have access to all of these items and you have hardly any info on them.

[@ParkersReef]

what information would you have liked to have seen?