If you are looking for a good dosing pump, then this blog post is perfect for you. But, there are many different types of pumps on the market, and it can be hard to find one that suits your needs.
I’ll discuss the best aquarium dosing pump and help you decide which type of pump might work best for your aquarium!
A dosing pump is a device that helps you add water conditioners like pH buffers, fertilizers, or ammonia removers to your tank in small, regular doses. These things are essential for maintaining healthy fish and clean water conditions in the tank.
You can usually get these devices at affordable prices! I have listed the 05 best aquarium dosing pumps to make your searching easier. All the pumps mentioned here are of good quality and can fulfill your needs. Among the best if I compare, the results will be:
What Is A Dosing Pump?
Fish will love a dosing pump! Adding nutrients into your aquarium and keeping the fish healthy is easier than ever with the help of this handy automated device.
A dosing pump is a peristaltic positive displacement pump that delivers a certain amount of liquid into your aquarium at a preset time. The minerals, fertilizers, medicines, etc., come out in small doses regularly to ensure that they get exactly what they need and when they need it.
It is a must-have for any aquarist looking to take good care of their pets without sacrificing time or energy a lot.
How Does A Dosing Pump Work?
A dosing pump is a positive displacement pump, and it draws a measured amount of liquid into its chamber. A container holds the liquid or chemicals that need to be injected. From time to time, you need to refill the tank with the required fluid.
These pumps are also adjustable so that the amount of liquid and speed can be adjusted.
The ability to adjust the speed and volume of your pumps means you can make adjustments as per your aquarium needs. Therefore, you have complete control over your dosing pump for a customized experience.
Usually, dosing pumps are run by an electric motor and can be operated by pneumatic air pressure. It has a controller unit that turns on and off the pump and manages the flow rate.
What Types Of Aquariums Need A Dosing Pump?
So do you need a dosing pump? It depends on the type of aquarium you own. In general, you don’t need a dosing pump for freshwater aquariums containing only fish. But if you are maintaining a planted aquarium or reef tank, in that case, you may need a dosing pump to make things easier for you.
Dosing Pumps For Planted Aquariums
Like all other plants, aquatic plants also require proper nutrients and care to grow and remain healthy. They get access to nutrients through fertilizers.
Plant fertilizers contain iron, phosphate, nitrogen, and all other nutrients for plants to flourish. But if the fertilizers supply does not precisely match the plant’s demands, that will do more harm than good.
Too little fertilizer slows down the plant’s growth, and they suffer from nutrient deficiency. On the other hand, excess amounts of fertilizer may create additional problems like algae in your aquariums.
Therefore, the correct dosing of fertilizer is mandatory for the plant’s growth and keeping algae out of your aquarium. For this instance, a dosing pump can help you tremendously.
It will give you the control to inject fertilizers, including liquid CO2, in a balanced way and in the right proportion.
Dosing Pumps For Reef Aquariums
It requires specialized care and nutrition for healthy and thriving coral growth in reef aquariums. Corals are sensitive, and they need the right blend of calcium and magnesium to develop the shell and skeleton mass.
Live corals, encrusting coralline algae, and other microorganisms in the system demand a steady supply of these minerals and other trace elements, including strontium, iron, etc. If there is a shortage of nutrients that will hinder the coral growth, they even may show symptoms of the disease.
Yes, you can ensure those minerals by manual dosing regularly. However, an automatic system with a dosing pump is probably the best way to do that. It will help you to never forget the regular feedings. In addition, using the pump, you can even supplement fresh water to compensate for evaporation.
05 Best Aquarium Dosing Pump Reviewed
1. Jebao DP-4 Programmable Auto Dosing Pump
Pros
- 04-head auto dosing pump
- You can adjust each pump individually
- A slave unit can be added to increase capacity
- Suitable for both small and large aquariums
- Affordable in price
Cons
- Calibration is a bit tricky
The Jebao DP-4 Programmable Auto Dosing Pump is a 4-head dosing pump that makes it easy to dispense liquid with precision. Each pump can be programmed to dispense a precise amount of liquid up to 24 times a day, making the Jebao DP-4 ideal for planted aquariums, reef aquarium systems, and other aquarium applications.
The pump’s large capacity means you can fill your tank or reservoir with more liquid than ever before! Each channel can provide up to 9999-ml of liquid per day, making it the perfect choice for small to large aquariums. Moreover, you can program each pump individually.
You can increase the number of pumps up to 8 by adding a slave unit in conjunctions if you need an even bigger capacity. Therefore, you don’t need to buy Separate dosing pumps because you can get the doubled output with this single unit.
The unit comes with an incredibly helpful controller unit and requires no complex programming whatsoever. It’s a plug-and-play once it is calibrated with a 100 ml cylinder.
2. Hygger Aquarium Dosing Pump
Pros
- Individually controlled four pump unit
- Which pump can handle 9999 ml per day
- Suitable for large aquarium m
- tubings are included in the package
- Highly accurate and easy to program
Cons
- Little bit pricey
The Hygger Aquarium Dosing pump is an amazing product that will make any aquarium owner’s life easier. It is the perfect solution to automate your aquarium dosing.
The Hygger Aquarium Dosing Pump is a highly accurate, easy-to-program dosing pump. This 4-port dosing pump is capable of delivering precise amounts of liquid fertilizer and/or water conditioner to your aquarium at the same time every day. Moreover, four channels can be controlled individually to meet the varying needs.
The Hygger Aquarium dosing Pump comes with a real-time clock backed up for power failures and can be programmed to run from 1 to 24 times per day. The extra-large LCD display shows the current time, date, and remaining times until another cycle starts.
The pump comes with a built-in timer that will allow you to set it and forget it! It has several different timers to choose from, so you can set the exact time, day of the week, or even month you want your aquarium dosed!
You can also set how much liquid to add at each dose. The maximum volume of the pump every day, up to 9999ml. All tubing included to get you started on arrival, silicone tubings with the pump are of good quality.
3. Bubble Magus BM-T11 Dosing Pump
Pros
- High-standard dosing pump
- Lasts for years
- Precise control
- Usable to freshwater and marine tank
- Simple to program and set up
Cons
- Price is on the higher side
- Only has three channels
THE BUBBLE-MAGUS BM-T11 Dosing Pump is the world’s most advanced aquarium dosing pump. This professional-grade, highly accurate, and precise pump utilizes the latest technology to deliver your exact dosage of liquid into your tank.
The BM-T11 can be programmed to dose your tank all day long, up to 24 times in a single day! It features three independent channels capable of delivering any liquid (from 1 ml to 1999 ml) into your aquarium. By adding an extension unit (BMT-02), you can extend the channels up to 11.
The BM-T11 is easy to program using the simple LCD display and push-button controls. The microcomputer chip with built-in storage memory stores the settings in case of power failure.
The unit is fully waterproof in design. In addition, you’ll get a one-year warranty from the manufacturer, which is excellent. But, hopefully, you don’t have to use that.
4. Kamoer X1 Bluetooth Micropump
Pros
- Precise and accurate dosing
- It Can handle up to 6000 ml of liquid
- Simple to program
- Integrated Bluetooth connection
- It can be operated with your phone
Cons
- only a single unit
- Settings will be lost in case of a power filler
Kamoer X1 Bluetooth micropump is a single unit pump, and you can consider it a tiny powerhouse capable of dosing your aquarium with accuracy. If you don’t need all the extra units like other dosing pumps on the list, you can try this one.
The unique part is it has an integrated Bluetooth connection. So you can control and set the program using your mobile with ease. Although, a few users find it difficult initially to synchronize with the mobile.
The initial investment is reasonable, and as you grow into the hobby, you can have additional units if you need more. You can control 4 Kamoer X1 units at a time with your phone.
You can set the dosing interval from 12 times per day to once per 31 days. It is capable of handling a relatively large volume, up to 6000 ml. It’s pretty straightforward to calibrate, includes graduated cylinders and silicone tubings, and most importantly, the pump runs quietly.
The only downside is there is no memory chip incorporated. So if power interrupts, you need to resync your phone with the pump.
5. Eshopps Dosing Master Pump
Pros
- High-quality material
- very quiet pump Corporation
- A reasonable price
- Two pumps are individually controlled
Cons
- Best suits in a small aquarium
- buttons are relatively hard to press
Eshopps dosing water pump is one of the top line dosing pumps in the market. However, it is a smaller device and consists of only two pumps. Because of its limited capacity, it best suits smaller aquariums.
Each pump can be programmed individually and can deliver 1 to 1999 ml of liquid. You can set the amount of liquid for each doser and the number of times you want to be dosed. You can split the total amount by 24 cycles a day.
It’s very convenient to use and set it up. The pump is also very quiet; it’s hard to understand whether it’s running. Moreover, the price is affordable, and you can also have the option to increase the number of pumps by adding a slave unit.
The US-made dosing pump is made of high-grade materials, and it can be used in any type of aquarium. Apart from the buttons being a little hard to press, there is no downside.
Why Do You Need A High-Quality Dosing Pump?
Planted aquariums or marine tanks with corals are susceptible to changes. A low-quality or underperforming device may not deliver you the desired output. Eventually, it may impose stress on the plants or corals. It can ruin the effort you have made to create a beautiful underwater garden or ocean.
Cutting corners with something like a dosing pump is always tempting. But if it breaks down or leaks, you could end up costing extra money and hassle. It’s worth spending more money to buy from quality companies that produce top-rated dosing pumps.
Therefore, I would suggest buying the best dosing aquarium pumps available. You can pick one from my list or whatever you find the best.
Conclusion
Dosing pumps are pretty handy to keep your reef or plants in good shape because they allow you to inject nutrients regularly and take away the hassles of manual dosing of fertilizers and minerals.
While selecting the best aquarium dosing pumps, it’s better to know beforehand the specific needs of your fish tank. There are a lot of dosing pumps in the market of varying sizes, features, and prices.
Put your effort into finding which best suits you and your aquarium. However, always keep in mind that cheap and unreliable dosing pumps can create unwanted scenarios.
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