Need solenoid suggestion for dosing!

[miserkris]

1. Where can I get small plastic cube trays that can be snapped closed, resealed. I made some fish food and needed for making cubes of frozen fish food....

2. Also need a solenoid valve for opening and closing airline tubing for dripping Ca (PartA) into sump for like 15 min a day...on a timer.Prefer a valve that works with 120v ac and normally closed.Will Part A (ca) solution affect /corrode the valve??If 120v valves are expensive , I do need a cheap alternative ....Like within $10-$20. If they have to be D.C. I can get a adapter and use it within budget!Will this be ideal ?http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-110-120...omain_0&hash=item460b64bbea#ht_2762wt_1087pls suggest where I can buy online!Kris

 

[ReefMonkey13]

1. Where can I get small plastic cube trays that can be snapped closed, resealed. I made some fish food and needed for making cubes of frozen fish food....

Funny you asked for this . . . I was thinking of making my own frozen food and was thinking about how to make it into cubes. . .

What I thought to do was to take a piece of EggCrate. Notch of every other square piece. Then adhere a piece of flexi-glass or acrylic on the on side.

I also found these . . (google mini ice cube trays).

http://www.colonialmedical.com/mini-ice-cube-tray-P-8952.html&ref=shopping.google.com

Probably a better option.

Good Luck

 

[miserkris]

Reef monkey,
Issue is with ur diy how will u twist the tray to free the cubes? Maybe we can order the ones in link and take one each lol!

 

[tosiek]

IMO, if your looking for a budget alternative for dosing its better to keep doing it by hand. Everyone does DIY lights, DIY ATO, but you won't find the same amount of DIY dosers around. I opted to save and spend my money on a litermeter and never regretted it. Im great with DIY but 2 part dosing can get tricky especially when theres calibrating and monitoring that needs to be done on a short interval multiple time a day system. The price of your livestock isn't worth investing in a 50$ DIY dosing system that needs a bunch of maintenance weekly to keep running accurately enough. A little extra every day for a week can screw things up majorly. Those big priced dosers are accurate for a year, just check calcium every week like your supposed to and you never have to worry about the doser.

When I was looking for DIY dosing stuff I was looking into the laundry detergent pumps. You can find them for 15-20$ online. Its pretty much exactly whats found on any of the dosers, some airline tubing around a ball bearing wheel on a motor. Solenoids can get calcium build up and the alk part would corrode that pump quick. It also doesn't take much to get a solenoid stuck.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Eggcrate at home depot in the lighting section for making ur own food cubes

 

[skene]

While I do enjoy a good read of DIY stuff. Some things just are not worth building, and I feel a doser is one of those things. Everything that you are asking for is easily within reach with a simple air pump(s) and timer/controller.

http://www.seaquestmarine.com/ESV_B_Ionic_Doser_p/esv_doser.htm

While it's often nice finding new ways to build a wheel... often more than not it's easier to just take one off a shelf.