Aqua Medic Reefdoser Evo 4 Dosing Pump Review

Germany's Aquamedic is famous among reefkeepers for existence the outset company to popularize the automatic dosing pump. As hobbyists realized the importance of supplementing their reef tanks with calcium and alkalinity buffers, the Aquamedic Reefdoser was their commencement, and bluntly, but choice for a dosing pump, other than the ridiculously expensive and huge medical-course pumps. Despite its confusing and illogical programming, it was a true workhorse, and was highly praised by aquarists around the world. The company recently announced their new line of liquid dosing pumps called Reefdoser 4 EVO. The doser is designed to compete with the alluvion of inexpensive, generic-make pumps that are now available, and it offers some interesting improvements and an bonny price tag. Allow'south take a wait…

At first look, Reefdoser EVO 4 closely resembles the generic pumps on the market, all  based on the original pattern past another German language company, GHL, and their Profilux dosing pumps.

But upon further inspection, we meet that Aquamedic's pump is far from carbon copy. The near meaning improvement on the standard pattern is the controller- instead of sitting inside the main body, it has its own cord and tin be mounted abroad from the chief body. This clever idea is a welcome change and a strong selling betoken; anyone who has used a doser will agree that having the display and controls cramped next to the pump'due south heads is not ideal. Not only is it unattractive, merely having to bargain with a spider web of dosing lines but to change the daily dosage is quite frustrating – with this redesign, y'all can mountain the controller with its congenital-in numeric brandish away from the dosing pump's box. The cord is long enough to hang the controller on aquarium stand's side or even on an adjacent wall.

SPECSHEET

The Reefdoser EVO 4 has iv peristaltic pump heads that can be programmed independently on a daily and/or weekly schedule, and it tin be expanded with a (sold separately) "slave" unit, increasing the total pump count to 8. Perhaps the biggest daze is its toll: the main unit sells for approximately $200, while the expansion module costs around $125. It's quite important to mention information technology upfront, considering that pricing scheme places Reefdoser EVO 4 squarely in the the "affordable dosing pumps" category. Let'south have a closer wait at the unit of measurement to meet what hides behind its attractive cost indicate…

UNBOXING

The doser comes in a nice, "clean" looking retail box, complete with a picture of the unit and some basic information printed in three different languages (French, German and English language). Within, we accept:

• Base unit of measurement featuring iv dosing pump heads, some indicator LEDs, a RJ 45 (Ethernet) port to connect the remote controller and a smaller telephone jack for (sold separately) expansion modules
• A remote controller with alphanumeric display, 6-push control, and a 6 human foot  (2m) long cable
• Roughly 13 ft of good-quality silicone tubing
• A power brick that (surprisingly) comes with adapters for different power plug standards
• Printed manual
• Some double sided tape for mounting purposes

The main unit, where all four pumps sit down, will look very familiar to anyone who has had experience with the mass-produced Profilux dosers, just the overall build quality and the "velvety" terminate on both the master trunk and the controller keeps reminding me that it'due south an Aquamedic product. The pump heads are removable (for cleaning and lubricating) and replaceable; Aquamedic sells replacement heads through its network of vendors.

The remote controller, especially in this cost class, is a welcome and very useful addition. After all, I think we can all concord that dosing pumps are an eyesore and something you lot'd similar to hide in the darkest corner of the aquarium stand. Just the dosing regime does need to exist adjusted from time to time, and having an easily-accessible command interface saves a lot of frustration.

The controller is functional and easy to operate, with a tv remote-style layout that offers a quick style to change settings and mechanical buttons that are very responsive. The just downside of the controller is that information technology's kind of bulky past today'south standards, a thing to be aware of if you plan to mount the controller on the front end of the stand.

The high-quality tubing that comes with the package (all 13ft of information technology) is of the flexible, non kinking variety; so important in these dosing pump systems.

OPERATION

Programming Aquamedic Reefdoser EVO 4 is as straightforward as information technology can be. To begin, yous enter the date and time of day (which was already correct in my case, mostly probable due to an internal clock retentiveness). Then, there is simply one other selection in the menu, labeled simply "Set program".

The program follows few simple steps – showtime, you choose which pump you lot'd like to programme, and so the dose-per-day number, anywhere between 1-24 individual doses per 24 hr period. Next, y'all prepare the "Days interval" with numbers between 0-thirty. Zero means at that place is no interval and the dosing regime volition be repeated every day, "1" ways ane interval or one dosing scheme every other 24-hour interval, and then on. Footstep 3, y'all determine the dosage volume on a calibration betwixt 1-9999 ml, with 1 ml increments. Finally, the dosage fourth dimension for each private dose is set. Hit "Enter" to finalize the program or "Esc" to return to the previous step.

There are two additional modes in Reefdoser four EVO, both of which should be standard in quality dosing pumps. The "manual" style lets users turn any pump off/on manually, regardless of the saved program. Simply press the left arrow push to enter manual way, choose the pump y'all wish to "override" and press & concord "Enter" to engage pumping.

The other mode, initiated by pressing the "Up" or "Down" buttons, takes users to a calibration mode. The pumps come up calibrated by the manufacturer, but if you doubtable the accuracy is off, you can follow the scale process and tell Reefdoser the bodily time information technology takes to fill a 100ml test tube, in event calibrating the given pump head.

ACCURACY Exam

I set up a makeshift lab to examination the accuracy of Reefdoser EVO four pumps. It consisted of a feed container and two measuring cups with calibration that I unremarkably use equally dosing vials in my tanks. The liquid of choice for this test was dihydrogen monoxide (H2o).

For the kickoff exam, I fix pump 1 to dose 25 ml. Results: it dosed slightly less, approximately 24-24.5 ml. I calibrated the pump using the Reefdoser internal scale manner and the second time it gave me the right, 25 ml dose.

For the second test, I wanted to simulate a smaller tank, and so I set pump number 2 to dose 5ml of liquid into a small cup. This gave me an accurate dose on three split doses.

The pump heads, while operating, brand a very lite humming dissonance, zip you lot would exist able to hear if information technology was within the fish cabinet.

VERDICT

Aqua Medic made a bold motion by introducing an cheap, generic-looking dosing pump to its line of generally more sophisticated and less affordable products. All the same, in that location is something that makes it stand out from the oversupply; I would define information technology as the Aquamedic "badge".

At that place is nothing revolutionary about Reefdoser Evo four, but compared to other budget pumps on the market place, the difference this "Aquamedic badge" brings is quite obvious. The master unit feels solidly built, the pumps are accurate and make very little noise, the remote controller is a keen idea that features a simple programming scheme, and the included feed line is of a quality seen only in the higher price range dosers. All that for a price that matches the imported dosers popular amongst hobbyists. I call up the Aquamedic squad has really done their homework, and they've re-engineered a standard blueprint with slap-up success, adding useful features in the process.

Given AquaMedic Reefdoser EVO 4's attractive cost and the fact that it is a solid, well thought out and executed product, I have no outcome recommending Reefdoser EVO to anyone looking for a expert quality, budget dosing pump. Information technology seems to be the best value in its price grade and it is backed past Aquamedic's excellent client service. Each unit comes with ane yr warranty.

To learn more nearly Aquamedic Reefdoser Evo4, visit the Aquamedic product folio

GALLERY

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Source: https://reefs.com/aquamedic-reefdoser-evo-4-review/

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