Dosing Pump Programming Schedule Reef Guide
A stock photo reef tank looks like it takes itself, but every stable SPS system runs on a precisely tuned doser executing a schedule no one ever sees. Properly designed dosing pump programming schedule reef routines maintain alkalinity within 0.2 dKH, calcium within 10ppm, and magnesium within 30ppm across the week without manual intervention. This guide from Gensou Aquascaping at 5 Everton Park covers split schedules, timing logic and troubleshooting for Kamoer, Jebao and Apex DOS dosers commonly used in Singapore nano and full-sized reefs.
Why Programming Matters More Than Hardware
The best peristaltic doser in the world cannot save a badly programmed schedule. A single daily dose of two-part additive causes alkalinity swings of 1 to 2 dKH visible to STN-sensitive corals. The same daily total split into 24 smaller hourly doses keeps alkalinity within 0.1 dKH. The hardware is a commodity; the programme is where the skill lives. Our two-part dosing guide covers the chemistry fundamentals.
Baseline Dosing Calculation
Before programming anything, you need to know your consumption rate. Test alkalinity daily for one week with no dosing, record the daily drop in dKH. For a 100-litre system dropping 1 dKH per day, you need roughly 25ml of a standard alkalinity solution daily. Calcium requires roughly the same volume of calcium additive in a balanced two-part regime. Magnesium runs around 5 to 10 percent of your alkalinity volume typically. See our calcium alkalinity stability guide.
Splitting the Daily Dose
Divide the daily total into 24 hourly doses at minimum, 48 if your pumps allow. For a 25ml daily alkalinity dose, that becomes roughly 1.04ml per hour or 0.52ml every 30 minutes. Peristaltic pumps have minimum accurate dose volumes usually around 0.1ml; work within that. Hourly dosing keeps swings invisible to even sensitive SPS colonies. Every Gensou-installed SPS display uses this approach as standard.
Alkalinity and Calcium Timing Separation
Alkalinity and calcium solutions precipitate if they mix at high concentration. Space their dose times by at least 30 minutes, ideally 60. A typical clean schedule runs alkalinity at 00:00, 02:00, 04:00 and so on, with calcium at 01:00, 03:00, 05:00. Magnesium, which does not precipitate with either, can run on its own hourly schedule or even twice daily because its consumption is slow and its dose volumes are small.
Matching Doses to Light Cycle
Coral uptake peaks during photoperiod. Some reefers weight doses to match: 60 percent of daily alkalinity during lit hours, 40 percent during dark hours. In practice the difference versus uniform hourly dosing is subtle, and uniform dosing is simpler to programme. Start uniform; weight only if you see consistent afternoon alkalinity dips by 0.3 or more dKH when testing at peak photoperiod.
Kamoer X4 Programming
The Kamoer X4 app allows up to 24 schedules per channel with minute precision. Pump 1 runs alkalinity, pump 2 calcium, pump 3 magnesium, pump 4 trace or reserve. Schedule pump 1 at even hours, pump 2 at odd hours, pump 3 every six hours. The app occasionally loses WiFi and needs re-pairing in Singapore HDB networks; the schedules persist on the doser itself regardless of app state. Our dosing pump roundup covers Kamoer specifics.
Jebao DP-4 Programming
Jebao DP-4 uses its own WiFi interface, slightly less polished than Kamoer but priced around $140 to $170 in Singapore versus $220 for Kamoer. The programming logic is identical; schedules per channel, minute-precision times, volume per event. The pumps are slightly louder and the calibration procedure is more finicky but the output is fundamentally similar. Solid choice for budget-conscious nano reef builds. See our reef dosing pump comparison.
Apex DOS Programming
The Apex DOS integrates with Neptune Apex logic. You can define dose volumes conditional on alkalinity probe readings from the Trident tester, adjusting rates automatically if consumption shifts seasonally. This is genuinely useful for SPS tanks where consumption rises as the tank matures. Configure via the Apex Fusion dashboard; our Apex Fusion panels guide covers the UI. Price premium over Kamoer is justified only if you own the rest of the Apex ecosystem already.
Calibration and Volume Accuracy
Peristaltic tubing wears and pump volumes drift. Recalibrate monthly on new installations, quarterly once volumes are stable. The procedure: run the pump for 60 seconds into a graduated cylinder, measure actual output, adjust the calibration factor. Most apps make this a one-tap operation. Keep spare tubing on hand; food-grade silicone peristaltic tubing from SG Bots or Amazon runs around $8 per metre and should be replaced yearly. See our peristaltic pump guide.
Safety Limits, Labelling and Placement
Every doser app allows daily maximum caps. Set them 20 percent above your actual daily target. If the programme glitches and tries to pump all day, the cap prevents catastrophe. A runaway alkalinity dose can crash a reef tank within hours; this is not a theoretical concern. Our alkalinity crash recovery guide describes the aftermath worth avoiding. Label dosing containers clearly; alkalinity into calcium is a mistake made once per career but one is enough. Keep containers at room temperature away from direct sun and AC vents. Singapore condo cabinets often trap heat around sumps; dosing container plastic can deform at sustained 35°C. Use opaque HDPE containers rather than clear ones to suppress algal growth in alkalinity solutions over weeks.
Testing, Tuning and Adding Trace Elements
Test alkalinity daily for the first two weeks after a schedule change. Once daily variance sits under 0.2 dKH, drop to testing every two to three days. Any sustained drift indicates consumption has shifted; adjust dose volumes in 5 to 10 percent increments. Our reef dosing schedule guide covers long-term tuning patterns. Do not chase daily test fluctuations within 0.2 dKH; that is test kit noise. Once two-part is stable for three months, consider adding potassium, iodine and other traces. Schedule these on their own channels with much smaller volumes; most reefers dose traces once or twice daily rather than hourly. See our guides for potassium, iodine and strontium. Keep the core two-part schedule unchanged; add traces as supplementary channels.
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