Last week while installing the Eshopps two channel liquid doser, we found ourselves in need of a dosing line holder. Despite having a plethora of magnetic dosing line holders, they wouldn’t quite fit into the space alloted for the dosing lines as neatly as we’d like. Therefore we put on our aquarium DIY hat, and whipped up a super simple dosing line holder that anyone can make in minutes with a minimum of tools.
The basic starting point for our clip-on DIY dosing line holder is that ubiquitous part from Maxijet style powerheads which have, for more than two decades, been securing the little capable powerhead to the sides of tanks and sumps in a reliable, if unfancy manner. We actually hoard these maxijet clips and have been collecting and using them for years to hold down all manner of side attached surface ring feeders, airlines, dosing lines, and even corals.
The first step of this DIY process is to use a form of low heat, such as a candle, to very slightly melt one part of the Maxijet clip into a ninety degree angle. A little pressure and a little heat and you’ve got yourself a clip with a super simple plastic strip jutting out from the aquarium glass or sump walls.
Next up is to find a dremel tool or small drill, equip it with a drill bit that is just a tad smaller than the dosing line you intend to use and to drill a number of holes to accomodate however many dosing lines you plan to direct to your tank or sump.
Not more than a handful of minutes of drilling later and you’ve got yourself a super cheap, super simple, and super easy to build dosing line holder which does the job just as well as a $30 magnetic/acrylic/titanium option. The Maxijet clip natively comes with a slightly large hole at its end for putting a suction cup and further affixing the powerhead for which it was designed, and this hole is big enough to accomodate larger lines of tubing such as those used for top off.
The sample maxijet clip turned dosing line holder above was whipped up specifically for this post, while we were talking on the phone, and was built as an illustration for this post. The maxijet clip dosing line holder below is the one we “crafted” the first time around with a little more time and a little more focus, and it works the part as good or better than anything you can buy.
There is no magnet to lose or get moved, the clip-on “action” of the Maxijet clip is really firm and it keeps the lines a little closer to viewing level where we can keep a close eye on where the three-part solutions are being dispensed. We’ve been addicted to Maxijet clips for securing lines and things to the sides of our tanks, sumps and buckets nearly all of our aquarium career but this is the first time we’ve modded one this much, with such delightful results.
Have you ever used a Maxijet clip or accessory like it to create something useful for aquariums? If so we’re dying to know so tell us about it in the comments.
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