The Red Sea ReefDose has been a long time coming and after more than three years of waiting we’ve finally gotten our hands on this exciting new product. Coming in two models, the two channel ReefDose 2 and the four channel ReefDose 4, which will run $229 and $349 respectively, and will be complimented by some very thoughtful accessories like colored tubing, organizers and holders as well as a slick slide-out control panel.
As is our tradition at Reef Builders we like to take a peek under the hood of most of the new reef gear we get our hands on and this is no different with the ReefDose dosing pumps from Red Sea. Dosing pumps are not the most complicated piece of of aquarium equipment therefore it’s the smaller details and nuance of design that informs us of how Red Sea approached the development of the ReefDose.
It’s certainly possible to make a dosing pump with plenty of off the shelf parts so it’s the custom touches which really help equipment like the ReefDose differentiate itself from what is quickly becoming a very crowded field of aquarium dosers. We knew that the ReefDose would be wirelessly controllable with the ReefBeat app but one big change from what we learned about the first iteration of the ReefDose is that the promised servo motors have been replaced with brushed DC motors putting it much more in line with comparable aquarium dosing systems.
The three-roller peristaltic dosing pump head is pretty well thought out being very accessible and serviceable by end users with a solid rectangular shaft to transfer power from the brushed DC motor. Although dosing pumps are not usually in the line of fire insofar as leaky water goes, that didn’t stop Red Sea from building in a nice rubberized o-ring gasket around the perimeter of the back panel to prevent water ingress into the sensitive electronics, as well as a rubberized mount for the motor to absorb vibration or noise.
Dosing pumps installed in the stand or cabinets of reef aquariums can be exposed to high levels of moisture so we’re glad to see that there is also a water repellant conformal coating on the printed circuit board which should further protect the machine from the environment in which it operates. The design of the ReefDose didn’t carry any significant surprises but we were impressed with the accessibility of all of the internal and external components so that should the need arise to replace or repair the ReefDose, end users should have no issues swapping out components themselves.
Now that we’ve gained deeper insight into the hardware of the Red Sea ReefDose’s inner workings, we’re looking forward to seeing how well the software has been optimized for its primary dosing function. Over the next few days we’ll install the ReefDose on one of our reef tanks so stay tuned for the full review of Red Sea newest device for streamlining reef aquarium maintenance and chemistry.
