TOP 7 Best Dosing Pump for Aquariums

7. Tom Aquatics Aqua Lifter Dosing Pump

The Tom Aquatics Aqua Lifter, also known as the Tom's Aqualifter, is a classic dosing pump for the budget reefer. It is as simple as it gets. Plug in the aqua lifter dosing pump and it starts dosing. Put it on a timer and you have yourself an aquarium dosing pump setup.

The downside of the Tom Aquatics Aqua Lifter are pretty obvious. There is no programming of how much you want to dose, no calibration, nothing. The pump is only as accurate as your timer. You will have to put some type of airline tube restricting connector, a VERY accurate timer, and you'll have to do all of the measurements and calibration yourself.

Though I use the Tom Aquatics Aqua Lifter for some testing applications, including as an air pump, I don't think it is a great option for most people as a dosing pump for aquariums. Consider using the Tom Aquatics Aqua Lifter for Auto Top-Off (ATO) and air pump applications as this is where it shines!

6. Jebao Dosing Pump

This is a fairly common dosing pump found in most reef aquarium owners' homes. In fact, I have 2 of the Jebao Dosing pumps, though I have recently replaced them with the Neptune DOS.

The benefits of the Jebao Aquarium Dosing Pumps include having a schedule function, calibration, and essentially everything you need built in! There are no fancy features, and it has a standard accuracy of 1mL and can have up to 24 dosing times per day, per channel.

Some downsides of the Jebao Dosing pump include lack of SMART features and lifespan. This dosing pump does not connect to a computer or smart phone for a schedule, it is all on-board. This is a fairly minor downside. The hardest part for me is the lifespan. If you are dosing large amounts per day, for example, using the Jebao Dosing Pump as an auto water change unit, will ware the dosing heads out in a matter of months. For standard dosing applications though, this is not a problem.

One other problem I have faced is the power connector corroding. This mainly happened from spilling chemicals on the dosing pump, and having it too close to the sump. If you care for this unit better than I did, you should get a couple of years of use out of it without much difficulty.

5. Bubble Magus BM-T11 Dosing Pump

The next step up would be the Bubble Magus Dosing Pump. The Bubble Magus BM-11 Dosing Pump can dose between 1 and 999mL, with a 5% accuracy. It does share some similarities with other dosing pumps such as a maximum of 24 dosing times per day.

Much like the ATI Aquarium Dosing Pump, the Bubble Magus dosing pump does not have wifi or SMART app integration. Simply set the dosing schedule you want on the device itself, and away you go!

The Bubble Magus BM-T11 Dosing Pump has 3 dosing heads, but can connect up to 2 additional Bubble Magus BM-T12 Dosing Pumps giving you up to 11 dosing heads! Featuring a much more durable design, the Bubble Magus BM-T11 Dosing Pump is sure to get the job done!

4. Kamoer F4 Pro Wifi Dosing Pump

Having never used, nor heard of this dosing pump before, I was impressed with the stats! The Kamoer F4 Pro Wifi Dosing Pump allows you to dose from 1 to 999mL with an accuracy of 0.5% (CRAZY Right?!). The Kamoer dosing pump let's you dose up to 24 times per day, or as low as once per week.

The kamoer dosing pump connects via wifi, giving you much easier control over your dosing schedule! Though not a functionality benefit, the dosing pump heads are also different colors. This lets you more easily identify the additive being dosed.

The only downside I see right away is that the wifi interface is only used to control the dosing pump, and that's it. Where apps like the EcoTech Mobius and Apex Fusion are able to control a full suite of reef tank equipment.

3. GHL Stand-Alone Dosing Pump

GHL is becoming a popular name in aquarium controllers. Most commonly known for the HK Director, GHL also sells a stand-alone dosing pump! With the ability to program your schedule on a computer vis USB using GHL Control Center, or wifi by using the GHL Connect App or myGHL, you are able to take advantage of better control interfacing.

You can program up to 150 doses per day with as small as 0.1 mL increments! That level of precision in itself it worth puting this as one of the top 3 best dosing pumps available for aquariums!

The only downside I see right away is that the web/app interfaces have very limited abilities. Though GHL does provide an aquarium controller, among other things, there is still seemingly less offered than both EcoTech Mobius and Apex Fusion.

2. Neptune DOS

The Neptune DOS is the Dosing Pump I personally use for controlling my kalkwasser reactor as well as my water changes. The Neptune DOS Dosing Pump uses industrial grade stepper motors, rather than lower cost dc brush motors. The DOS also uses a screw on pressure fit connector, in addition to the standard pressure fit fitting that most dosing pumps use, ensuring that the tube will not fall off!

The Neptune DOS let's you dose as little as 0.1 mL and as much as 31.7 gallons per day (1.3 gallons per hour). Giving you the best of both worlds in terms of accuracy and sheer quantity! The DOS even looks cooler than most other dosing pumps!

Finally, the DOS makes use of one of the BEST aquarium control apps, Neptune Fusion. This gives you control of everything connected to your Neptune Apex, including monitoring probes, the trident for measuring alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium, and even control your Neptune Energy Bars.

So with all of these benefits, why is the Neptune DOS number 2? Well, in short, it's because it only works if you have a Neptune Apex. You have to have their brand of aquarium controller, which isn't cheap, in order to use this dosing pump. Though the Neptune Apex is worth the money in my oppinion, if you are just looking for a dosing pump, this isn't the best option for you.

1. Ecotech Versa Dosing Pump

There it is! Number one is the Ecotech Versa Dosing Pump! Made by the same company that brought you the MP40 and the Radion, so you would expect nothing less than the best!

The Ecotech Versa Dosing Pump has an accuracy of 1% on volumes from 1mL to 300mL. It can be set to a speed of 0.0005mL (0.5uL) per minute. Giving you CRAZY levels of control! At the maximum continuous mode speed of 200mL/minute, the Versa Dosing Pump could theoretically move over 76 gallons per day! Though at that rate, you are more likely to burn out the motor. In true Ecotech fashion, there are a number of different modes to choose from, including continuous and automatic options.

The Ecotech Versa connects using the bluetooth Mobius app, so you do need to be within close proximity to the pumps, however you do have a high level of control. This is the one thing I would like to see improved in the future. Wifi capabilities allow you to turn things off when someone else watches your tank while you're away. Though there are ways to do this with a smart outlet, it would be nice to have included for peace of mind.