What mini fridge to use for dosing?

[L/B Block]

Hi all-
I am contemplating using a small mini fridge as a DIY to dose mostly phytoplankton and Red Sea A/B solution. Part of it is to use a magnetic stirrer (found that already) and then let the dosing happen. I have a Red Sea reef doser as well.

I found this mini wine cooler -

https://www.menards.com/main/appliances/small-appliances/all-small-appliances/frigidaire-reg-wine-cooler/efmis567/p-7429806127068611-c-9488.htm?tid=-2281481087028570583&ipos=1

That would actually fit I think in the cabinet under the DT. I have to remeasure it. But for those that have done this-what appliances have you used?

This one can keep things cool down 28 degrees minus the ambient temperature so everything would keep around ~45 degrees possibly up to 55 in summer.,

Not sure if I can actually drill holes in the side.

Anyway any recommendations welcome.

 

[Srt4eric]

@Scott Sweet

 

[Srt4eric]

Got my fresh food autofeeder working today!

I have my return water line going through a small refrigerator with a injector. Each food is fed 2x per day, 5ml each. :)

www.bareefers.org

 

[L/B Block]

@Scott Sweet

Thanks

 

[Marcus H]

These guys make a few. Reviews on 3rd party site seem good and indicate it cools comparable to a std fridge so you aren't at the mercy of room temp.

Portable Mini Fridges and Cooler Warmers by Cooluli USA

Cooluli offers a series of portable, high-end mini cooling and warming systems for keeping skincare, cosmetics, medicines, food, drinks, and more at the perfect temperature. A portable mini fridge is a great add-on for your car, home, office, bedroom, and road trips. Shop our full line of...

cooluli.com

 

[L/B Block]

Got my fresh food autofeeder working today!

I have my return water line going through a small refrigerator with a injector. Each food is fed 2x per day, 5ml each. :)

www.bareefers.org

Thanks for the link

 

[L/B Block]

These guys make a few. Reviews on 3rd party site seem good and indicate it cools comparable to a std fridge so you aren't at the mercy of room temp.

Portable Mini Fridges and Cooler Warmers by Cooluli USA

Cooluli offers a series of portable, high-end mini cooling and warming systems for keeping skincare, cosmetics, medicines, food, drinks, and more at the perfect temperature. A portable mini fridge is a great add-on for your car, home, office, bedroom, and road trips. Shop our full line of...

cooluli.com

Thanks for the posting

 

[rdriggett]

Any inverter compressor mini fridges? I hate hearing Boolean compressors kick on and off repeatedly.

 

[Darkxerox]

I think @Matt_Wandell talked about a slightly different design in the High Tide talk a few weeks ago:

Looks way more efficient energy wise and uses one of those Peltier based fridges (which I think is what @L/B Block has up there in the link).

 

[L/B Block]

I think @Matt_Wandell talked about a slightly different design in the High Tide talk a few weeks ago:

Looks way more efficient energy wise and uses one of those Peltier based fridges (which I think is what @L/B Block has up there in the link).

I was there but I don’t recall that part of the talk!

 

[L/B Block]

The other I found-but def pricier

Galaxy CRG-2 Black Countertop Display Refrigerated Merchandiser - 1.8 cu ft.

Easily boost impulse sales with this Galaxy CRG-2 black countertop display refrigerator. Perfect for showcasing a variety of drinks and hermetically sealed snacks, this unit is a great option for facilities with limited space like convenience stores and coffee shops. Its crystal clear glass door...

www.webstaurantstore.com

 

[Matt_Wandell]

I think @Matt_Wandell talked about a slightly different design in the High Tide talk a few weeks ago:

Looks way more efficient energy wise and uses one of those Peltier based fridges (which I think is what @L/B Block has up there in the link).

That one has been running about 18 months now and solidly keeps the temp at 38-40°F

Concord Edition

Cooluli offers a series of portable, high-end mini cooling and warming systems for keeping skincare, cosmetics, medicines, food, drinks, and more at the perfect temperature. A portable mini fridge is a great add-on for your car, home, office, bedroom, and road trips. Shop our full line of...

cooluli.com

 

[L/B Block]

That one has been running about 18 months now and solidly keeps the temp at 38-40°F

Concord Edition

Cooluli offers a series of portable, high-end mini cooling and warming systems for keeping skincare, cosmetics, medicines, food, drinks, and more at the perfect temperature. A portable mini fridge is a great add-on for your car, home, office, bedroom, and road trips. Shop our full line of...

cooluli.com

Awesome. Thanks for the response!

 

[L/B Block]

That one has been running about 18 months now and solidly keeps the temp at 38-40°F

Concord Edition

Cooluli offers a series of portable, high-end mini cooling and warming systems for keeping skincare, cosmetics, medicines, food, drinks, and more at the perfect temperature. A portable mini fridge is a great add-on for your car, home, office, bedroom, and road trips. Shop our full line of...

cooluli.com

@Matt_Wandell - Question-I am still processing your diagram from your auto-feeder. My idea is dose phytoplankton and either rotifers or Red Sea A/B (or both possibly) - This will have a magnetic stirrer in the fridge as well to keep it properly "stirred not shaken". As the liquids will be pushed through the dosing tubes on a regular basis -But my question is this-as I need to keep things cold and not frozen -do I still need to "purge" the dosing tubes. I know especially, phytoplankton, can "rot" over time. Thanks.

 

[ashburn2k]

i had one of those, they are small and you can only fit 2 large bottles at once, so if you are only dosing 2 bottles, u are golden, otherwise look for something bigger.

 

[Matt_Wandell]

@Matt_Wandell - Question-I am still processing your diagram from your auto-feeder. My idea is dose phytoplankton and either rotifers or Red Sea A/B (or both possibly) - This will have a magnetic stirrer in the fridge as well to keep it properly "stirred not shaken". As the liquids will be pushed through the dosing tubes on a regular basis -But my question is this-as I need to keep things cold and not frozen -do I still need to "purge" the dosing tubes. I know especially, phytoplankton, can "rot" over time. Thanks.

I would certainly purge it. If you don’t, whatever is sitting in the tubing between the fridge and the tank is just sitting there at room temperature. If you’re dosing massive amounts of whatever and it’s only sitting at room temperature for a few hours, maybe not such a big deal. In my case the 1 or 2 mL of phyto I dose per day would take quite a while to actually make it to the tank because the fridge is located pretty far away. Maybe a day or two at room temperature, no bueno. But your scenario matters.

 

[L/B Block]

I would certainly purge it. If you don’t, whatever is sitting in the tubing between the fridge and the tank is just sitting there at room temperature. If you’re dosing massive amounts of whatever and it’s only sitting at room temperature for a few hours, maybe not such a big deal. In my case the 1 or 2 mL of phyto I dose per day would take quite a while to actually make it to the tank because the fridge is located pretty far away. Maybe a day or two at room temperature, no bueno. But your scenario matters.

That is a good point. Even if I split the dose it’s still 8 or 16 hrs sitting there.. hmm.

 

[L/B Block]

i had one of those, they are small and you can only fit 2 large bottles at once, so if you are only dosing 2 bottles, u are golden, otherwise look for something bigger.

Small tank =small bottles! But good to know that! Thank you

 

[Matt_Wandell]

That is a good point. Even if I split the dose it’s still 8 or 16 hrs sitting there.. hmm.

That is a good point. Even if I split the dose it’s still 8 or 16 hrs sitting there.. hmm.

You may be okay. Depending on the product some of that stuff can sit for that long and still be okay. But I’d compare it to constantly eating food that’s been left out at room temp overnight. Just not great for you.

Aside from any nutritional concerns, I’d think you will end up doing more maintenance on the line. The food is just sitting there and probably will produce a pretty good bacterial biofilm. But I have never tried it so I don’t know. I do know that using my method the line stays super duper clean. Flushing the line with clean seawater immediately just keeps anything from growing. You might want to clean it out with sodium hydroxide yearly, if that.

 

[L/B Block]

You may be okay. Depending on the product some of that stuff can sit for that long and still be okay. But I’d compare it to constantly eating food that’s been left out at room temp overnight. Just not great for you.

Aside from any nutritional concerns, I’d think you will end up doing more maintenance on the line. The food is just sitting there and probably will produce a pretty good bacterial biofilm. But I have never tried it so I don’t know. I do know that using my method the line stays super duper clean. Flushing the line with clean seawater immediately just keeps anything from growing. You might want to clean it out with sodium hydroxide yearly, if that.

That’s good to know about flushing with seawater-duly noted!
My other assumption now is have the doser in the fridge-and if so-just normal maintenance as manufacturer recommends then.