Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!

[monkiboy]

For a 150 square inch screen, you want at least 75 real watts on each side. For 1-sided like yours, you want all 150 watts on one side. You have 42.

It's true that you are not feeding much at all, and thus what you have now will probably work fine, even at 9 hours per day. But ideal, for best green growth, you want a lot of watts per square inch.

i notice you mentioned above all i need is a 3x4" screen. i want to cut the screen to the size appropriately for my tank and needs per your suggestions. i think you assumed it was two-sided. it will only be one sided, is this still the appropriate sized screen given my tank/feeding requirements?

if so, then is my 42w CFL too much for such a small screen or is more wattage always better?

 

[SantaMonica]

I would do a 5 X 5, with a 25 w on one side, with reflector, for 18 hours.

 

[felixfish]

I made a 9.5x13" with a 370 gph pump and it works pretty good! I have a cfl bulb with medium sized reflectors from lowes on each side. Make sure you ruff it up really good for the algae to grow on it.

 

[monkiboy]

I would do a 5 X 5, with a 25 w on one side, with reflector, for 18 hours.

I made a 9.5x13" with a 370 gph pump and it works pretty good! I have a cfl bulb with medium sized reflectors from lowes on each side. Make sure you ruff it up really good for the algae to grow on it.

ok, great. will do. thank you both.

 

[parrotchute]

Here's the scrubber I FINALLY got a chance to make!

The problem right now is that the water isn't flowing in an even sheet down the screen. Is this most likely because the slot isn't wide enough? Or could it be that the screen is shoved too far into the slot?

 

[felixfish]

My'n has been shoved all the way up for a few weeks and it started spirting against my acrylic spray gaurd. For a test this week after cleaning, I lowered the screen one hole down for the zip ties and its been flowing very smooth. Remember to clean up in the cut hole for every cleaning, that can cause some spirts. My .02 Your ATS Looks Pro!

 

[little_fish]

Once you get some growth on there it will even out the flow across the screen. But everything looks amazing!

 

[parrotchute]

Thanks! Okay, I'll keep an eye on it. I'm going to make some light shields for the top to prevent algae from growing on the top 1".

I'm getting a lot of light spillage out the back of the stand, so I'm going to make a curtain to velcro to the back of the stand. (idea fairy: silver lined curtain to reflect back? hmmmm. haha)

 

[felixfish]

I was talking to an employee at the LFS and he was telling me that the dirty dark red color algae growth on the screen is better than the green carpet algae. I thought it was the other way around. My'n has been going for about 5 weeks now and its been all dark red growth, with little specs of green here and there. I have noticed this am that the algae growth on my lower rocks are getting thinner!

 

[WannaRace]

Interesting, although SM says otherwise. My growth is that same color.

 

[SantaMonica]

You can move the lights against the acrylic if you want; you won't need a light-guard if you do.

Green hair growth is best. Dark red means the light is way too low.

 

[parrotchute]

SM, do you have any opinions on any supplemental filtration - if you wanted to plus up filtration and didn't have room for more scrubber/light, what form of filtration would you use? I was thinking about trying biobellets in addition to the scrubber.

 

[felixfish]

All the research I've done for my application was to use the curly CFL bulbs around four inches from the screen. I had the lights close to the screen and the growth was not occurring near where the bulb was but darker growth on the outsides. Should I keep the bulbs close and just let it grow?

 

[SantaMonica]

Not pellets.. will reduce growth. The only thing I'd do is for a predator tank... maybe add a skimmer.

Move the bulbs back, or reduce hours, or increase flow, or add iron.

 

[SantaMonica]

Since I've been working on the new scrubber, I've not done much with the 25 nano model. So if anyone would like to test, build, and market it, I could sell you the patent application and you could take it over. It is a U.S. PPA which expires March 7, 2012. You would then file your own U.S. NPA.

 

[fastrd400]

SM, do you have any opinions on any supplemental filtration - if you wanted to plus up filtration and didn't have room for more scrubber/light, what form of filtration would you use? I was thinking about trying biobellets in addition to the scrubber.

If you run bio pellets, a Skimmer is an absolute must.

 

[parrotchute]

Yeah, probably not doing biopellets since it'd directly compete with the scrubber. Curious, tho - why do you need a skimmer with pellets?

 

[fastrd400]

You need to have the water exiting the reactor go through the skimmer. So what you do is put the exhaust tubing from the reactor close to the intake of the Skimmer pump.

 

[felixfish]

So would running a duel reactor be a bad thing with an ATS?

 

[fastrd400]

For carbon and GFO? I really have no idea, personally I do not run them, no an algae scrubber. I was only commenting on the bio pellet question.