Algae Scrubber Basics

[rysher]

Is your screen roughed up? doesnt look like it. Your algae will have a hard time clinging on.

oh, it's very roughed up.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Very nice glass build! I'm wondering if the glass will shield the heat from the CFLs so that you can put them closer? Or does it have to do with light intensity - I can't remember

As for the screen, it doesn't look like it's roughed up, at least not that I can tell and if it is, it's not enough. Go back up in this thread to get an idea of what it needs to look like. For your size screen, spend about 20-25 minutes on roughing it up with a hole saw.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18370677&postcount=150

It really needs to be at rough as this picture shows. This will get you a long way towards a successful build.

 

[srusso]

+1 very nice glass build! The only comments I have is the same others have said... Make sure that screen is roughed up as much as possible. Although It maybe that it can't be seen in the pictures. if you could I would move the left light a hair closer but I am just being picky. The only thing that's important is that it's ~4 inches from the screen. Otherwise I give it my approval! Happy scrubbing!! You will not regret it, great work!

 

[slow_leak]

When growth starts getting strong kerf slot will see some pressure and shoot out streams perpendicular. I had that issue and made a lid with a rim to drip back down. It your kerf is too big it might never happen.

 

[skyshrimp]

Just some pics of my tank in its current condition if you look close in some of the algae pics you can see it turning brown or white receding and dying. Trust me there was a ton more of this stuff before ats was installed but every day I can see the algae receding a bit and with the help of my trusty algae blenny it will be gone eventually.

 

[srusso]

Almost ashamed to show mine off.

About 5" wide by 48" long. Giving me roughly 240 square inches. Trough is set at a 45deg angle and fed by one overflow from the DT. Trough is lined with a felt like filter pad meterial which is permanently glued to the bottom of the trough. I use a pan scraper to clean it once a week. It's lit by a 48" PC light I had on a FW planted tank for years.

A question for you ATS gurus though. Am I OK leaving it lit 24/7 or would I be better off with a 18on/6off type cycle???

 

[srusso]

Definitely 18/6. I can't remember why but there is a reason.

EDIT: Don't be ashamed, your build is creative and works!!!

 

[srusso]

Looks good. Nice and simple. Simple is good. Mine is about the same size.

I would go with a rest period during peak coral activity.

 

[srusso]

+1!! great build please post it in our new algae scrubber sticky. The troff style scrubber is the same type used on Paul B's 40 year old tank. Please do post it. If you don't I will!

I told you I would...

 

[srusso]

Why would you be ashamed?

That's a great ATS! You've essentially covered all the problems with horizontals.

Your 45 degrees is steep enough that islanding will be avoided. (The little islands that force the water around them leaving dry peninsulas down stream can't happen at that angle.)

The narrow width forces deep flow which provides the same result.

No splashing or problems with water separation from the screen. This can happen easily with vertical screens and will result in splashing.

The perma-felt sounds way easier than the painful scratching -off of plastic screen. What exactly are you using?

Did you have to fiber-glass the wooden trough?

Do you have to clean any salt off the bulbs?

Thanks again for the pictures.

 

[srusso]

Algae has been shown to need to rest just like most everything else. 6 to 8 hours is called for by most. It is most commonly recommended that the scrubber peak light period straddle the main tank's dark period. I use 6 hours off.

When the lights are off on the main tank, activity and respiration of the inhabitants drop off and the pH will change. Running your scrubber during this time will help stabilize the pH in the main tank.

 

[CLINTOS]

srusso I love that trough design.

I am diffidently going to use it.

with this sump

and this space

and these light's

I hope everything will fit. I can always have the back hanging out a bit.

 

[srusso]

Wasn't my design, it's Tabwyo's... I just moved it over from another thread.

Please understand this design is not a standardized build and doesn't have the same guidelines as stated in the first posts if this thread.

Also understand that a horizontal scrubber needs to be 4x larger than a vertical one. Tabwyo's troff design is 48" long and 5" wide, it is what works for him. I still need to get photos of his tank to show proof of it scrubbing power. But I have no doubt that it works, algae is a powerful thing.

This troff design is the same used by Paul B in his 40 year old tank. I must admit. If I had a 70 gallon long tank and not 70 gallon tall, I would have one of these on the top back of my tank as well. I would also have a standard sump model under the tank.

 

[srusso]

Kcress,
The filter felt I found at Dr Fosters & Smiths in the filter media. Reasonable price and seems to be handleing the scrubbing well. If I pull it loose or it just gets too funky I'll just replace it and seed the new with a hunk of the already started felt. I made it from spare lumber I had laying around. Then I coated the inside with an epoxy resin. Don't have any salt build up on the bulbs to speak off. They sit about 6-7" off the ATS surface.

 

[acts4me]

I just got finished reading this thread awesome amount of information here. One question I have is what about Anthelia and Xenia does the scrubber take what they need from the water? If the answer is no then I am buiding one tonight I am tired of battling algae.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

From what I've been told, Xenia will not survive in water with zero N and P. That being said, I have very low N and P (I overfeed to keep some around) and the Zenia and Anthelia grow like frakkin weeds.

I've fragged some over to others who have put them into tanks running GFO and Carbon and zero N/P and they turn into white milky messes or disappear.

Bottom line here is that you can keep your Xenia and Anthelia, but you have to feed enough to keep the N and P levels at least at trace amounts.

When I installed the scrubber, I did notice a recession of the Xenia colony, but I also changed the light bulbs from stock to ATI about 2-3 weeks after starting the ATS, so I can't say it's 100% either ones doing. But here is a time-lapse for you

9-13-2010

10-01-2010

ATS Installed on 10.10.10

New lamps installed 11-09-10

12-02-2010

02-19-2011 Taken right after fragging 20 heads of Xenia and about 4 square inches of Anthelia

I wouldn't say that they're suffering by any means. They're growing up the back wall of the tank. I'm trying like crazy to get rid of them. IMO, your ATS screen will either kill them or cause them to explode. I would have to say that the jury is out.

 

[srusso]

Floyd, I couldn't be happier with that post. Thank you!

 

[srusso]

Damn servers wicked busy... doubled posted

 

[salty joe]

When I get my algae filter going, I plan to run two filters at 200W T5 each, but only illuminate one at a time, with a short photoperiod maybe 4-6 hours. Figure 4 in this link shows O2 production in Chaeto real high for a few hours, then a steep drop off. In the discussion, it is mentioned that other algae have similar O2 production rates. So, if one filter is lit for 6 hours, the other will be dark those 6 hours. Then switch so that each filter is lit for a total of 12 hours a day. This might be the best way to get the most growth per watt. I want to squeeze that 200W as hard as I can.



http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/134/m134p207.pdf

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

That's interesting...I think I do remember reading something similar to that a while back, I might have to do some digging. But as far as 2 screens go, I'm not sure that you would have a substantially more effective filtration system. Not saying that 2 isn't better than one, because of redundancy factors and other reasons, but as far as strict filtration capacity goes, you might get 1.5x the filtering capacity or something like that. Since algae, like any other plant, takes in CO2 and gives off O2 when lit, and the opposite when dark, the 2 screens would be offsetting each other to some extent if they were on alternating cycles I would think.

Also - 200W each? What size tank are you planning this for? That's like 8 24" 24W lamps or 4 x 48" 54W lamps. Huge scrubbers.