Algae Scrubber Basics

[Floyd R Turbo]

Look through the summary posts 2001-2010 for some examples too

 

[6Speed]

Excellent info! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

 

[OodleyBoodely]

Just cut pvc rings (from fittings so they fit the pipe) to hold the screen. I don't recall who first came up with this idea first, but, it is a great idea! I just used a pvc hand cutter and cut 1/4" rings off the ends of a 1" T fitting and then cut out a 1/2" section from one side on each ring so I had 3 C shaped holders. Slip them onto a 1" pvc slot pipe and just turn them to fit into screen holes, or, to open and release for cleaning.

I used a power drill and cut off disks to cut the slot in my pipe. I put a pvc T fitting on the end to help hold the pipe in place so it would not roll around. Worked very well, as long as I kept the drill slow enough. Too fast and the pvc melts, catches hold of the cutting wheel and snaps it in two. :crazy1: I broke a few before I got the hang of it.

This pic shows my first scrubber with the rings holding the screen. Sorry I don't have close up pics of them.

 

[SPotter]

Thank you for putting my mind at ease Floyd! That is certainly good news!

I'm curious to know what tool people are using to cut the slot into the pipe? I am guessing a dremel is a popular method.

I'm also curious to know the different methods of holding the screen in the pipe. One way I considered was to cut the very edge of the screen (that sits inside the pipe) slightly wider than the rest of the screen so that it could hang on each end of the slot. Is this common or ok way to do it?

I used my table saw by raising the blade just high enough to score a straight line the length of the pipe. I put a 2x4 on the opposite of the pipe so that it was sandwiched between the gate and the 2x4 so I could keep the pipe straight. I also used another 2x4 on top of the pipe to push the pipe and keep it flat on the table. It also served as a "finger guard". I used a piece of pvc that was much longer than what I needed and then cut it down after scoring it. Once I was done with that, I was able to use my dremel to finish cutting the slot open. The blade on the table saw is 1/8" wide so I just made sure that I cleared out the line that was marked by the saw.

 

[Gandolfe]

what i meant by two screens on a tee was the tee would have 2 90's on the ends forming a u shape ( like a football goal post ) with one screen on each branch about 3" of space between them with flow going over boths screens. Lighting would be on each side but not the middle, would it still grow algae on both screens or just the outside of each screen. that was what i was wondering. or would i need a light on the middle between the screens also. I want to maximize growth in a limited space

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

what i meant by two screens on a tee was the tee would have 2 90's on the ends forming a u shape ( like a football goal post ) with one screen on each branch about 3" of space between them with flow going over boths screens. Lighting would be on each side but not the middle, would it still grow algae on both screens or just the outside of each screen. that was what i was wondering. or would i need a light on the middle between the screens also. I want to maximize growth in a limited space

I'm following you now. What you're doing is two single-sided screens.

One double-sided screen will perform better than 2 single sided screens of the same dimensions (double the screen area, but lighting only one side with the same lighting). It's a "the whole exceeds the sum of it's parts" situation.

You would have to add a light in between the screens to make it more powerful. There's no way to get more scrubbing power out of a lumen, you have to add more lumens to get more scrubbing power.

 

[MrClean]

I've been thinking about building a scrubber and I've pretty much decided on a Santa Monica style w/ LEDs.

However, I didn't like the use of a pipe that had to be broken free and pulled out of the top. Room is tight under my tank and I pretty much need to pull the screen out from one end. So I came up with the idea of having a flat plate with a slot in it that holds the screen.

The top part of the ATS is a chamber. The plate with the screen forms the bottom of that chamber. Remove the end of the ATS and the plate and screen then slides in between 2 "shelves".

I've attached a drawing; I hope it helps you visualize it.

Any thoughts?

 

[JohnnyB in SD]

If you're building the 3D style scrubber the inner screen chamber will fill with water. How are you going to make the end plate removable but still water tight?

 

[MrClean]

If you're building the 3D style scrubber the inner screen chamber will fill with water. How are you going to make the end plate removable but still water tight?

If it needs to be water tight, I could flange the end and use a gasket and thumbscrews in keyholes.

 

[kcload7]

Hello Everyone! First off I'd like to say I've really enjoyed this thread so far! I haven't quite finished it yet but almost there.

I have a question that may have been answered already and I haven't read the whole thread yet so please bare with me. I have a 55g tank with a porcupine puffer and huma picasso trigger. I have some rock in there but no live rock. I do plan on adding some pieces of live rock to seed the rest, but my bigger issue seems to be a green cloud. I thought I had this under control but its coming back once again. So my question is, if I understand this right, the ATS "filter" will not only filter my tank but also keep algea from flaring up again? If so, I'll be studying some of the awesome designs here and start building mine asap! I'll also post a before picture so everyone can see the results as well.

Thanks and once again, awesome thread!

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I'm not sure how well that would work. One of the concepts behind the slot pipe is that it allows head pressure to build up and prevent algae from growing into the slot. Your device would not allow much more than a few inches of head pressure, so the slot might get clogged more easily. Adding the not recommended crosscuts to your top plate would probably prevent that, or making the slot wider than 1/8" and increasing the flow possibly as well.

You can make the 3D chamber several inches longer than the screen and then put drains in the open space. My scrubber box is 1.75" wide and the 3D growth goes all the way up to the pipe by the end of the week, but water never goes higher than the top of the drain along the sides, and those drains are located right at the edge of the screen, and stand 2" off the bottom of the inside of the box. So you could have the side of the box cut out about 2" above the top of the drain point and as long as it's over your sump, it should be OK (in case a drain clogs)

One thing to consider is that you will occasionally need to clean out the box, as algae has a great capacity to stick to just about anything. I will be posting pics soon of my last cleaning, where I had to scrape the algae off my white PVC drain and the bottom of my scrubber box, where it was so firmly attached that a full pressure hose didn't even put a dent in it. So if you have the ability to install and remove the box, I would find a way to use the standard slot tube design, and incorporate your slide-out-the-side idea. Or copy my design, which has an inner screen box and outer light box, then you can just slide the box out. It has it's drawbacks however.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Hello Everyone! First off I'd like to say I've really enjoyed this thread so far! I haven't quite finished it yet but almost there.

I have a question that may have been answered already and I haven't read the whole thread yet so please bare with me. I have a 55g tank with a porcupine puffer and huma picasso trigger. I have some rock in there but no live rock. I do plan on adding some pieces of live rock to seed the rest, but my bigger issue seems to be a green cloud. I thought I had this under control but its coming back once again. So my question is, if I understand this right, the ATS "filter" will not only filter my tank but also keep algea from flaring up again? If so, I'll be studying some of the awesome designs here and start building mine asap! I'll also post a before picture so everyone can see the results as well.

Thanks and once again, awesome thread!

The algae scrubber gives the algae a preferred place to grow. Therefore it will not prefer to grow in other places. This includes the water column. But you'll still get in on your glass, just not at bad. If you have to clean the glass every day, it will change to about every 3 days.

 

[JohnnyB in SD]

Gee Floyd, I'm beginning construction of my Version 2 ATS and you gotta throw that inner / outer box idea out there.
As I recall, you mentioned the primary drawback was the acrylic panels warping from the heat of the lights?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

yes, I didn't have a cross-brace along the top edge of the inner box, so it warped out. It's easy enough to remedy, just make the inner box stick up about 1/2" higher and tack a piece of 1/4" thick 1" wide acrylic perpendicular along the outer edge. I was actually so tight on space that it would have been difficult to do that.

 

[TheHoove]

Here Is a couple pics from my basic scrubber. Growth is 4 days.

And at 7 days, first cleaning:

 

[MrClean]

Thanks for your input, Floyd.

What post describes your build? I'll take a closer look at it.

I don't understand what you mean by crosscuts on the top plate. The only cut there would be the slot.

I could seal that top chamber with a gasket and thumbscrews as well. A little gasket along the shelf would tighten the slot plate connection. That way head could build in the pipe.

As for cleaning, do you think there would be a practical limit to how thick the box is, other than how far the lights are from the screen? If I could make it big enough to get my hand in, no problem.

Edit: On looking back on some builds, I think I might be trying to reinvent the cow. The screen could easily slide out the end of the pipe if the pipe is slotted the whole length and a cap is used. Dur.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Yeah, you could do that too. Still though, that wouldn't take up any less space or be any easier than putting a union on the end of the pipe and unscrewing that each time you have to clean the screen. Besides, you're going to want/have to take a toothbrush to the slot each time you clean it to get the GHA off of it. You could just use a paper towel I suppose if you were dead set on leaving the pipe fixed.

Pics of your sump would help me understand your dilemma

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Here's pics of my screen cleaning on Wednesday, which was day 8. I was busy on a project on Tuesday. Dinos are completely eradicated from the tank. IN case you haven't been following another thread I started on that, I accidentally left the timer in the 'ON' position from 5-11 days and ended up with a pretty bad dino outbreak that almost killed off my hammers. After discovering it I cleaned the screen, siphoned dinos, replaced the SW I removed, increased the DT photoperiod from 10/9 to 12/11, kept very regular on adding BRS Alk to up the pH, and set the ATS timer to 18/6 (I was running a split up photoperiod because it's on top of the tank and keeps it lit all night). Dinos gone within a few days. Still a few here and there, but nothing compared to what they were at the end of the last cleaning period.

So...where was I...oh - pics!

You can see where the water level in the box was at. For reference, the low drain is on the left, high drain on the right.

As promised, here's the PVC drain part that is inside the box. GHA will grow on anything, including slick polished PVC parts (this is the high drain)

And smooth black acrylic (this is after scrubbing with a stiff brush)

Harvest (moderate)

 

[Rabidgoose]

Very nice work on this thread, I am wondering about the screen in the slot. How far should the screen be inserted into the PVC or doesn't it matter? Obviously enough to secure it but will flow be altered by how much the screen is inside the tube? If this has been discussed, sorry, I missed it (i've read so much in the last day my lips are sore).

thanks....chuck

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I don't think it matters one way or the other. Gotta get part 2 done, I talk about this...

if you go back to post #2200, I posted a 'preview' of Part 2 summary that mentions it...