ok so i am going to attempt to build one off of the list above... 1 more question. what size mesh net do i need from jo ann fabrics? I understand it has to do with the amount of food you feed. well My tank is 200 gallons , sps and wrasse dominated, so I feed quite a bit. all frozen selcon enriched mostly. reef octo skimmer. so what size mes would be goo for my application?and in terms of sodering or not, how do you attach the leds? and can i order the paste from satisled.com as well and could i please get a link? i have been addicted to this thread for the last day and couldnt even sleep thinking about the design geez the things we do for fish!
You want the #7 Mesh stuff. It comes in various sizes (Jo Ann Fabric seems to have the best selection) and also in different stiffnesses. Either stiffness should work, I've never used the extra-stiff stuff, just the regular. But I've seen people use that and it's just fine.
Forgive me for not reading through all the way through 135 pages, but has anyone used the hook side of Velcro instead of the plastic canvas? Seems like it would be the perfect material!
No, hook side of Velcro will not allow the light to penetrate from the other side. There is a complementary effect of the light on one side reaching the 'roots' on the other side. If you block that light, you are essentially running 2 single sided scrubbers. Single sided scrubbers have a tendency to grow such that around day 3 or 5 the roots start to die off. Also finding a sheet of Velcro at a decent price compared to the plastic canvas makes it a poor choice IMO, and of course you would need it without an adhesive backing.
Remember that the purpose of the screen is to give the algae a place to anchor. The algae doesn't actually anchor directly to the screen, it anchors to a layer that is formed on the screen. This is the same later of brown crusty stuff that forms in your pipes over time. Roughing the screen up provides a larger surface area in general and makes the 'hooks' in a way, which assist in holding the algae mat to the screen when it grows thick, but also makes the microscopic surface near all the 'tears' very jagged and allows the 'scum' layer to form easier and adhere more strongly.
With hook Velcro, you would get some of the properties of the weight-supporting effect, but you do not really have a microscopically rough surface for the scum layer to form, all the hooks are slick on that level.
I've seen people make scrubbers out of a all kinds of stuff, including a Lego base plate, sand baked onto a plastic canvas screen, scratched up acrylic, tank divider, etc. You don't see people boasting how well they work because they don't in comparison to the plastic canvas.
