michaelkittrell
Member
Do these things smell (more so than a tank does)? I'm thinking of the ones that hang under a pipe, seems like a lot of wet plant exposed to the open air.
Algae Scrubber Basics
- Thread starter srusso
- Start date
_shorty_
New member
If your water flow is high enough - the algae is always covered and not exposed to air. It does have that pleasant 'algae' smell when you stop flow to pull out the screen for cleaning.
He's over a three hour drive away - so no.. not really. Kcress has a horizontal design that is probably a lot more manabeable to DIY than my uncle's. I suggest checking his out... he also has the addition of velcro screens, which I like.
He's over a three hour drive away - so no.. not really. Kcress has a horizontal design that is probably a lot more manabeable to DIY than my uncle's. I suggest checking his out... he also has the addition of velcro screens, which I like.
jasonrstewart79
New member
I'm trying to decide on sourcing for lighting on an ATS experiment that I've been thinking about. Specifically looking for 3 things:
1.) 12-15" t5 fixture, if available
2.) 12" LED panel fixture, red/red blue under $100 price range
3.) A CFL fixture that could be mounted horizontally with an overall height of <3"
Can anyone help me with this... Google searches have given some leads but I know there are some fellow ATS builders that use smaller t5 and small CFL fixtures. I think I can source LEDs pretty well.
I figured this would be the thread to ask... may the ATS gods smile upon me.
1.) 12-15" t5 fixture, if available
2.) 12" LED panel fixture, red/red blue under $100 price range
3.) A CFL fixture that could be mounted horizontally with an overall height of <3"
Can anyone help me with this... Google searches have given some leads but I know there are some fellow ATS builders that use smaller t5 and small CFL fixtures. I think I can source LEDs pretty well.
I figured this would be the thread to ask... may the ATS gods smile upon me.
crn005
New member
jasonrstewart79, I would recommend going with LEDs over T5 or CFL. Just look at the results people have gotten from each and it becomes pretty apparent which light source works out the best. Also, you don't have to replace bulbs and what not so you'll be saving money on that, plus electricity. Having said that, I haven't seen a fixture to meet those specs. I would recommend a DIY project. You can even go with the solderless LEDs from rapidled if you want to expodite the assembly process.
nanomania
New member
can u send a link?
Jstdv8
New member
They really only smell when you clean them. Other than that I don't have any odor.
crn005
New member
A link about the smell? It's kind of a point proven by experience. I can attest from personal experience that the only smell you will get is when you're cleaning the screen and it's nothing bad. The water moves all olfactory into the main water supply. If your tank doesn't smell without an ATS, then it won't be any worse with one and vice versa. Basically, it doesn't really have an effect.
kcress
New member
terahz!! Do you see the little fin thingys? Those should be vEtiCAL!
Gesh. Our horizontal LED fixtures suffer from bad fin positions and when I guy finally gets the chance for a vertical fin orientation.... He muffs it.
One more weekly chore, sheesh... anyone figure out automatic scrubbers yet?
Eh. I let mine go every other week. However by the time a third week comes around it will be too late, as in Black Friday at Macy's, with regard to the PODs having picked it all clean.
kcress
New member
#4301 is a picture of my horizontal and #4303 is my response.
As for lighting... CFL/incandescent/Red LED/Blue LED/Neon/Metal Halide/Sunlight/1W/3W is just doesn't matter. The system is going to work because it'll select for an algae that's going to like whatever we provide. Spacing barely matters and the range of brightness can be all over the place. True you can have too little...
Just get it bright enough that it's very very unpleasant to look at your source and you'll have plenty of photons to git-er-done. I have used every source mentioned above except sunlight and neon and they all work.
What you will find is that if you have it all perking along and you switch light sources you will have two weeks of obviously reduced growth before some sort of selection process completes and things return to the previous growth rate.
So to repeat. My experience is that it doesn't matter much at all what light or even color you show up with, your AS will probably grow. Reds will likely be more efficient sources but go with what you've got. And, don't get hung up on what spacing is needed for your LEDs.
Jstdv8
New member
You can always just build your ATS in a trash bucket or separate sump.
there is also an upflow scrubber that works off of an air bubbler that people are using now, that would take up much less room since the screen is in the water.
The cheato is much less powerful as a ball in your sump.
I had cheato in my sump growing fine, once my screen grew in on my scrubber my cheato died within a few weeks from too much competition.
The other part is that the scrubber gets cleaned weekly so you are exporting all of the bad stuff that was absorbed by the algae and throwing it away. cheato isn't harvested as often and doesn't grow nearly as fast. Although it might if it were on the screen like the poster above mentioned.
terahz
1x10^12 Hz
LOL I'm surprised nobody mentioned it earlier. You're absolutely right. They became vertical the next day. I just put them horizontal initially to see how much that heatsink is going to heat up. Surprisingly A LOT!
terahz
1x10^12 Hz
If that's for me, then I'd say it would cost ~$70 to make them.
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
I run ones with horizontal fins. They don't get that hot if you oversize them enough. I use mine as light blockers as well. Passive convection is good enough, if you have it. If trapped air in a cabinet, then yeah, fans help.
nanomania
New member
Are any red led bulbs ok?? im getting red 3w led bulbs for just 2$ in my country... how would u come to know thats its truely 660nm? iv also seen red led flood lights available here but that will be too intense for my size of scrubber nor i have space....
Here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1p-3W-RED-G...6811632?pt=US_Light_Bulbs&hash=item1c1388b8f0
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-MR16-3W-...3407018?pt=US_Light_Bulbs&hash=item2577c852aa
Here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1p-3W-RED-G...6811632?pt=US_Light_Bulbs&hash=item1c1388b8f0
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-MR16-3W-...3407018?pt=US_Light_Bulbs&hash=item2577c852aa
Last edited:
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
Those are probably 630nm Red as the 660nm red is less intense (to us). Those look like they are made for retail product highlighting or dance clubs.
nanomania
New member
if we buy from ebay, what should be done to test wether its 660nm or no?
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
Short of a spectrograph, not much you can do.
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