Algae Scrubber Basics

[outy]

Google "Led grow flood light" , you will see a lot of IP65 lights and these are OK, IP66 is just a bit better.

These are warm white IP66, I haven't searched much for growth-spectrum versions of it but I know they are out there
http://www.lightingever.com/led-floodlights/l/color-warm_white

The housing you see in the one above is becoming very commonly used for multichip fixtures

Would 2 of these 10w be enough for a 8" X 13" screen Floyd?

 

[Spar]

(Floyd I even spent an entire flight reading all the posts listed in your signature -- so helpful to do that BTW)

Funny you say that, because not only did I do exactly the same thing, a passenger sitting behind me could see what I was reading and while deboarding he said that he had just read those write-ups for his tank as well!

Floyd/Bud is famous at all altitudes :bounce3:

 

[karimwassef]

Unless you're flying to a MACNA, it's amazing that two reef keepers were sitting so close on a plane... we're not exactly well represented in most populations. LOL

 

[bheron]

Unless you're flying to a MACNA, it's amazing that two reef keepers were sitting so close on a plane... we're not exactly well represented in most populations. LOL

Wow, great story Spar. And very true karimwassef!

 

[SantaMonica]

The 20w light is probably good for each side. They tend to be under-driven, so you are probably just getting 10 real LED watts.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Would 2 of these 10w be enough for a 8" X 13" screen Floyd?

For 5 cubes/day = 60 sq in, you will want between .25-.50 w/sq in so between 15 and 30 W on each side. So shoot for the higher number of 30 per side (fudge factor for stock fixtures) and that means ideally 4x 15W fixtures. But since they typically come as 10, 20, 40, etc, go with 20W.

Referencing the above

8x13=108, .25-.50 w/sq in per side, so between 25+ and 50+ per side, so you will want to shoot toward the higher end or 40-50W per side IMO - so 2x20W per side, which would probably work better than a single 40W since you can center one on each half (each covers an 8x7 area, roughly)

 

[outy]

Referencing the above

8x13=108, .25-.50 w/sq in per side, so between 25+ and 50+ per side, so you will want to shoot toward the higher end or 40-50W per side IMO - so 2x20W per side, which would probably work better than a single 40W since you can center one on each half (each covers an 8x7 area, roughly)

Thank you!!!!!!

I already have 1 30w 6500k so adding another 30w in red may be just what the doctored ordered.

 

[daveverdo]

I have read much but not all of this thread. I am pretty much a try something simple first. Is the setup in the original post still a reasonable place to start? What advances besides LED lights have there been?

 

[SantaMonica]

That's a good start. If you paint the inside of the reflectors white, and the outside black, it will be better.

And if water sprays, you could cover the whole thing with plastic wrap.

Other than that, waterfalls are still the same. Upflows are of course new.

 

[karimwassef]

Does my overflow scrubber count as new?

It is powered by the residual MH so costs nothing
And it doesn't require construction of a box or any additional plumbing, so it takes up no additional room

If it costs nothing and takes up no room but provides great benefits - it's a singularity ATS.

 

[outy]

Running this by everyone as suggested earlier in the thread.


250g total capacity. 215g display tank. 1 cube a day. clean water LPS tank stocked full and overgrowing.


I'm going to be using a 12 X 18 will probably run screen long ways down, so I don't have to have as much required flow. May not be an issue as my 100g Rubbermaid sump is under the house and I can use the return flow which is plenty enough. Advise is welcome here.

Will only light one side due to the low nutrient levels.


I try and grow chaeto and when water quality is bad it takes off like the weed it is and I harvest a few times, and then I get yellow growth as water cleans up.

Tried adding iron and its a no go trying to bring this yellow stuff back so I'm going ATS


I have a 30w 6500k led floodlight, and a 45w red/blue e27 grow light to try out for now.

 

[outy]

Its funny the 3 gallon tub I have the chaeto in is growing all kinds of different algae but mainly cyano under the weak 13w CFL light I have in there now. [thought he stronger lights were flooding it out].

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I have read much but not all of this thread. I am pretty much a try something simple first. Is the setup in the original post still a reasonable place to start? What advances besides LED lights have there been?

See my signature.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

That's a good start. If you paint the inside of the reflectors white, and the outside black, it will be better.

And if water sprays, you could cover the whole thing with plastic wrap.

Other than that, waterfalls are still the same. Upflows are of course new.

This is getting ridiculous. You are seriously going on every forum on the internet and saying that nothing has changed since 2008. In this case you're even saying screen size recommendations haven't changed since the OP of this thread when you were the one that changed them in Feb 2012.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Running this by everyone as suggested earlier in the thread.


250g total capacity. 215g display tank. 1 cube a day. clean water LPS tank stocked full and overgrowing.


I'm going to be using a 12 X 18 will probably run screen long ways down, so I don't have to have as much required flow. May not be an issue as my 100g Rubbermaid sump is under the house and I can use the return flow which is plenty enough. Advise is welcome here.

Will only light one side due to the low nutrient levels.


I try and grow chaeto and when water quality is bad it takes off like the weed it is and I harvest a few times, and then I get yellow growth as water cleans up.

Tried adding iron and its a no go trying to bring this yellow stuff back so I'm going ATS


I have a 30w 6500k led floodlight, and a 45w red/blue e27 grow light to try out for now.

If you only feed 1 cube/day, then you technically only need a 4"x3" screen, but I always recommend a 4x6 or 2 cube/day screen as a minimum, just because it's generally easier to light. in most cases.

for yours, since you're over the 150-200g mark, you could probably double it again to 4 cube/day screen (~48 sq in) and still be fine, making it a bit longer compared to what you would a 2 cube screen.

But 12x18 is upwards of 15 cube/day capacity if constructed right. You could make it that large and then only light a portion of it, but if you try to build it and light it all appropriately (using the suggested wattage ratios, etc) it will most likely result in thin growth and a hard time getting GHA to fill in. I think you may have gone off the OP and were using tank-volume sizing? See my sig for the more current Basics posts, and updates to them

 

[Spar]

Fwiw, i built an 8x8 screen and am barely feeding 1 cube per day if not much less even.

My screen gets thick green GHA within a week. It is easy to scrape off as well.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Fwiw, i built an 8x8 screen and am barely feeding 1 cube per day if not much less even.

My screen gets thick green GHA within a week. It is easy to scrape off as well.

Thanks for adding that. What size tank you you have again?

It certainly isn't a "hard rule" that you don't want to oversize, and 8x8 = 64, 64/12 = 5+ cube/day.

There are also other factors, such as tank conditions, that might affect screen growth/capacity. A lightly fed 300g tank with 400lb of super-ditry rock might support a 12 cube/day screen running full out 24/7...

 

[biecacka]

Few questions now that mine has been running for 2 days. How long before we typically see any brown slime or residue on the screen? Any ideas on a contraption to help contain the light. Right now with the temporary cfl lights I'm getting a ton of spillage into the room. I am sure it will be similar when the LEDs get here.

Corey

 

[Spar]

Thanks for adding that. What size tank you you have again?

It certainly isn't a "hard rule" that you don't want to oversize, and 8x8 = 64, 64/12 = 5+ cube/day.

There are also other factors, such as tank conditions, that might affect screen growth/capacity. A lightly fed 300g tank with 400lb of super-ditry rock might support a 12 cube/day screen running full out 24/7...

my tank is 450g, with about 300 pounds of live rock. i only had CUC in there for the past month or so, which is why I didn't feed much.

i just added some coral, no fish yet, so will be increasing my feeding slightly.

the main thing that made the GHA grow like crazy was the addition of LED's instead of my temporary CFL's. Algae sure does seem to love the red's.

 

[Paul B]

My red LEDs seem to be working well, The thing is growing all sorts of slimy stuff as well as algae. I love it and it is time to clean it again.
This is that same old picture. Now the stuff is falling off. The heat transfer system is working beautifully and the thing runs almost at room temperature.