Algae Scrubber Basics

What is the best thickness acrylic?
I don't want to reduce light penetration or have it be to flimsy. What did did you use and where did you order?
 
frogg21 said:
What is the best thickness acrylic?
I don't want to reduce light penetration or have it be to flimsy. What did did you use and where did you order?
Click to expand...

Since you're in Flagstaff, I would recommend making the drive to Phoenix. Lookup Curbell Plastics. Great products, good prices. It's a 3 1/2 hour drive for me, so I stock up whenever I can get to Phoenix during the work day. You're only a couple of hours. The shipping on a sheet of Acrylic will likely motivate you to make the drive ;)
 
I know. I just was over 100 nitrates and fear going that high again. I mis counted my fish, I only have 26 in the tank. But could feed them more to fatten them up. I planned on going up to about 6-8 cubes a day. That is part of reason I made such a big screen to start with.

Corey
 
frogg21 said:
Is there a difference in acrylics?
Standard tolerance astm... For example
Will the quality be significantly different?

This what I am looking at?

http://www.amazon.com/Acrylic-Trans...rue&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


I would like to drive to Phoenix the time to go is the issue.
Click to expand...

The standard tolerance is fine, the problem is the sheet I can almost guarantee is not cell cast. It's likely extruded. Extruded will work fine, it just is more difficult to work with primarily due to it wanting to melt versus cut smoothly and evenly. If you work primarily with a sharp carbide router bits, and have a router table, it will be fine, otherwise, the cell cast will pay off. Cell cast, although not so important in this application, is visually nicer as well and stronger.
 
AZRippster said:
The standard tolerance is fine, the problem is the sheet I can almost guarantee is not cell cast. It's likely extruded. Extruded will work fine, it just is more difficult to work with primarily due to it wanting to melt versus cut smoothly and evenly. If you work primarily with a sharp carbide router bits, and have a router table, it will be fine, otherwise, the cell cast will pay off. Cell cast, although not so important in this application, is visually nicer as well and stronger.
Click to expand...

Thanks I really appreciate the feed back.. Is it is the best price I can find I don't know about driving down to Phoenix and the price you would get there.

I was reading the forum about led lights. It seemed like quit a few people went the the flood light style 30 watt. Is there one in specific someone could recommended or any light for that matter that you would recommend.
I was looking at this one from an earlier posthttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B012C4QMF8/ref=twister_B012C4QD4I?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I was kinda hoping some could show pictures and succes with the light they have.
 
As an alternative idea, see if you have a sign company in your area. I contacted Montroy Signs in Tucson because I was running low on my black acrylic and didn't want to make the drive to Phoenix. They sold me a full sheet of 1/4" Acrylite FF at a great price. It is an extruded acrylic and a bit of a pain to work with but incredibly strong and bonds great. I built my ATS out of it. Here are a couple of shots. First without the heat sink/LEDs on and then installed in the filter closet.

ATS-Screen%20Shot%20-%20Sized_zpsscisjwwu.jpeg


Filter%20Closet_zpsxtmc2mzi.jpg
 
biecacka said:
I know. I just was over 100 nitrates and fear going that high again. I mis counted my fish, I only have 26 in the tank. But could feed them more to fatten them up. I planned on going up to about 6-8 cubes a day. That is part of reason I made such a big screen to start with.

Corey
Click to expand...

Just curious, and may have missed it, but how large is your DT?
 
I just want to,say that this is a great thread and has help me with my 28g jbj at a great deal.
The only problem I see is that this thread has become very unwealdy. Might be time for a new sticky, updated at basics.
Either way thank you all for sharing your knowledge.
 
AZRippster said:
As an alternative idea, see if you have a sign company in your area. I contacted Montroy Signs in Tucson because I was running low on my black acrylic and didn't want to make the drive to Phoenix. They sold me a full sheet of 1/4" Acrylite FF at a great price. It is an extruded acrylic and a bit of a pain to work with but incredibly strong and bonds great. I built my ATS out of it. Here are a couple of shots. First without the heat sink/LEDs on and then installed in the filter closet.

ATS-Screen%20Shot%20-%20Sized_zpsscisjwwu.jpeg


Filter%20Closet_zpsxtmc2mzi.jpg
Click to expand...

You system is amazing. That looks like a great ats. What kind of lights did you use?
 
AZRippster said:
As an alternative idea, see if you have a sign company in your area. I contacted Montroy Signs in Tucson because I was running low on my black acrylic and didn't want to make the drive to Phoenix. They sold me a full sheet of 1/4" Acrylite FF at a great price. It is an extruded acrylic and a bit of a pain to work with but incredibly strong and bonds great. I built my ATS out of it. Here are a couple of shots. First without the heat sink/LEDs on and then installed in the filter closet.

ATS-Screen%20Shot%20-%20Sized_zpsscisjwwu.jpeg


Filter%20Closet_zpsxtmc2mzi.jpg
Click to expand...

Are they Cree? What nanometer?
How many of each? What size is your ats?
Would you recommend any of the flood led like I posted earlier?
 
frogg21 said:
Are they Cree? What nanometer?
How many of each? What size is your ats?
Would you recommend any of the flood led like I posted earlier?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment, but there really isn't anything overly cosmic about my ATS. The only thing I did differently was to integrate it into the sump's return line and pre-filter, that's what the bottom section is.

As far as LEDs, I used what many others have had success with. They are the Philips Luxeon ES Deep Red 3 Watt LEDs and the Semi Hyper Violet. Not sure if it's the same hyper violet that Steve has posted in his store now. There are 24 red and 8 violet. I have mine on dimming ballasts so I can adjust if needed, which honestly happens very little. The truly usable screen size is 10.5 x 10.5, although vertically I do get a bit more. It's been in use since August '15 and has been absolutely fantastic.

http://shop.stevesleds.com/Philips-Luxeon-ES-Deep-Red-3-Watt-LEDs-RARE-Version-8794102435.htm

http://shop.stevesleds.com/Hyper-Violet-V30-8794102498.htm
 

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AZRippster said:
Thanks for the compliment, but there really isn't anything overly cosmic about my ATS. The only thing I did differently was to integrate it into the sump's return line and pre-filter, that's what the bottom section is.

As far as LEDs, I used what many others have had success with. They are the Philips Luxeon ES Deep Red 3 Watt LEDs and the Semi Hyper Violet. Not sure if it's the same hyper violet that Steve has posted in his store now. There are 24 red and 8 violet. I have mine on dimming ballasts so I can adjust if needed, which honestly happens very little. The truly usable screen size is 10.5 x 10.5, although vertically I do get a bit more. It's been in use since August '15 and has been absolutely fantastic.

http://shop.stevesleds.com/Philips-Luxeon-ES-Deep-Red-3-Watt-LEDs-RARE-Version-8794102435.htm

http://shop.stevesleds.com/Hyper-Violet-V30-8794102498.htm
Click to expand...

The 3.0 hyper violet has been around for maybe 9 months I'd say? So if you got it in August then you probably have the current version. The 2.0 had a 90 degree and 60 degree version, the 60 degree was a tall dome that you could slice off (carefully) with a razor blade and get a nice square distribution, but current 3.0 is a better chip, the older one had a few delamination issues - not severe, but it was supposedly improved greatly (brand matters in this case!!!) and it is 90 degree.

The dimming really comes into play initially, if you can dim you can run long hours and that's good for getting a scrubber started (low intensity and long hours vs high intensity and short duration), then you can increase intensity and leave hours long until you get to an ideal point for your system. Once you're there, dimming doesn't do much except keep you at that sweet spot and enable you to run long hours for more continuous filtration, which is a nice thing
 
AZRippster said:
Thanks for the compliment, but there really isn't anything overly cosmic about my ATS. The only thing I did differently was to integrate it into the sump's return line and pre-filter, that's what the bottom section is.

As far as LEDs, I used what many others have had success with. They are the Philips Luxeon ES Deep Red 3 Watt LEDs and the Semi Hyper Violet. Not sure if it's the same hyper violet that Steve has posted in his store now. There are 24 red and 8 violet. I have mine on dimming ballasts so I can adjust if needed, which honestly happens very little. The truly usable screen size is 10.5 x 10.5, although vertically I do get a bit more. It's been in use since August '15 and has been absolutely fantastic.

http://shop.stevesleds.com/Philips-Luxeon-ES-Deep-Red-3-Watt-LEDs-RARE-Version-8794102435.htm

http://shop.stevesleds.com/Hyper-Violet-V30-8794102498.htm
Click to expand...

Awesome that I have been wondering how what led I should get. I really was trying to stick to Cree because I know several people who won't use anything else. But I think the Phillips are pretty solid also. Do you mind outing to the link for the other equipment I would need for the LEDs such as your disable ballest ect.

I really appriciate it.
 
 
 
ATS - Week 6 Update

ATS - Week 6 Update

Hi all, below are pics after 5 weeks. Making lots of algae. Monday will be 6 weeks. My question is now that it seems like my screen is established do I keep cleaning in the same patterns? Or do I try to scrape it mostly clean each week?

First, a pic from week 4, only one week prior:



I then cleaned one side in tic-tac-toe and another in random Xs.

Here's how it looked a week later:








I again scraped patterns in both sides, just some of what came off:




So..
1) is my ATS now matured? Monday will be 6 weeks.
2) What's my scraping plan now going forward? still patterns on both sides? Of scrape as much off as I can?

I'm asking b/c I still have a big GHA problem in my display and wait for it to begin subsiding...


Thanks!
 
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