Algae Scrubber Basics

[azjohnny]

Here is a link to lights I use, they are landscape LED flood lights that promote plant growth, using red and blue leds

https://www.amazon.com/GLW-Waterpro...d=1460137861&ref_=sr_1_5&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-5

 

[karimwassef]

you should measure your PAR for reference.

I measured my DC current ... and surprised again, it's only 3.5A. So at 12V, that's only 42W including the DC fan. No wonder it wasn't getting very hot.

42W creating 400 PAR 10" away without a lens or a real reflector.

Unless the 200W CFL gets to at least half that, I'm dumping the CFLs.

 

[salty joe]

Those LEDs look blue which yields a high PAR, but IME won't grow algae any where near as well as red, 660nm.

 

[karimwassef]

PAR is just as valid for algae as coral and terrestrial plants. The core energy is still through chlorophyll. Has anyone run the data on algae growth rate with same PAR but more or less red?

If not, I might do that for the front vs back source comparison if CFL is a dud

 

[salty joe]

That was my thinking too...
I have a twin scrubber and lit one half with 3W 450nm and the other half with 3W 660nm. I thought maybe I'd get two different alga, but no. The red side outperformed the blue side, hands down. Not even close.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

@karimwassef that is just flat out awesome!

Did you only use the wire brush to rough it up though? I tried that larter drill bit brush and found that it tends to tear like that. I just use the small center crimp one, granted it might take forever with yours but it doesn't tear as long as you go slow enough and don't press too hard. But then I follow it up with a saw blade roughing.

 

[karimwassef]

That was my thinking too...
I have a twin scrubber and lit one half with 3W 450nm and the other half with 3W 660nm. I thought maybe I'd get two different alga, but no. The red side outperformed the blue side, hands down. Not even close.

Well 450nm is very very blue I'm more high K "cool" white. My phone makes anything higher than 6500K look bluish purple.

Any idea if they were matched in PAR?

I've found that the PAR for blue is usually lower for the same power input. Not sure which is the dominant variable: the PAR integration curve of the wall efficiency of blue LEDs.

I'm getting all blue strips and I'll make an interleaved CW/red on one side and CW/blue on the other... And try to line up PAR, then.... Let the face off begin!

 

[karimwassef]

@karimwassef that is just flat out awesome!

Did you only use the wire brush to rough it up though? I tried that larter drill bit brush and found that it tends to tear like that. I just use the small center crimp one, granted it might take forever with yours but it doesn't tear as long as you go slow enough and don't press too hard. But then I follow it up with a saw blade roughing.

Thanks... I'm very patient in following through a massive build, but impatient for manual fine control tasks (know thy self)... So just the drill brush for me.

I also chose to not go heavy on the edges of the sheets... Partly out of caution and partly out of curiosity (and partly with lack of manual effort patience). I wonder how much it'll matter and if the rough parts will just infect the smoother areas.

 

[salty joe]

Well 450nm is very very blue I'm more high K "cool" white. My phone makes anything higher than 6500K look bluish purple.

Any idea if they were matched in PAR?

I've found that the PAR for blue is usually lower for the same power input. Not sure which is the dominant variable: the PAR integration curve of the wall efficiency of blue LEDs.

I'm getting all blue strips and I'll make an interleaved CW/red on one side and CW/blue on the other... And try to line up PAR, then.... Let the face off begin!

I didn't measure for PAR. 450nm and 660nm are both at or near peaks for photosynthetic activity.

 

[karimwassef]

true and yet... it depends

<a href="http://s209.photobucket.com/user/GeorgeMon/media/Pets/spectralgraph.gif.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb16/GeorgeMon/Pets/spectralgraph.gif" border="0" alt=" photo spectralgraph.gif"/></a>

 

[salty joe]

Looking forward to your results.

 

[karimwassef]

The blue LEDs and 200W CFL came today. The red LEDs come on Wednesday. I should have PAR data by the weekend... Growth maybe by mid July?

 

[salty joe]

What nm blue and red?

 

[karimwassef]

Not sure. They're 5630. Just got the blues

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/1FF49C51-3BC7-4F18-A04B-E3B9C768078F_zpsgxuuqbr3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/1FF49C51-3BC7-4F18-A04B-E3B9C768078F_zpsgxuuqbr3.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 1FF49C51-3BC7-4F18-A04B-E3B9C768078F_zpsgxuuqbr3.jpg"/></a>

And the 200W CFL

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/01935107-E141-49F5-AC9C-08807C258622_zpsetqwcitx.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/01935107-E141-49F5-AC9C-08807C258622_zpsetqwcitx.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 01935107-E141-49F5-AC9C-08807C258622_zpsetqwcitx.jpg"/></a>

 

[Horace]

Perhaps this has been covered in this almost 400 page thread, but im just curious why these ATS havent been designed as more of a "reactor", ie water tight and full of water, rather than these drip/spray designs that Ive been seeing. Is it a matter of cost/complexity? Would it have any benefit or drawback compared to these commonly seen drip/spray designs?

 

[jerseypete]

Perhaps this has been covered in this almost 400 page thread, but im just curious why these ATS havent been designed as more of a "reactor", ie water tight and full of water, rather than these drip/spray designs that Ive been seeing. Is it a matter of cost/complexity? Would it have any benefit or drawback compared to these commonly seen drip/spray designs?

Well I just built a box that is watertight to put my ats in. But originally I just had it open. Was super cheap to try out without the box. Few pieces of pvc, plastic mesh. Maybe 8 dollars. 60 bucks for lights. So it worked great. So I decided to build a box for it. Cost me about 115 to build.

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[Horace]

Well I just built a box that is watertight to put my ats in. But originally I just had it open. Was super cheap to try out without the box. Few pieces of pvc, plastic mesh. Maybe 8 dollars. 60 bucks for lights. So it worked great. So I decided to build a box for it. Cost me about 115 to build. View attachment 352335

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Did the box help in any way? Was it more aesthetics or is it working better?

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[jerseypete]

Did the box help in any way? Was it more aesthetics or is it working better?

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I don't worry about the splashing anymore. Always had a little salt spray on the lenses of the lights. Any without the box the light would shine on everything in the sump area. I was growing algea in some of my return, reactor lines. This way the light is more contained. But still works the same. But I am much happier with this.

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[Horace]

I don't worry about the splashing anymore. Always had a little salt spray on the lenses of the lights. Any without the box the light would shine on everything in the sump area. I was growing algea in some of my return, reactor lines. This way the light is more contained. But still works the same. But I am much happier with this.

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That's kinda what I figured and I think by having the box full, it wouldn't get dirty salt buildup blocking the light. You probably still need to clean it like the tank glass, but seems like a more refined/clean solution to me

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[jerseypete]

That's kinda what I figured and I think by having the box full, it wouldn't get dirty salt buildup blocking the light. You probably still need to clean it like the tank glass, but seems like a more refined/clean solution to me

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It's a nicer look. I had it the other way for 6 months. Just finally had time to do it this way. I think it looks better this way

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