Algae Scrubber Basics

[anarchyx914]

How often should we be scraping the brown growth off our screens? I just got my scrubber online and every 3-4 days I am basically taking my screen back to the white mesh because I know the brown stuff doesnt really grow all that thick. I just pulled my screen out now and took a picture of it below. Should I be cleaning it every 3-4 days like I have been or since its finally getting slightly greener should I only clean every 7-14?

 

[karimwassef]

You are using a lot less then 10 amps per side. It's actually 1 amp per side if you have 240w total. 240 \120 is is 2 amps

10A per panel x 12V x 2 panels = 240W

 

[Dave0331]

Ahhh 12v. Makes sense now lol my bad

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Or maybe we need a new "Basics" thread. I can't imagine someone new to ATS or the hobby being able to wade through 346 pages and pull out the "right" information.

http://algaescrubber.zohosites.com/

I'll be keeping this updated appropriately, as best I can.

How often should we be scraping the brown growth off our screens? I just got my scrubber online and every 3-4 days I am basically taking my screen back to the white mesh because I know the brown stuff doesnt really grow all that thick. I just pulled my screen out now and took a picture of it below. Should I be cleaning it every 3-4 days like I have been or since its finally getting slightly greener should I only clean every 7-14?

Never scrub the screen back to bare white. There's no reason to clean any more often than every 7 days unless you are getting black oily growth which is like a thin film that otherwise does not come off. This is really rare. Swiping off a brown/reddish "slime" with the palm of your hand or with a few passes of a soft toothbrush is OK too but no hard scrubbing.

You should let your screen grow as long as possible. This takes some experimentation and varies depending on your build and the age of your screen/system.

If you choose to do interim cleanings, they should be minimal and you should leave all possible green growth alone, and then consider that the start of a new "cycle" and really consider not touching the screen for at least 5 days, if not 7.

I think a lot of people over-estimate what is considered enough growth to mandate a scraping/cleaning. A thin mat of growth does not block light very much, and that is really the reason why you want to clean - to prevent light blockage from thick growth.

 

[ecotanker]

Bud, is it possible to put the link below as part of your signature?

http://algaescrubber.zohosites.com/

I'll be keeping this updated appropriately, as best I can.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Links are not allowed on RC, even links to other RC threads. Per the User Agreement. No links, at all.

 

[karimwassef]

maybe you can just say: "algaescrubber.zohosites"
it's technically not a link, but we won't have to go hunting for it through the posts..

 

[MorganAtlanta]

http://algaescrubber.zohosites.com/

I'll be keeping this updated appropriately, as best I can.



Never scrub the screen back to bare white. There's no reason to clean any more often than every 7 days unless you are getting black oily growth which is like a thin film that otherwise does not come off. This is really rare. Swiping off a brown/reddish "slime" with the palm of your hand or with a few passes of a soft toothbrush is OK too but no hard scrubbing.

You should let your screen grow as long as possible. This takes some experimentation and varies depending on your build and the age of your screen/system.

If you choose to do interim cleanings, they should be minimal and you should leave all possible green growth alone, and then consider that the start of a new "cycle" and really consider not touching the screen for at least 5 days, if not 7.

I think a lot of people over-estimate what is considered enough growth to mandate a scraping/cleaning. A thin mat of growth does not block light very much, and that is really the reason why you want to clean - to prevent light blockage from thick growth.

I don't think I ever looked at that before... I recognize some of those pictures! Many, many iterations ago...

 

[SantaMonica]

Am ordering the parts to make the DIY instructions for one of the many new waterfall versions. It will be super simple, and not at all what anyone is thinking of. If you have the parts, you should be able to get it running in a few minutes. It's first post will be here on RC.

Another version, improvements to the first one I made in 2008 and the one people think of, will be after that.

For now, weekend growth pics:

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Instead of constantly baiting everyone why don't you just tell us, this is just stupid.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I don't think I ever looked at that before... I recognize some of those pictures! Many, many iterations ago...

I posted in I think first on the last page of this thread, maybe 2 pages back (going by 100 posts/page or whatever I have it set at) it's the same as the post numbers in my signature.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

maybe you can just say: "algaescrubber.zohosites"
it's technically not a link, but we won't have to go hunting for it through the posts..

I googled "algaescrubber zoho" and it's the first hit, so that is in my sig now. Hopefully, that doesn't break any rules

 

[MaccaPopEye]

Instead of constantly baiting everyone why don't you just tell us, this is just stupid.

I really could not agree more. It really is very annoying. It's not just this forum you are doing it on either. Why for the last few (almost 6 maybe) months have you been constantly talking about these new "revolutionary" ideas yet not actually telling us the ideas?

I am assuming you want to patent them and make money off of them? That's absolutely fine in my book. But if you want to do that then keep it to yourself while you get your patent and then tell us about your ideas.

If you have come up with these ideas just to help the DIY community (which is what you keep implying) and you don't want to make money off of it then just post them up already and cut the BS.

I want to see your ideas, I really do. But the way you are "marketing" them is just as bad as the way "micro bubble scrubbing" is being marketed.

 

[Tarawa]

I've been reading along for a bit now and I'm curious what other people's thoughts are. If I were to take a roughed up sheet of plastic canvas and zip tied it onto the middle rungs of a reactors stops/blocks (what ever their called =D). Run an airline/airpump into the pumps intake (kinda like a skimmer pump, but more active). Use LED strip lights around the reactor (like how some of us made ghetto Arids) and let it go to town. I have some sheets coming in the mail, so I haven't been able to try it out yet

 

[SantaMonica]

Yes that will work.

 

[zachtos]

Can I feed the algae turf scrubber using the siphon drain line of a bean animal overflow?

Or will it upset the syphon or cause issue?

(unable to find if anyone asked this in google)

 

[MorganAtlanta]

I have run them in the past off the full siphon line without problems.

 

[jason2459]

Personally, I would not touch or modify the full siphon or split off anything from the return. The entire bean animal system depends on both being in tune with each other and consistent. An ATS could put back pressure which doesn't take much which will kick in the Open channel more then it should and start causing it to be noisy. Then if the return shut off could cause problems with getting the siphon to start back up properly.

 

[KafudaFish]

I really could not agree more. It really is very annoying. It's not just this forum you are doing it on either. Why for the last few (almost 6 maybe) months have you been constantly talking about these new "revolutionary" ideas yet not actually telling us the ideas?

I am assuming you want to patent them and make money off of them? That's absolutely fine in my book. But if you want to do that then keep it to yourself while you get your patent and then tell us about your ideas.

If you have come up with these ideas just to help the DIY community (which is what you keep implying) and you don't want to make money off of it then just post them up already and cut the BS.

I want to see your ideas, I really do. But the way you are "marketing" them is just as bad as the way "micro bubble scrubbing" is being marketed.

That is because when he first joined this site there was a bunch of diy brain storming happening then he turned some of those ideas into his products which people now buy. He left here for a period of time but is now back. He even had a sponsor's forum i believe. He has always hinted at things and pulled information to support his opinions and the sale of "his inventions".

:hmm3:

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Personally, I would not touch or modify the full siphon or split off anything from the return. The entire bean animal system depends on both being in tune with each other and consistent. An ATS could put back pressure which doesn't take much which will kick in the Open channel more then it should and start causing it to be noisy. Then if the return shut off could cause problems with getting the siphon to start back up properly.

While I agree with you on the aspect of the open channel, the slot doesn't allow air to intrude like an open pipe above the water level in the sump, so a siphon can still be maintained and properly tuned, as well as stopped and re-started. But the trick is getting the flow needed over the screen to match the siphon, and these two numbers are not always perfectly matched. Balancing them out by adjusting the return pump flow and the gate valve can sometimes mean the siphon is "restricted" far back from it's full-open maximum flow, and this can result in a slow starting siphon, but it should purge and start eventually.

The backpressure issue can generally be solved by not allowing algae to grow into the slot/screen junction. I had this issue before on one of my first scrubbers, which was drain fed (not on a BA though) and the backpressure issue did cause the water to back up the standpipe and raise the tank level, but that was dues to slot/screen junction growth and likely could have been solved by blocking the light to that area...but I didn't know that at the time.

That is because when he first joined this site there was a bunch of diy brain storming happening then he turned some of those ideas into his products which people now buy. He left here for a period of time but is now back. He even had a sponsor's forum i believe. He has always hinted at things and pulled information to support his opinions and the sale of "his inventions".

:hmm3:

Without being a sponsor, the only way that someone can clue people in on new ideas that happen to be a product or potential product made by the person posting is by dropping vague hints to get people's attention and/or attract people to your site/product without coming straight out and saying what you're making/intenting. IMO that is basically skirting the rules on commercial posting in order to avoid paying sponsorship dues. I could probably do the same thing if I wanted do, but I choose not to because I would prefer to remain present here and not risk getting banned.

Even if one were a sponsor on a given forum, most forum guidelines prohibit explicit commercial posting outside of one's sponsor forum, which is understandable because most people get annoyed when advertisers jump all over a thread that is even remotely related to their product (or a competitor's product) but still kind of sucks because how else do you let people know about a product that can help them out. The only true way to get the work out about a product without breaking the rules is to make an excellent product and support customers well, and hope that they post about your products. Because any every day user can post whatever they want about a product they have or that they know about, they can link to a manufacturer's website/etc as long as they are not financially benefiting. At least that's the way I understand it.