Revolving algae scrubber

[Paul B]

This revolving algae scrubber is a new prototype and if it works well I will design a larger, better looking one.



The theory is that the cotton material on the belt will pick up surface scum and run it very slowly past bright LEDs to hopefully grow algae. The belt snaps of to clean.

 

[kcress]

Go Go GO! This is most interesting.

 

[Dave Thebrewguy]

When I read the title, I had something entirely different in mind. Looking forward to see how it goes.

 

[kcress]

I hope it turns relatively fast or you'll have dried green stuff by the time it gets back to the water.

Surprised you didn't just use a long piece of screen to make it continuous.

 

[Paul B]

I have a piece of screen 100' long so I can built it any length and the screen on the device is continous. There is a weighted spool in the water at the bottom that you can just about see in the picture. The first design used a continous cloth but it would work it's way off the spool.
The Idea came to me because at low tide, the rocks that stay wet grow much more algae then the rocks that remain submerged. This will also remove the surface film that sometimes develops. It takes about 2 1/2 minutes for a complete revolution.
If it works well I will design a much larger model

 

[hebygb]

I have seen these using a round drum. They seem to work well in the applications that I had seen. About 10 years ago there was a place in Mission KS making large ones... I believe that Inland Aquatics in Terre Haute still has a couple in operation.

 

[Allmost]

we call those bio wheels.

used to have them in freshwater, called it wet dry filter.

 

[Paul B]

we call those bio wheels.

Yes but a bio wheel worked in the dark and was used to grow bacteria, this works in the light and is supposed to grow algae.

 

[Cmbtmedic1]

Very innovated.

 

[skeeter_ca]

Is that a metal screen the cotton is attached to?

skeeter

 

[Paul B]

Is that a metal screen the cotton is attached to?

Yes it is "copper". NO, it is plastic. I am not as stupid as I appear. Only partly so.

 

[Flanders]

We used to use those, we called them pasta makers.

 

[iced98lx]

Very interesting. I'll be following along

 

[laugh]

Great idea. You could run as many loops as you have room for in your sump off one motor.

 

[EgmontKey]

I like it! I'm always impressed at how affordably and fast that micro (and macro) algae consumes nitrates and phosphates. By avoiding the need to create a vertical waterfall, you also eliminated most of the noise and salt creep. Tell us more about the lighting sir!

 

[Paul B]

Today a large snail about as big as a golf ball crawled up on the belt and jammed it. He was crawling down toward the water but the belt kept going up. You should have seen the expression on his face. :wavehand:

 

[laugh]

So how goes the construction of the snail guard?

 

[Paul B]

I put up a "NO SNAILS" sign

 

[boozeman]

Maybe he thought it was a ferris wheel

 

[disc1]

Maybe he thought it was a ferris wheel

More like a treadmill.