santamonica
Member
Hey it's moving along. What does 11-12 and 11-14 mean? Was it supposed to by 9-12 and 9-14?
Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everything
- Thread starter santamonica
- Start date
santamonica
Member
Ok Sly it looks to me like about one week worth of growth. How many days has it been? And did you split the light up into two separate bulbs?
sly
Active Member
It's been 10 days since I added the second bulb. I took a PVC pipe placed it in the center of the lid, facing down into the trashcan. I hooked a T fitting to it. Then I put 2 small lengths of PVC in each end of the T fitting. Then I hooked my lights to the ends of those pipes. So essentially it looks like an upside down T with 2 lights hanging off of it.
I soldered all the connections, wrapped them in electrical tape and then sealed everything with silicon. The base of the light bulb is sealed with electrical tape so that water spray doesn't get into the socket. Yesterday I rotated the lighting assembly to put it closer to the screen. These are 23 watt "soft white" CFL bulbs. I'm assuming the color temperature is around 3-4,000 K.
I soldered all the connections, wrapped them in electrical tape and then sealed everything with silicon. The base of the light bulb is sealed with electrical tape so that water spray doesn't get into the socket. Yesterday I rotated the lighting assembly to put it closer to the screen. These are 23 watt "soft white" CFL bulbs. I'm assuming the color temperature is around 3-4,000 K.
santamonica
Member
Ok if today is day 10, then the first pic was day 7, and the second pic was day 9. Kinda slow growth for having two 23w cfl bulbs. I'd like to find the problem. Did you rub algae? Can you get a pic of the flow at the very bottom of the screen? How many inches are the bulbs from the screen? I think I know what's wrong but I'll get your answers first.
sly
Active Member
The flow is intermittent since I am using a surge on the scrubber. It surges about every 15 seconds since I adjusted it. It's either gushing out very fast or there is no water at all on it. The bottom inch or 2 of screen sits under water. I did this so that it wouldn't splash around. The water cascades gently and is rather quiet.
The lights were about 4-5 inches from the screen but since I rotated the fixture, they are now about 2-3 inches away.
Yes, I rubbed some hair algae on the screen. I had some in the refugium... I wasn't sure if I did it right though. It didn't really seem to stick.
The lights were about 4-5 inches from the screen but since I rotated the fixture, they are now about 2-3 inches away.
Yes, I rubbed some hair algae on the screen. I had some in the refugium... I wasn't sure if I did it right though. It didn't really seem to stick.
santamonica
Member
If the lights are 2-3 inches from the top of the screen, then that's it. But I think overall you'll be fine. Nothing to fix right now. It can be a fine tuning thing later. The pulsed flow can only help. Your last pic looked to be about 5 days away from it's first very-mild cleaning.
santamonica
Member
Today's build of the day is another one made from a gravel vac. These are easy because you don't need a special cutting tool to cut the slot in the pipe:
santamonica
Member
I just finished up some diagrams of the most-used screen installations. The overflow-feed is good because it usually has a very large flow capacity, but, you can't turn off the return pump for too long or the screen will dry out. Also, pulsing the flow is not easy:
The pump-feed below will free you from the return pump, and makes it very easy to pulse the flow using a timer. But the pump must be able to deliver 35 gph per inch of width of the screen:
The sumpless-feed (or "bucket"), which was the original design, is how you get the screen up above the tank. The pump in this case goes in the tank itself. Also, the walls of the bucket let you flow more without worrying about water spraying sideways:
The pump-feed below will free you from the return pump, and makes it very easy to pulse the flow using a timer. But the pump must be able to deliver 35 gph per inch of width of the screen:
The sumpless-feed (or "bucket"), which was the original design, is how you get the screen up above the tank. The pump in this case goes in the tank itself. Also, the walls of the bucket let you flow more without worrying about water spraying sideways:
sly
Active Member
Rotated the lights until they are about a couple of inches from the screen... BIG difference (as though it hasn't already been stated)...
To reiterate (and still using my surge device):
9-14 -Day 9
and now today:
9-16 -Day 11
My phosphate test ran out and I have ordered a new one and so I'll post parameters when it comes in.
To reiterate (and still using my surge device):
9-14 -Day 9
and now today:
9-16 -Day 11
My phosphate test ran out and I have ordered a new one and so I'll post parameters when it comes in.
santamonica
Member
Yea I'd say about 5 days to a cleaning (one side only).
santamonica
Member
Reminder Of The Day:
Yellowing of the water: This is due to cleaning or scraping the screen while the screen is still in the tank water system (i.e., "in-system"). When you break algae strands, they release their chlorophyll related chemical contents, which drain downwards. If your screen is still in-system when you clean it, it drains into your tank system water, causing yellowing. Another cause of yellowing is not cleaning your screen at all. Solution: Clean your screen at least once a week, and do it by taking it to the sink and running tap water over while you clean it.
Yellowing of the water: This is due to cleaning or scraping the screen while the screen is still in the tank water system (i.e., "in-system"). When you break algae strands, they release their chlorophyll related chemical contents, which drain downwards. If your screen is still in-system when you clean it, it drains into your tank system water, causing yellowing. Another cause of yellowing is not cleaning your screen at all. Solution: Clean your screen at least once a week, and do it by taking it to the sink and running tap water over while you clean it.
santamonica
Member
Now it's getting gross
You mean awesome
As you see, once it kicks in, it really kicks in. So at soon as you get your N and P test, you should be good to go for your first cleaning on ONE side. But do test first, because you need to be able to check for changes before and after cleaning.
You mean awesome
As you see, once it kicks in, it really kicks in. So at soon as you get your N and P test, you should be good to go for your first cleaning on ONE side. But do test first, because you need to be able to check for changes before and after cleaning.
santamonica
Member
Anybody here in the Los Angeles area have N and P problems, and want to test a bucket? My acrylic scrubber is getting ready to be functional by itself, so I'll be taking the bucket offline in a few days. This bucket has an original pre-grown screen from IA, and now is almost completely covered with real red/brown turf. It has four lights instead of two, and it also has a fan sitting on top. Comes with pump and timer too.
If you have high N and P, and you are willing to test N and P every day (I'll supply the Salifert kits if needed) and write it down in a log, then you can borrow it. Would be just a loan though. PM me if there is any interest.
If you have high N and P, and you are willing to test N and P every day (I'll supply the Salifert kits if needed) and write it down in a log, then you can borrow it. Would be just a loan though. PM me if there is any interest.
santamonica
Member
jski711 on the RS site says his scrubber fixed up his pH:
"my ph was dropping too low because i wasn't running my skimmer. the skimmer would help get rid of a lot of the co2 that was comming from the effluent of the reactor into the tank. so i turned my reactor off and i couldn't run my skimmer because of a medication i put in my tank, the skimmer would just overflow with bubbles in a matter of seconds. so i was running no skimmer and no reactor for about a month and a half. then after installing the scrubber i noticed that my ph was on the rise and has been high sometimes 8.5ish. so i figured the extra co2 from the reactor would bring the ph down and also help with micro growth. no more ph problems, im amazed at how much this scrubber has raised my ph. again awesome idea santamonica!!!"
"my ph was dropping too low because i wasn't running my skimmer. the skimmer would help get rid of a lot of the co2 that was comming from the effluent of the reactor into the tank. so i turned my reactor off and i couldn't run my skimmer because of a medication i put in my tank, the skimmer would just overflow with bubbles in a matter of seconds. so i was running no skimmer and no reactor for about a month and a half. then after installing the scrubber i noticed that my ph was on the rise and has been high sometimes 8.5ish. so i figured the extra co2 from the reactor would bring the ph down and also help with micro growth. no more ph problems, im amazed at how much this scrubber has raised my ph. again awesome idea santamonica!!!"
santamonica
Member
santamonica
Member
santamonica
Member
Reminder Of The Day:
What Scrubbers Consume: Algae scrubbers consume INORGANIC nitrate and phosphate. These things are what your test kits read, and what the nuisance algae on your rocks and glass require to live. What scrubbers don't consume is ORGANIC nitrate and phosphate. Organic nitrate and phosphate have another name: Food. Any and every piece of food you put into your tank has nitrate and phosphate in them, but they are organic. Scrubbers leave them in the water for the corals to eat. Skimmers do the opposite: Skimmers remove the organic nitrate and phosphate (food), and leave in the inorganic nitrate and phosphate; these inorganics are then used by the nuisance algae on your rocks and glass to grow.
What Scrubbers Consume: Algae scrubbers consume INORGANIC nitrate and phosphate. These things are what your test kits read, and what the nuisance algae on your rocks and glass require to live. What scrubbers don't consume is ORGANIC nitrate and phosphate. Organic nitrate and phosphate have another name: Food. Any and every piece of food you put into your tank has nitrate and phosphate in them, but they are organic. Scrubbers leave them in the water for the corals to eat. Skimmers do the opposite: Skimmers remove the organic nitrate and phosphate (food), and leave in the inorganic nitrate and phosphate; these inorganics are then used by the nuisance algae on your rocks and glass to grow.