3' 250L reef & submerged algae scrubber

[CO2doser]

Hi,

I like to challenge the current "how to knowledge" on reef aquarium through experiments on my 7 years reef tank to make the practice as easy as possible.

Here is my setup, backside sump without skimmer, socks, and media. There is an algae scrubber, no bubble, only weak flow of sump circulation, hung and submerged in back.
By definition, it is not an UAS (up flow algae scrubber driven by bubbling), nor ATS, which hung in air with strong flow. I should give it a name, like SAS (submerged algae scrubber).

It was UAS when started, but I turned off the bubble after one year, and no obvious difference found on GHA growth.
Strong flow or bubble is not necessary for an algae scrubber. SAS is good

enough.
50w LED plant growth light with 7:1 red/blue ratio is hung on the backside and shines about 500par on scrubber from 20:00 to 14:00 next day.
It grows 100g of GHA per week and capable to keep N/P not detectable.

 

[Devaji]

I do love ATS think there under rated form of filtration.

 

[CO2doser]

One week growth of GHA about 150g.

Scrubber cleaned


Pull out of submerged algae scrubber

 

[CO2doser]

NP 5/0.03
KH/Ca/Mg 7.3/400/1170
Powder food 6g/week
GHA 146g

 

[SantaMonica]

Very nice. The bubbles got the growth started.

 

[CO2doser]

Very nice. The bubbles got the growth started.

Good point, I never thought bubbles could started GHA growth.
Another smaller tank I started without any bubble, but seeded with some GHA, and dosing NO3/PO4 to promote the growth.

 

[CO2doser]

NP 2/0.03
GHA 360g, which is more than last week due to longer on time of scrubber light and result lower NO3 than last week.

 

[Silent]

Really cool thing you have going on here. Could this be accomplished I a sump, in the refugium section?

 

[CO2doser]

Really cool thing you have going on here. Could this be accomplished I a sump, in the refugium section?

Of course, this submerged algae scrubber can be put in refugium sec.
It can be hung vertically against side glass, and light on the side, or submerged horizontally and light on the top.

Since high flow and bubbles are not must, a weak flow for GHA to swing in water is good enough, the scrubber can be located any place with light on it.

 

[Silent]

In your full tank shot in the bottom left, is that a green monti cap? If so, that has to be one of the brightest green caps I've seen.

 

[SantaMonica]

Another thing is rate of growth. If you had 2 units operating in the same tank, and only 1 had bubbles, it would grow much faster than the other one.

 

[CO2doser]

In your full tank shot in the bottom left, is that a green monti cap? If so, that has to be one of the brightest green caps I've seen.

yes, it is a light green monti I have never seen before.

 

[CO2doser]

Another thing is rate of growth. If you had 2 units operating in the same tank, and only 1 had bubbles, it would grow much faster than the other one.

I believe so, but the GHA now touches the side glass within one week under maximum feeding strategy to keep np 5/0.03. I want to cut down feeding and algae light duration to reduce growth.
Bubbles will spill water everywhere and flow into main display. That is another reason to remove bubbler, and I think is good enough.

 

[CO2doser]

NP raised to 5/0.03 after increasing the off time of algae light to 10:00~20:00 from 14:00~20:00. The net weight of feeding is 12 g this week, and results algae weight 100g.

 

[CO2doser]

5/24 to 10/22

 

[CO2doser]

DIY LED lightening
LED as reef lightening for sps coral is a challenging task since (1) point source (2) specific color/wavelength (3) mix of multiple colors.

T5 and MH with good reflector are large area, mix multiple colors source, and totally no disco effect.

However, mixing multiple colors of LED, if not in a small package form like COB, will output strong disco effect.

In order to emulate t5, I designed a 3 feet long LED bar with 20x 3w 450/470 blue and white/RGB 5050 strips. There are total four of LED bar modules for my tank.

White LED 5050 strip provides base spectrum but not "yellowing" the coral. RGB 5050 strip provides high CRI for fish and other non-fluorescent coral without disco effect. 450/470nm blue excite fluorescence of coral.

The intensity is controlled by PWM. Current setting is 300 par under water 10 cm, 200 par middle, and 140par bottom.

 

[saltwaterpicaso]

I cannot keep cheato alive I left the led grow light on in the refugium section after the cheato died off green hair algea grew I now have a hair algea refugium and it's working great. Kinda like your setup just without the screen its growing on all the surfaces I was thinking of putting a large rock in the center to get it to cover it as well.

 

[CO2doser]

I cannot keep cheato alive I left the led grow light on in the refugium section after the cheato died off green hair algea grew I now have a hair algea refugium and it's working great. Kinda like your setup just without the screen its growing on all the surfaces I was thinking of putting a large rock in the center to get it to cover it as well.

GHA seems a more efficient NP consumer than cheato. The NP of you tank should be very low, may be not detectable I guess.
GHA grows on everywhere it touches. It need to be cleaned every week, while monthly cleaning for cheato.

 

[saltwaterpicaso]

my n was in the 60s now its down to 10 the cheato did not help at all like the hair algae is

 

[CO2doser]

have an observation about 730nm, far red, maybe the missing part of LED.

I got this pocillopra this Feb. and fried on top by my DIY full LED light with nature white led. Someone suggested to reduce the white intensity, but I prefer more white less blue.

This pocillopra should be shallow water coral without fluorescent pigment. How it could strive under strong sunlight, but burned under LED white.

I search internet, found this thread and experiment about 730nm that Lasse had done before. 730nm is outside of photosynthesis range. For terrastrial plant, 730 means under shadow, and push plant to grow higher. I guess, it might has different meaning for coral, like index for strong light intensity to let coral do something for protection. I think, no scientific support, since 730 attenuate with depth, it not make sense to keep meaning of "shadowing" to aqua coral.

Anyway, I add 16x 3w 730 led. My DIY LED has total 72x 3w 450/470 blue led, and 8x 5050 white/RGB 90cm led strips .
Amazing, the burned top started to recovered. I am not sure whether it is acclimation of new light. I will not remove 730nm led to confirm the result, but someday after I setup my experiment tank.

Feb


March


May, the worst. After adding 730, the burnt stop.

October, recovery

Last edited: Yesterday at 8:57 PM