Do Algae Reactors Work, And Worth It?

kinetic

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I ordered the Aquamaxx XL reactor, and I plan to use some Amazon Red/blue waterproof grow LED strips. I'm ordering the same one that I know someone else has that doesn't run too hot. So hopefully I have the same luck. But just in case, I'm going to purchase a 22" long 5.75" ID aluminum tube:
https://www.speedymetals.com/p-4648-6-od-x-0125-wall-tube-6061-t6-aluminum.aspx

I haven't purchased the tube yet, because I want to verify the LED strip's height, to make sure I can mount them on the aluminum and also slide it over the reactor's footprint.

My guess is that Aluminum is a good heat sink. Even though this has no fins or anything, it should help dissipate heat outwards away from the reactor.

Any thoughts?
 
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Forsaken77

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Those lights would probably blast light all over the sump in their current form. You'd have to take the light off the stand and mount it to something flat and reflective.

The only issues are... A) it's not a flat back and don't know if it could be mounted to a tin foil lined board or something, and B) the back is the actual heat sink. So it may burn whatever it's mounted to.

But that's a good alternative.
 
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Forsaken77

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Do you guys shut down the gfo ?
Or are you still running it
You should check your phosphates before taking the gfo out. Someone else ran both and it starved the algae. So as long as your phosphates aren't high, you could yank the gfo. Don't run the reactor 24/7 either. It needs darkness as part of the photosynthetic period for the algae.
 
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I ordered the Aquamaxx XL reactor, and I plan to use some Amazon Red/blue waterproof grow LED strips. I'm ordering the same one that I know someone else has that doesn't run too hot. So hopefully I have the same luck. But just in case, I'm going to purchase a 22" long 5.75" ID aluminum tube:
https://www.speedymetals.com/p-4648-6-od-x-0125-wall-tube-6061-t6-aluminum.aspx

I haven't purchased the tube yet, because I want to verify the LED strip's height, to make sure I can mount them on the aluminum and also slide it over the reactor's footprint.

My guess is that Aluminum is a good heat sink. Even though this has no fins or anything, it should help dissipate heat outwards away from the reactor.

Any thoughts?

Can you post a link to the lights?
 

fishbox

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Can you post a link to the lights?
Please and do you know how long this person has been running these lights. Being that lighting seems to be the one drawback, it would help tremendously if everyone posted links to the lights that have had good results.
 

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So if I was going to build a reactor with these LEDs placed in the middle, how many should I use on a 6"x14" column?
http://www.topledlight.com/3w-660nm...beads-emitter-grow-light-bulb-lamp_p1488.html

Wavelength: Red 660nm, Blue 450nm ~ 455nm
Intensity Luminous: 200LM ~ 250LM
DC Forward Voltage: 7V ~ 9V
DC Forward Voltage: 300mA
Viewing Angle: 120 Degrees

Would six (18 watts) be enough?

I can get 12 of them mounted on star boards, plus a dimmer module for $25, delivered.
 

kinetic

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I ordered the Aquamaxx XL reactor, and I plan to use some Amazon Red/blue waterproof grow LED strips. I'm ordering the same one that I know someone else has that doesn't run too hot. So hopefully I have the same luck. But just in case, I'm going to purchase a 22" long 5.75" ID aluminum tube:
https://www.speedymetals.com/p-4648-6-od-x-0125-wall-tube-6061-t6-aluminum.aspx

I haven't purchased the tube yet, because I want to verify the LED strip's height, to make sure I can mount them on the aluminum and also slide it over the reactor's footprint.

My guess is that Aluminum is a good heat sink. Even though this has no fins or anything, it should help dissipate heat outwards away from the reactor.

Any thoughts?

OK, for thoroughness, I'm going to post everything I got:

Lights:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRHQMYH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Reactor:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E6JM88/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Aluminum Tube (TBD) (5.75" ID at 22" long):
https://www.speedymetals.com/p-4648-6-od-x-0125-wall-tube-6061-t6-aluminum.aspx

The lights will be stuck to the tube. Hopefully the sticky part will transfer enough heat to the aluminum without too much of the heat going through air then aluminum. I'm hoping the aluminum tube will help direct heat out and away from both the lights and reactor. I don't know how much it will help, but we shall see. The tube will also act to prevent light leak and maybe reflect a bit of the light back in.

I haven't gotten the tube yet because I'm waiting on the reactor and lights to get an exact measurement.

The lights I know the person has had for a couple months now. No real heat issues with it wrapped around an AVAST MR10 reactor. I also know that the Accel strip lights that MarineDepot sells doesn't get hot either, but might not have the best grow lights.
 
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Forsaken77

Forsaken77

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OK, for thoroughness, I'm going to post everything I got:

Lights:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRHQMYH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Reactor:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E6JM88/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Aluminum Tube (TBD) (5.75" ID at 22" long):
https://www.speedymetals.com/p-4648-6-od-x-0125-wall-tube-6061-t6-aluminum.aspx

The lights will be stuck to the tube. Hopefully the sticky part will transfer enough heat to the aluminum without too much of the heat going through air then aluminum. I'm hoping the aluminum tube will help direct heat out and away from both the lights and reactor. I don't know how much it will help, but we shall see. The tube will also act to prevent light leak and maybe reflect a bit of the light back in.

I haven't gotten the tube yet because I'm waiting on the reactor and lights to get an exact measurement.

The lights I know the person has had for a couple months now. No real heat issues with it wrapped around an AVAST MR10 reactor. I also know that the Accel strip lights that MarineDepot sells doesn't get hot either, but might not have the best grow lights.

Thanks for the info!!!

Just keep in mind that those lights are IP65 rated. They're water resistant to a spray of noncorrosive water. So getting saltwater on them (corrosive) could be hazardous.

Also, the reactor probably won't fit in a 5.75" tube. The next size up is 12 inches for $30+. You can use any type of tubing and just line it with tin/aluminum foil for reflective purposes.

You would think finding the right lights wouldn't be this difficult. Let us know how it works out.
 
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Eric23

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Here are some pics from what I harvested out of my reactor yesterday and what I put back in after
ea24f23850e373e36d090f5a77ef427f.jpg
c9916178af14f9fcb457e1d6b7ae1775.jpg
ed1f7909da9fb92d3877ea73667a164d.jpg
 

Eric23

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That's the first gen Arid N18... I think now they come with a few other bells and whistles but same design
 

kinetic

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Thanks for the info!!!

Just keep in mind that those lights are IP65 rated. They're water resistant to a spray of noncorrosive water. So getting saltwater on them (corrosive) could be hazardous.

Also, the reactor probably won't fit in a 5.75" tube. The next size up is 12 inches for $30+. You can use any type of tubing and just line it with tin/aluminum foil for reflective purposes.

You would think finding the right lights wouldn't be this difficult. Let us know how it works out.

Oh goodness, what. Where can I find saltwater resistant lights? I can probably still return these. I mean, I don't anticipate getting water on them, but you never know.

I have the physical reactor and measured it, and the LED's are only adding about 1/4", so it'll be a somewhat perfect fit. I actually ended up getting the square tube instead of the round because it was $20 cheaper, and I don't think it's a big deal that it'll be square instead of circular. It's being delivered next week so we'll see how it all works. Overall it was a total of $40 shipped for a 19" long tube.

Still not entirely sure if it'll help with the heat, but I'm guessing it should.
 

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Aquatic acrobat in your aquarium: Have you ever kept an eel?

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