My Algae Turf Scrubber Build

[Turbo's Aquatics]

Never scrub with a brush, what you show here is plenty good. Occasionally (after screen is very mature, and growth is strongly attached) after scraping I will run a soft-bristled toothbrush over the screen gently, with the water running over it, to loosen anything that is moderately attached even after a scrape and rinse. But it is definitely not a scrubbing action of brush-to-screen

 

[BOWHUNTER4250]

never scrub with a brush, what you show here is plenty good. Occasionally (after screen is very mature, and growth is strongly attached) after scraping i will run a soft-bristled toothbrush over the screen gently, with the water running over it, to loosen anything that is moderately attached even after a scrape and rinse. But it is definitely not a scrubbing action of brush-to-screen

how often should i be cleaning the screen ? The build up i have does this look like its going in the right direction as far as light and flow ?

 

[Fieryfrog]

Question for those that have done this.

I just built a 150 gallon stock tank sump system down in the basement, and have the room to do this. But is there a difference in performance between keeping it enclosed and it being open?

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

how often should i be cleaning the screen ? The build up i have does this look like its going in the right direction as far as light and flow ?

For 33 days old and 2x cleaning, I would say you are on the right track generally. It's hard to get specific until you get a more mature screen, because then you get into how effective it is for your specific system (tank). Remember, the goal is not necessarily to grow a ton of algae, it's to grow enough algae to accomplish your desired level of filtration.

Question for those that have done this.

I just built a 150 gallon stock tank sump system down in the basement, and have the room to do this. But is there a difference in performance between keeping it enclosed and it being open?

There is some difference but this is mainly related to size. if you have restricted space, building an enclosed scrubber will get you more "horsepower" than an open scrubber. Also you can use a smaller light fixture, higher intensity, etc.

But if you have a lot of space, you can get similar results by making the scrubber a bit bigger, with the downside being that you need to have more flow (for a wider screen) and more light fixtures, potentially. But not necessarily.

As in my other response above, it's about getting results out of the scrubber, and that can be very system specific.

There is definitely more than one way to build a scrubber, so a wider screen with lower flow per inch of slot width can still get you good results, it would just be "de-rated" a bit when compared to a compact scrubber with very high flow. It is somewhat proportional, i.e. a 6" wide scrubber at 50 GPH/in is comparable to a 12" wide scrubber at 25 GPH/in.

HTH
Bud

 

[BOWHUNTER4250]

Cool ! Thanks much ... I will continue to post updates

 

[YippeeKiYea]

great idea - guess I need to run to home depot for some pvc (again)

 

[SantaMonica]

It is thickening up?

 

[BOWHUNTER4250]

It is thickening up?

who were you asking that to ?

 

[SantaMonica]

The scrubber owner

 

[BOWHUNTER4250]

Ok , so its been a little bit , algae is growing good on the screen , however the center where the light is shining is not growing algae i know the light is more intense in this spot so my question is : To get algae to grow in this spot do i decrease the time the lights are on or increase / decrease the flow ?

 

[ecreef]

Ok , so its been a little bit , algae is growing good on the screen , however the center where the light is shining is not growing algae i know the light is more intense in this spot so my question is : To get algae to grow in this spot do i decrease the time the lights are on or increase / decrease the flow ?

I would try first using a light diffuser, if you still get that center spot burned then decrease time or take the light little bit away from the screen

 

[BOWHUNTER4250]

i would try first using a light diffuser, if you still get that center spot burned then decrease time or take the light little bit away from the screen

these are small 10w led ... What kind of diffuser ?

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

With the multi-chip fixture, all you need to do is find a 2'x4' sheet of diffuser from Lowe's, look for Plaskolite brand (it has a green/white sticker) in the area where they sell ceiling tile for 2x4 grid ceilings. They are about $5/sheet but if you find one that is cracked (there's always one) they'll usually give you $1 off.

You can cut it with a table saw, but it'll throw chips everywhere unless you use a high-tooth blade. The easier way is to lay it on a table and put a straightedge on it, and score it with a box cutter, use a sharp blade (new one) and make 3 or 4 passes with medium pressure, eventually it will cut through. Score & snap will throw shards everywhere so just score, score, score.

You can cut it to fit the entire front of the fixture and then just tape the edges with duct tape or electrical tape, or you can cut a small piece to just go over the middle, maybe just 1 or 2" square.

The other thing you can try is to take blue painter's tape and lust place a small square on the splashguard directly in front of the chip. This will significantly cut down on the light intensity right in the middle, but the screen will still get adequate light everywhere. That's probably the easier way to try at first.

 

[BOWHUNTER4250]

with the multi-chip fixture, all you need to do is find a 2'x4' sheet of diffuser from lowe's, look for plaskolite brand (it has a green/white sticker) in the area where they sell ceiling tile for 2x4 grid ceilings. They are about $5/sheet but if you find one that is cracked (there's always one) they'll usually give you $1 off.

You can cut it with a table saw, but it'll throw chips everywhere unless you use a high-tooth blade. The easier way is to lay it on a table and put a straightedge on it, and score it with a box cutter, use a sharp blade (new one) and make 3 or 4 passes with medium pressure, eventually it will cut through. Score & snap will throw shards everywhere so just score, score, score.

You can cut it to fit the entire front of the fixture and then just tape the edges with duct tape or electrical tape, or you can cut a small piece to just go over the middle, maybe just 1 or 2" square.

The other thing you can try is to take blue painter's tape and lust place a small square on the splashguard directly in front of the chip. This will significantly cut down on the light intensity right in the middle, but the screen will still get adequate light everywhere. That's probably the easier way to try at first.

thanks much ! I will try the tape first as i think the diffuser will cut down on the light in the other places that are doing well ?

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

It may, and if it's doing well - don't fix it if it ain't broke

 

[BOWHUNTER4250]

it may, and if it's doing well - don't fix it if it ain't broke

correct ! The only thing is the somewhat bare spot in the middle

 

[Windy]

It may, and if it's doing well - don't fix it if it ain't broke

Kind of like cycling a tank with fish. Many of them die but what the heck, if it ain't broke. The very fact that an algae scrubber exists is because somebody didn't listen to your crap and tried to improve upon the current best.

 

[thejuggernaut]

Kind of like cycling a tank with fish. Many of them die but what the heck, if it ain't broke. The very fact that an algae scrubber exists is because somebody didn't listen to your crap and tried to improve upon the current best.

Don't really get the point you're trying to make, or the hostility behind it.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

I was telling him not to reduce the light (with the diffuser) if that affected an area that was growing fine, but instead to do something only to reduce the light at the affected area.

I don't know that you think I was stating, but you clearly took my comment completely out of context.

The person asking the advice, however, appeared to completely understand what I was saying.

 

[BOWHUNTER4250]

kind of like cycling a tank with fish. Many of them die but what the heck, if it ain't broke. The very fact that an algae scrubber exists is because somebody didn't listen to your crap and tried to improve upon the current best.

ya , im confused as well as to what you are trying to get at with your post ? Opinions are always welcome ....
I totally understood what floyd was saying and it makes sense .... The other areas of the screen are doing well , only the center where the light is directed , so it makes sense to only cover that area with tape or whatever could decrease the direct impact of light ?