Large scrubber build ideas

[glarior]

Trying to figure out how I should build my scrubber. I have 60 3w philips rebel ES LED's that will be powered by a DIY controller I have built and 4 LDD-700 drivers on PCB. Plan to use aluminum c-channel for the heat sink.

Once my setup is fully stocked I plan on having 480sq" of screen and feeding ~0.25lbs food a day.

I am really stumpped for ideas on the design.

Throw out some ideas on a way to build it.

Here are some pics of the room I have been building. Ignore the mess.... been a long build. I am missing the 300g tank since I need help moving it. Once the 300g is installed all the tanks will be hooked up to that huge sump in the picture. The sump is 5ftx2ftx2ft custom made for the K1 media. I also have a 2ftx8"x8" fuge in the sump not set up at this time. When all is said and done I will have ~600ish gallons of water. One reef tank and a tank with eel and small shark.

Throw out some ideas because I am out of ideas

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[SantaMonica]

Fun!

[sklywag]

Is that a mobile home? If so did you check the flooring for support? Does look like a crazy fun project.

[glarior]

Is that a mobile home? If so did you check the flooring for support? Does look like a crazy fun project.

There is more support under that part of the house than anywhere else. The floor has two 3/4" plywood stacked on top of each other. Under the floor has steel beams going one way and beams I made going the opposite. From there every two feet (over a span of 16ftx12ft) I have concrete blocks to hold the weight.

[glarior]

I am thinking a waterfall designed scrubber but I can't figure out where I would place it. Ideas to make a waterfall scrubber that is seperated from the tanks?

[SantaMonica]

Go through the pics in the build section... they are waterfalls from the past 4 years.

[sklywag]

"I am thinking a waterfall designed scrubber but I can't figure out where I would place it". This is you kidding, right?

You look to have about 200 square feet to work with not counting the eight foot ceilings. I would go with multiple screens with rotating cleaning schedules.

[glarior]

Go through the pics in the build section... they are waterfalls from the past 4 years.

I did, gave me some ideas but not 100% sure yet.


"I am thinking a waterfall designed scrubber but I can't figure out where I would place it". This is you kidding, right?

You look to have about 200 square feet to work with not counting the eight foot ceilings. I would go with multiple screens with rotating cleaning schedules.

Haha, nope not kidding :-) Want something that is not in the way and organized. I still want to add a frag and quarantine tank.

I have an idea using the PVC but still may just build an acrylic box.

Anyone come up with the best method of cutting the slit in the PVC for the screen? In the past I have used a cut off wheel. Right now I keep getting certain parts of the screen losing water since its shooting out vs falling down the screen.

[ccuk]

i find router and a straight edge for cutting slot very clean
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh210/recoilphotos/pictures16thaugust16810074.jpg
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh210/recoilphotos/pictures16thaugust16810070.jpg
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh210/recoilphotos/pictures16thaugust16810069.jpg

[sklywag]

That looks good to me. Certainly straighter my my hand holding a Dremmel.
May have too much flow. Insert the screen into pipe as well. Don't have it hanging just below.

[glarior]

Thanks for the info. I will see if I can find my router and give it a try.

I saw a post somewhere and they wrapped screen around the PVC pipe. The PVC pipe had holes drilled in it and the water would follow the wrapped around screen and go onto the algae screen.

I am going to try that first just to see if it works. If not, I will use the router

[Floyd R Turbo]

I recently did this myself - built a jig for routing the slot pipe using a plunge router. It works very well and I would recommend it. My jig took me 1 hour to build. I did notice that the router leaves quite a bit of chatter marks on the slot though, so I ended up smoothing it out afterwards with a dremel cutoff wheel, using it like a sanding disc instead of a cutting disc.

I also have started to use Schedule 80 pipe as for longer slot pipes as S40 has a propensity to close up towards the middle of the pipe. S40 works for a 6 or 9 inch slot, but past that I use 80.

Hey glarior weren't you the one that put together that shark tank then tore it down to move?

[glarior]

I recently did this myself - built a jig for routing the slot pipe using a plunge router. It works very well and I would recommend it. My jig took me 1 hour to build. I did notice that the router leaves quite a bit of chatter marks on the slot though, so I ended up smoothing it out afterwards with a dremel cutoff wheel, using it like a sanding disc instead of a cutting disc.

I also have started to use Schedule 80 pipe as for longer slot pipes as S40 has a propensity to close up towards the middle of the pipe. S40 works for a 6 or 9 inch slot, but past that I use 80.

Hey glarior weren't you the one that put together that shark tank then tore it down to move?

Yep, I am the one working towards the shark tank. Been a very long process. Here is the build thread (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=99668)


Good idea on the schedule 80. I will use that instead.

Do you have a build picture of the pvc and screen we are talking about?