ALGAE SCRUBBER CALCULATOR

[Nad]

Hi guys

Having a problem working out what screen size i need,at the most i only feed 1 cube of frozen food and a 2 pinches of flake a day. What screen size do i need for that



Thanks Guys

[cdm2012]

Hello!

With lights on both sides of the screen (recommended): 14 sq. in. or 93 sq. cm.

Ex. 3 in. X 4.8 in. or 7.5 cm. X 12.4 cm.

[Nad]

Thanks for the. 3 in. X 4.8 in seems very small would it be worth making a bigger one




Thanks

[cdm2012]

Good question. Here is a link to a previous thread that answers that: http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?2508-How-much-does-size-really-matter

[Nad]

Thanks cdm2012. Think i will stick with a 3 in. X 4.8

I have 2 T5 light tubes,do you think that would be okay to light the screen,one on each side



Thanks again mate

[cdm2012]

T5HO bulbs have been shown to cause tremendous scrubber growth! Other bulbs that work great as well, are cfl's. You would need about 7 actual watts for each side with a light appearance 2700K. Not sure if they make an exact 7-watt cfl but I do know that their are 9-watt cfl's that you could put on each side with reflectors. Not sure the size of your t5's but since your screen is small cfl's may work better. Here is another link, scroll down to the lighting section. http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?1291-Algae-Scrubber-Basics-The-Summary

[Nad]

Hi

Thanks for the link. The tubes i have are about 22inches long and are 24Watts each. i was thinking about using some cfl's but i hear they need changing every three months,so to save some money i was going to give the T5s ago and see how they work out.

[cdm2012]

Sounds like a plan. Good luck and post your results when you get it built.

[Nad]

Thanks and will do,the only problem is trying to mount two tubes over the screen,but i think i should come up with something after a bit of a think

[Garf]

Your never gonna get much of the light from the tube to the screen, with the tube being that long. Cfl's are available from tesco, Asda etc for a couple of quid each (clip on lamp holders are also a few quid each).

[Nad]

Thanks for that Garf. Is that what your using ? and if so do you have any links to the stuff your using


Thanks mate

[Garf]

I started off like this;
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?1823-howdy-from-the-uk-day-one&p=18505&viewfull=1#post18505

[Nad]

Looks good,are you changing your bulbs every 3 months,and how much are the bulbs costing you

[SantaMonica]

All fluorescent bulbs need 3 month changing. So CFL's would be best, to fit the size of the screen.

[Garf]

Looks good,are you changing your bulbs every 3 months,and how much are the bulbs costing you

4 for £15, B&Q. Yes change every 3 months, you notice a massive difference in intensity as soon as they are changed out.

[Nad]

All fluorescent bulbs need 3 month changing. So CFL's would be best, to fit the size of the screen.


Hi

Is that the case for T5s as well

[Nad]

So i would just need some 2700K CFL's

[Garf]

So i would just need some 2700K CFL's

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj597/Garf1971/33cb01e764bd53fbcb15b0b2556331ad_zpsd53728e2.jpg