Need help with my design for an algae scrubber!

[Biglurr54]

So I am building a tank that began as a tank to keep on my desk at work. It is now a 16 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump on a stand that will go next to my desk at work! Oh how things escalate in this hobby. I have everything pretty much figured out for the rest of the build I am just struggling with the scrubber design. The current set up is 16 gallon tank 10 gallon sump. It will have 2 3/4 overflows. It will have a return pump with a calculated 425 gallon per hour rating. The sump will be designed to do algae scrubbing first then the water will run through a bubble trap that will contain filter floss and then it will pass up through chemipure elite. Then it will have a chamber of live rock and a heater.

The tank will be a mixed reef with sps lps and some fish.

I am considering doing a waterfall scrubber with plastic screen all housed in an acrylic box. The screen will be 4x6 and it will have 2 660 red leds on either side. The LEDS will have diffusers to spread the light out. The flow will be coming from one overflow. It will have control from 0-212 gallons per hour to the screen. It will have a safety overflow in case it get clogged.

My other idea is an up flow style in the sump. This will be a 5x8 black acrylic box. Similar to the HOG.1 it will hang on the glass with magnets. The I will coat the inside with epoxy and lay crushed coral inside for the algae to attach too. The outside box will have 4 660 red leds. The flow will be from a bubbler and a power head pointed at the bottom of the box to accelerate water through the box.

1. Will crushed coral work as a substrate for the algae?
2. Are the sizes correct for the tank? I know feeding is how its measured now but that is difficult to do when the tank is dry.
3. Are the lights over kill?
4. Can there be too much flow for a waterfall algae scrubber (40-50 gph)?
5. Will a power head pushing water through a up flow scrubber cause any issues?


Thanks for the help!

[SantaMonica]

Welcome.

A 10g sump is pretty small to put a waterfall over, So I'd do an upflow. Consider also doing no-sump at all. You would only need to place the heater and top-off, and design the scrubber with a bubble remover.

You don't want the floss, or the chemipure. No mechanical filtering at all.

The scrubber size is good, but you don't need a power head. Crushed coral will probably dissolve over time, so non-aragonite material like gravel is better.

[Biglurr54]

Its going to have a sump no matter what. Im sick of looking at float switches and wires. Ive never seen any of those items while diving. my design will fit in a 10 gallon no problem and will be easy to remove to clean so thats not a worry. Im looking for the most effective scrubber design. Santamonica do you sell wet sides of the HOG.1? PM me I might be interested. Which are more efficient floating, upflow, or waterfall?

[SantaMonica]

Most effective is by far controlled by how it's built and operated. So just go with what is easiest to build, operate, and clean. Put some strings on it too.

Yes the HOG1 wet side is half price; I'll create a listing for it on the shopping cart.

[Floyd R Turbo]

Welcome to the site!

[Biglurr54]

Thank you for the welcoming! I started my scrubber last night. It will go inline with the overflow and have an overflow for the overflow in the event there is a clog. The screen is 4x6 and the black line on the screen is the water level. It will be powered by 4 660 red LED's. The box is going to be painted black to keep the light in. Do I need to drill some holes to allow air exchange? When the lid is on it is a tight seal. 4900

There is enough room to slip out the pvc pipe from the bulkhead for cleaning. If no holes need to be drilled for air flow then the entire system can be filled with water. The lid make a nice seal and can hold pressure.

[SantaMonica]

A small hole for air is probably good.

[MorganAtlanta]

I'd think about putting in a second "emergency" drain and leaving the pipe from that open a little above the water level in your sump. If you hear water splashing out into the sump, you'll know something is up. If this is going in an office it has to be 100% flood proof and you need to be confident you can leave it for at least long weekends.