Super simple UAS

[jason2982]

Hi, I just finish to build my scrubber, actually it is a super simple scrubber, but I would like to read your opinions and suggestions.
Here´s a small video of the scrubber.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/jason2982/th_2014-01-12193122.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/jason2982/2014-01-12193122.mp4)

Regards.

[SantaMonica]

Welcome,

Looks good. Might want to cover the airstone from the light.

[jason2982]

Thanks, I will do that.

A little more info. The screen is 5.6 x 8.8
And the lamp is a 10 Watt Led reflector, I was thinkin on changing for this led, It´s a 8 red 1 blue chip, do you think worth it?

5068

Regards.

[SantaMonica]

Probably too concentrated. Needs to be more spread out.

[Creekview]

I'm running that same 10w hybrid LED on my scrubber. It's about 3" from my screen. Much closer and it'll burn in the middle. I'm happy with the growth, and especially the health of the tank. Scrubber is my only filtration. I would never go back to the old ways.

[jason2982]

Thanks for sharing your experience Creek, can You tell me what is the size of your screen?

Thanks¡¡

[Creekview]

It's 8x8". I have a 55 reef and just plumbed in a 33 long to the system. My scrubber sits in one end of a 6 gallon acrylic 3 chamber refugium I've re-plumbed. Screen setup is same as yours, I have a 6" large bubble air stone zip tied to the bottom of the screen. I made a light block out of a ceramic tile cut to fit with crushed coral bonded to it. It sits behind the screen. Both grow algae. Tons of pods live in and on the screen and tile. I've never seen corals grow like this. I call it a "happy tank". Everything just hums along, all I do is top off the water. I over feed a lot, and the water always checks in spec.

[jason2982]

Thanks a lot, I like the option that you use with the ceramic tile as a light block, thanks for all the info. I think my scrubber is too small for a 180 gal. Maybe I will put another one, with the configuration you use and with the hybrid led, then I will see the difference.

[jason2982]

It´s been almost two weeks and I don´t see nothing in the scrubber... just getting a little pink. Is that ok?

[Creekview]

What other filtration do you run? Skimmer?

[jason2982]

None, I was thinking on buying a skimmer, but i want to give a try at the algae scrubber, just have some chaeto.

[Creekview]

Chaeto is going to compete for nutrients. I don't run any. I have some naturally occurring macro algae in the display tank, but not much. Try pulling 90% of the chaeto out. What's shining on the scrubber? Gotta have enough light. Skip the skimmer. Skimmers are non discriminating in what they remove, as are particulate filters. I've found that my system is very stable without either. My water contains tons of food for the fish and corals, and is very clear considering. In the interest of full disclosure, I have 120 lbs of live rock and a 6" deep substrate over a 1" plenum. I've also just switched to LED tank lights.

[jason2982]

Thanks a lot Creek, I was considering of taking off the Chaeto but I was waiting for the first harvest because my phosphats levels are very high.
I will take it off anyway and see if the scrubber show improvement, for now i´m making water changes, maybe I will add another reflector, currently I have a 12 watt led with an 18 hours fotoperiod

Thanks again.

[Creekview]

Thanks a lot Creek, I was considering of taking off the Chaeto but I was waiting for the first harvest because my phosphats levels are very high.
I will take it off anyway and see if the scrubber show improvement, for now i´m making water changes, maybe I will add another reflector, currently I have a 12 watt led with an 18 hours fotoperiod

Thanks again.

The scrubber will definitely deal with the phosphates. Did you rough up the screen really well? Makes a big difference. I use a coarse tooth saws all blade, and scrape both sides up and down, back and forth, and then diagonally corner to corner. I scrape it 4-5 times each way. Make it nice and hairy! As long as your nitrate and nitrite tests aren't out of whack, I'd hold off water changes as well.

[jason2982]

I rough it up with a hole saw... but I didn´t obtain the hairy effect, I rough up till almost broken, maybe I didn´t do it well, I will try again... maybe with a different saw.

[SantaMonica]

Sounds too long for no color.

[rleahaines]

Thanks a lot Creek, I was considering of taking off the Chaeto but I was waiting for the first harvest because my phosphats levels are very high.
I will take it off anyway and see if the scrubber show improvement, for now i´m making water changes, maybe I will add another reflector, currently I have a 12 watt led with an 18 hours fotoperiod

Thanks again.

You should be getting something in the scrubber. It sounds like your screen is rough enough.

Could be the light.

let's check. You have a 12 Watt LED. What color? How many watts does this work out to per sq. inch? Is it a light panel or what? Some of the light panels out there are way underpowered to use for a scrubber.

How far away from the screen is the LED light source?

[jason2982]

The led is Warm White but I don´t have the full specs, the screen is 49 sq. inch, as I understad the led is enough for a 25 sq inchs, I think the rule is 1/2 a watt LED per square inch. So... I´m short of light, the led it is a reflector, you can see it on the video on my first post, and it is about 3.2 Inch from the screen. Maybe the light is the problem. Yesterday I take out the Chaeto from the sump, maybe that helps.

Thanks a lot for your help.

[Creekview]

Not enough red light. Get the 10w hybrid 660nm you posted earlier. That's what I run, and my scrubber grows algae like crazy on a 64 sq in screen.

[silverado61]

Chaeto is going to compete for nutrients. I don't run any. I have some naturally occurring macro algae in the display tank, but not much. Try pulling 90% of the chaeto out. What's shining on the scrubber? Gotta have enough light. Skip the skimmer. Skimmers are non discriminating in what they remove, as are particulate filters. I've found that my system is very stable without either. My water contains tons of food for the fish and corals, and is very clear considering. In the interest of full disclosure, I have 120 lbs of live rock and a 6" deep substrate over a 1" plenum. I've also just switched to LED tank lights.
I just read in a book something about a plenum in a DSB. If you don't mind my asking, how long have you been using a plenum and how's it working for you?

[Creekview]

I've almost always run DSB over a plenum in my reef tanks. I use a simple airstone bubble lift, no power head. I've never had any negative experiences with them. In my current setup it seems to harbor tons of pods, and recently I found a shrimp about an inch long coming up the bubble lift. Lots of discussion can be found, pro and con. My goal is to maintain slow movement of water thru he sand bed. I have a very industrious pistol shrimp that lives with a diamond goby and a yellow watchman goby. Two fair sized brittle stars and a dozen nassarius snails and the shrimp and gobies keep the sand bed constantly stirred up.

[silverado61]

So the plenum is the same thing as an undergravel filter?

[Creekview]

So the plenum is the same thing as an undergravel filter?

Sorta. One school of thought says to run powerheads on the lift tubes for a few months, then remove them. Something about nitrifying bacteria yada yada yada. I just want some circulation thru the bed, and to provide a dark safe place for pods and so forth. I don't use a powerhead, just an air stone bubble lift. I use 50/50 mix of CaribSea Super Reef and Seaflor Special Grade Reef. Lots of nooks and crannies. I see 'pods in the tunnels the gobys and pistol shrimp dig. Makes for stable tunnel structures for them.

[jason2982]

I´m starting to see progress.. but I did wrong, yesterday I cleaned the scrubber.. I didn´t know that the first cleaning must be very gentle... so I clean it with a soft brush and I almost take away everything... so I think it´s like starting over.

Before Cleaning.
5121


After
5122

[Creekview]

It will grow back faster since there are algae cells on the screen. I just swish mine off in a 5 gallon bucket of saltwater, then siphon off the 'pods with a turkey baster. My screen is always loaded with Rotifera and 'pods.