Can the screen size compensate for the strength of light?

[Levinson]

Hi, my first post here!
I was wondering if the larger screen size can compensate for the strength of the light, assuming the light is evenly spread across the screen.
In another words, can weaker light over a larger screen perform as well as setup with a smaller screen with a stronger light source?

How about flowrate? Can a setup with a larger screen size with lower flow rate perform as well as a smaller screen size with a high flow rate setup? (Assuming the light remained the same).

Thanks in advance for your input!

[SantaMonica]

Welcome from Korea,

No a bigger waterfall screen will not really help a weak light, especially in high nutrients that grow dark or black slime. Plastic screen cannot hold on to slime well, so the slime falls off.

You need the brighter light to penetrate deeper, and to grow more hair algae which can hold on. One exception would be solar powered; since the light is free you can make the screen larger to catch the light.

For flow, when it gets too low then it starts channeling and you get dry parts which don't help at all. So 35 gph per inch of 1/8" screen slot is a good start.

The above does not apply to bubble upflows, however, because slime is supported by the water, and all areas remain wet.

Hope that helps

[Levinson]

Hi SantaMonica!
Thank you for your reply. It was just what I needed to know!
Cheers