SantaMonica
01-29-2010, 12:25 AM
Let me guess... you are here because you have nuisance algae growing; you've tried everything, and nothing will stop it.
An algae scrubber will stop it. Here is a basic step-by-step algae scrubber guide (Word document), originally written for Bob Fenner of Wet Web Media:
http://radio-media.com/fish/AlgaeScrubbers.doc
See the whole story here:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1432 (http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1432)
And see the Frequently Asked Question here:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=68 (http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=68)
Quick Guideline, using feedings:
Each cube of frozen food you feed per day needs 12 square inches of screen, with a light on both sides totaling 12 real watts. Thus a nano that is fed one cube a day would need a screen 3 X 4 inches with a 6 real watt bulb on each side. A larger tank that is fed 10 cubes a day would need a screen 10 X 12 inches with 60 real watts of light on each side. If you feed flake, feeder fish, or anything else, you will need to blend it up super thick, strain out the excess water, pour it into a cube, and see how many cubes it is. And for Nori, 8 square inches = 1 cube.
Quick Guideline, using gallons:
0.5 real (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon MINIMUM [0.13 watts per liter].
1.0 real (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon for HIGH filtering [0.26 watts per liter].
1.0 square inches of screen per gallon, with bulbs on BOTH sides (10 x 10 = 100 square inches = 100 gal) [1.64 square cm per liter]
2.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if vertical but lit on just ONE side. [3.28 square cm per liter]
4.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if HORIZONTAL [6.56 square cm per liter].
1.5 real (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon if HORIZONTAL [0.4 watts per liter].
18 hours of lights ON, and 6 hours of lights OFF, each day.
Flow is 24 hours, and is at least 35 gph per inch of width of screen, EVEN IF one sided [60 lph per cm].
Very rough screen made of roughed-up-like-a-cactus plastic canvas.
Clean algae off of screen every SEVEN (7) days.
Note: If your scrubber is 1-sided instead of 2-sided, you'll need twice the wattage (or you'll need to feed half as much) in order to make up for the inefficiency of 1-sided screens.
An algae scrubber will stop it. Here is a basic step-by-step algae scrubber guide (Word document), originally written for Bob Fenner of Wet Web Media:
http://radio-media.com/fish/AlgaeScrubbers.doc
See the whole story here:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1432 (http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1432)
And see the Frequently Asked Question here:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=68 (http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=68)
Quick Guideline, using feedings:
Each cube of frozen food you feed per day needs 12 square inches of screen, with a light on both sides totaling 12 real watts. Thus a nano that is fed one cube a day would need a screen 3 X 4 inches with a 6 real watt bulb on each side. A larger tank that is fed 10 cubes a day would need a screen 10 X 12 inches with 60 real watts of light on each side. If you feed flake, feeder fish, or anything else, you will need to blend it up super thick, strain out the excess water, pour it into a cube, and see how many cubes it is. And for Nori, 8 square inches = 1 cube.
Quick Guideline, using gallons:
0.5 real (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon MINIMUM [0.13 watts per liter].
1.0 real (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon for HIGH filtering [0.26 watts per liter].
1.0 square inches of screen per gallon, with bulbs on BOTH sides (10 x 10 = 100 square inches = 100 gal) [1.64 square cm per liter]
2.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if vertical but lit on just ONE side. [3.28 square cm per liter]
4.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if HORIZONTAL [6.56 square cm per liter].
1.5 real (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon if HORIZONTAL [0.4 watts per liter].
18 hours of lights ON, and 6 hours of lights OFF, each day.
Flow is 24 hours, and is at least 35 gph per inch of width of screen, EVEN IF one sided [60 lph per cm].
Very rough screen made of roughed-up-like-a-cactus plastic canvas.
Clean algae off of screen every SEVEN (7) days.
Note: If your scrubber is 1-sided instead of 2-sided, you'll need twice the wattage (or you'll need to feed half as much) in order to make up for the inefficiency of 1-sided screens.