[Merged posts] how much would i gain if......

[new2scrub]

my current scrubber is 7"x12" and lit on one side by a 43watt cfl and the design allows light to flood into the sump area causing algae to grow in unwanted areas. my tank is a 45 gallon reef.

how much better would it be to make a screen that is 7"x10" but lit on both sides by 23 watt cfl's and in a box so no light goes into sump?

my goal is to purchase a sm100 or build something that is just as nice but i just don't have the money right now,,,i can only spend about $30.00 for now,,,,,my current scrubber cost me about $20.00 and was well worth it,,,thanks santa!

[SantaMonica]

Glad yours is working so far. Just get some thin plastic sheets and clip them into place in your sump. That will block the light. Later you can build an acrylic box.

[new2scrub]

thanks for the idea but the scrubber is hanging above the sump and the light is coming from the bottom of scrubber. and my sump space is very little (10 gallon tank for sump) . this is why i feel i need to put the scrubber in some kind of box,,the amount of algae that grows on glass is almost equal to the amount that grows on the screen,,,due to the tight space.

[new2scrub]

in a sealed box type scrubber like the SM100 how high do you keep the water level inside the scrubber box? i saw something about " 3-D scrubbing" on the youtube video?

my acrylic box measures 18"L x 3"W and 12" tall , think my screen will be about 15"long by 8" tall and lit on both sides by 43 watt CFL's

my tank is a 45 gallon reef

[SantaMonica]

1/2" or 1" on the bottom is good.

[new2scrub]

ok thanks just wanted to be sure. o cool youtube vids by the way! :) one more question: do you recommend any special plumbing to reduce noise inside the scrubber or in the sump ,,for the scrubbers discharge water? such as a durso or reverse durso?

[SantaMonica]

You might want to put a tube with hole in it, from the drain of the scrubber to the bottom of the sump.

[new2scrub]

i was going to use pvc pipe to go from the scrubber to the bottom of the sump where should i out the "hole"??

[SantaMonica]

All along the sides

[Eclip]

Since mine in an above tank i found the force of teh water exiting would blow my substrate around so i put a foot valve strainer on the outlet of my scrubber to disperse the water evenly and stopped it all going to the bottom.

Something like the bottom of this.
http://www.irrigationwarehouse.com.au/images/footvalve50mm.jpg

I also noticed that if the water level in the scrubber is not high enough need approx 1-1.5" that the swirling motion as teh water goes out the outlet sucks bubbles into it. by Adjusting the height of the water in the scrubber using a ball valve you can tune them out or by using secondary drains depending on the size drain you use.

[new2scrub]

my screen is 15" x 10" and i would like to find a cheap light fixture that roughly fits that size. as of now the only thing i can find is the 10" round clip-on drop light with a cfl bulb screwed into it ,like i use now. i would like to find something square so i can butt it against my scrubbers square window and not let so much light escape the scrubber,and maybe have a better reflector. i have seen the cfl outdoor flood light that measures aprox. 10"x7" but cant find it for sale .

[new2scrub]

ok here are what i have narrowed my options down to,for my 10" x 15" ats screen lit on both sides for a 45 gallon reef.

i have 2 of the clip-on drop lights with the big round aluminum reflectors,,so what would be better for light : option#1 is to remove the reflectors and use 23 watt cfl flood lights or option #2 is to keep the metal reflectors and use 43 watt spiral cfl bulbs.
please advise santa:)