The new Upflow Algae Scrubber (UAS)

What I am planning is similar to this. I'm going to cut a slot in a piece of PVC pipe just smaller than the air wand I use, the wrap a piece of clear plastic (like what you use in a report cover) and then slide the wand into the pipe with the plastic over the whole screen. The idea here is that is will 'hug' the screen, which forces the bubbles to rub the entire screen all the way up. Then when the screen grows out, the plastic will flex out with the growth but it won't allow the bubbles to bypass the screen.

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Originally Posted by Floyd R Turbo

What I am planning is similar to this. I'm going to cut a slot in a piece of PVC pipe just smaller than the air wand I use, the wrap a piece of clear plastic (like what you use in a report cover) and then slide the wand into the pipe with the plastic over the whole screen. The idea here is that is will 'hug' the screen, which forces the bubbles to rub the entire screen all the way up. Then when the screen grows out, the plastic will flex out with the growth but it won't allow the bubbles to bypass the screen.

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I like that idea, more confined=less space for bubbles to disperse. I wonder if doing that will restrict growth too much though. So you are thinking of bending really thin acrylic to do that?

No, like I said I will be using a sheet of plastic like you use for the cover of a report, like paper thickness

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Originally Posted by Floyd R Turbo

No, like I said I will be using a sheet of plastic like you use for the cover of a report, like paper thickness

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Gotcha, will they be hard, or flowy like paper?

Like the consistency of x-ray paper but clear

Cool, let me know how that turns out. Def want to see the plans on paper.

What are people doing to help prevent the massive amounts of salt creep from popping bubbles?

With the apparent problems with light intensity on the UAS instead of buying diffusers, couldn't you send another load of bubbles up to refract the light ( further away from the screen ). Then when you wanted to intensify the lighting, the light diffusing bubble set could be turned down or off. Sorry if this has already been talked about.

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What are people doing to help prevent the massive amounts of salt creep from popping bubbles?

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Waiting for the next version :)

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couldn't you send another load of bubbles up to refract the light

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Bubble do scatter the light more (like a prism), but I don't think they reflect light (like a mirror). So if the screen is green in some areas and not in others, more bubbles would probably help. But if the whole screen has no green, you probably just need to reduce hours. Or maybe increase hours. Still unshure.

Actually a fair portion bounces around the inside of the bubble and ends up going all different directions, effectively distancing the light source from the screen. I have even named this method of light control as Garfs Intensity Transformer, or GIT for short.