Light source suggestions

[kentth]

I built my first scrubber last November. I had a very bad algae problem. It is a 7X13 screen. Lit it on both sides. It took months to get really going, but was just starting to reduce my tank algae in April. The end of April I decided to build a new sump, tore my tank completely apart, went to a deep sand bed. The tank is a 45 gal. with a sump that is a DIY acrylic holds about 15 gal, integrated removable refugium. Got rid of my skimmer. and have been totally on the AS, since about mid May.

Starting to get some tank algae growth again so decided to build a better scrubber, modeled after the SM100, but instead of 24" long, it will be 15" long. 24 will not fit in my sump. I will use my original screen, orient it with the 13 horizontal. (see side view drawing). the problem I am running into is a light source.

[attachment=0:28iudugl]side-panel-as.gif[/attachment:28iudugl]
Side view drawing

If I go with linear bulbs they can only be 15" long. The only thing I can find are F10T40CW 10 watt 13.5 " long 4100 K, not sure how many I would need per side or if these would work. Option 2 A 24 Watt design, from a place I got my hood lights and reflectors http://www.ahsupply.com/18_or_24_w_kits.htm . Probably could only get one of these on a side, haven't talked them but their lowest bulb is a 5500K bulb . Option 3 using 23W CFL 2700K, what i am presently using. either 1 or 2 per side. probably building a reflector out of the reflector material Santa Monica has on this site.

Any thoughts or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Kent

[SantaMonica]

Definetely the stronger bulb, one per side, in order to get light all the way to the ends of the screen. You could reduce the screen height to 5" if you want, since the parts higher and lower than that won't be doing much unless you have 2 bulbs per side.

[kentth]

So Option 2 with the U-shaped tube. That was the direction that I was leaning. I double checked these are 6700K bulbs or should I look for a different brightness, they might have different brightness. The reflectors made by this company are great reflectors.

cutting the screen to 5 inches will give me 65 sq " per side. Will that be sufficient for my 45 gal tank (actually with sump about 55 gal of water). I have about 180 GPH flow presently thru the system all gravity.

Thanks for the information

Kent

[SantaMonica]

It's not 65 sq in per side, it's 65 period. And 65 sq in for a 45 gal is fine for most people, especially if you have one 45+ total watts. Total watts and even distribution across the screen (both sides) are more important than spectrum.

[kentth]

ok thanks...I will start my build.

Once I get it down I will let you know how it works.

Thanks for all your help

Kent

[kentth]

Got my new scrubber built, installed and running. I have pictures, but I don't like how they turned out, so I need to take others.

Here is my questions. The pipe the screen is suspended from is 3/4". My water source is from the flow out of the tank to the sump. My old scrubber was about 180 GPH. With the new scrubber, I had to add some plumbing, so now my flow is down to 120 GPH. I am wondering if I can increase the flow by increasing the size of the return line.

Presently I am reducing the 1" return line to 3/4" as it gets to the sump. What I am wondering is would the flow increase, if I did not reduce the return line until right before it enters the scrubber. I had to add 2 90 degree turns to the supply line for the new scrubber, which I know reduces the flow. What I am hoping to do is utilize 1" dia 90's and increase the flow back to 180 GPH.

You help is appreciated.

Kent

[SantaMonica]

Don't know. Maybe you can just cut the screen to be 5" wide, and tape off the rest of the slot. 180 is good for 5".

[kentth]

I think I am going to try a Bean Animal/Calfo type system. My return line is 1", but I am reducing to 3/4 right as I get to the sump. I am going to extend the 1" return line and reduce to the 3/4" right as it goes into the scrubber. Hopefully this will reduce the back pressure on the return flow and increase the flow. I am not sure how much flow the 3/4 inch scrubber line can handle.

Thanks for the info.

Kent

[kentth]

well I realized my problem...my pump. I am running a Mag 3. Plenty of flow for a 45 gal, marginal flow for a 5" wide, but not sufficient for a 13" wide. Looks like with my head pressure, I am going to need a Mag 9 or equivalent. Any suggestion on a pump that has 500 GPH with a 5' raise would be appreciate.

The Bean Animal /Calfo system has really increased the flow. Still attempting to tweak the system, so that when it shuts down, the flow to the scrubber will start before the backup overflow.

Kent

[kentth]

I have finally got everything rebuild and operational. I essentially took the SM100 and adapted it to my sump. I took the screen that I started last November, it is 13 X 5 and turned it with the long side Horizontal. My initial scrubber took almost 6 months to get going. I was utilizing a 27 Watt, 2700 W CFL and the 36 watt 6700K reflector unit that I am transferring to the new unit. I will be adding a second A H reflector unit to the new scrubber.

In May I rebuilt my refugium and sump and rehung the my original scrubber.
[attachment=2:a32iojf8]web1.jpg[/attachment:a32iojf8]


The end of June I decided to build a better system. The first thing I alwasy build is a cardboard mock up, in the back of the following picture. It is put together with Weld-on 3 with 16 being used to on all the seams.
[attachment=1:a32iojf8]web-2.jpg[/attachment:a32iojf8]
[attachment=0:a32iojf8]web_3.jpg[/attachment:a32iojf8]


This acutually took be longer to build then my sump, almost a month.

The unit has been in place for a week. I am only lighting one side with th A H reflector and the 37 watt 6700K CFL, wanted to see how it worked before I bought the other side. I even got 3D growth after the end of the first week.


Color of algae was red and tan, with very little green. Any suggestion on getting green?

After changing my overflow to a Bean Animal/Calfo system, I have boosted my flow to 257 GPH, this is with a 300 GPH pump. At this point, I am looking at geting a 700 GPH, Mag7 pump to bring it up to over 500 GPH. and adding a second 37 watt light unit.

At this point, I am probably going to go to a 3000K bulb, It looks like there are a number of differnt lumens possible to be purchased. Do the Lumens make a differnence in the the lightening?

Thanks for any and all suggestions for tweaking this system.

Kent