The new Upflow Algae Scrubber (UAS)

[thepotz]

Instead of going through all this trouble making an upflow algae scrubber, and getting the bubbles to contact the screen evenly, why not just make a large co2 reactor, and put your standard waterfall algae scrubber inside it. then the algae will have all the co2 it wants.

[acorral]

Instead of going through all this trouble making an upflow algae scrubber, and getting the bubbles to contact the screen evenly, why not just make a large co2 reactor, and put your standard waterfall algae scrubber inside it. then the algae will have all the co2 it wants.

What about PH ?

Bubbles also serve as circulation and agitation not just CO2 delivery as far as I understand

[thepotz]

There is agitation and circulation in a waterfall scrubber. It's my understanding that algae responds best to nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, CO2, and light. all i'm saying is if you use CO2 already in your water column to grow plants, just make a large co2 reactor, and grow algae in it.

[herring_fish]

If you have a CO2 reactor already, using it will help stimulate growth if properly applied. That is true.

Please forgive me for sounding like a broken record but part of the point of having an up flowing bubble system is to create randomized turbulence, which helps prevent algae strands from sticking together. Strands that are stuck together can reduce the light that gets to the lower strands but the most important point is, in my opinion, that strands that are stuck together will begin to suffocate. If water can flow by all of the strands, the growth can increase by 50%.

Additionally, when matting is forestalled by agitation, algae death does not return nutrients to the water column. This means that while peak growth is not maintained when harvesting is delayed, algae will continue to grow and take up nutrients instead of going backwards.

So, if you can use CO2 while preventing clumping then all the better but clumping is a bigger issue.

Signed Mr. Turbulance :-)

[thepotz]

OK, now I am understanding why turbulance and agitation are important!
Thanks!

[SantaMonica]

The new Hang-On-Glass UAS with bubble remover:

[RkyRickstr]

Looks good, now with the vent holes out of the water how do u make sure you have water flowing in and out of the scrubber chamber?

[SantaMonica]

Water comes in the bottom, sucked in by the upflowing bubbles. It goes out of the spaces in the sides, or you can make holes in the sides.

[RkyRickstr]

ok.. did you make a corner version of this one?

[SantaMonica]

No, just this simple 1-sided one.