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Thread: my tank

  1. #21
    kerry's Avatar
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    His light is the biggest problem (he needs like 100 watts), I have 23 watts on a 2.75x6.75 screen to get the results I do. His screen is way to big, he needs about 3 more bulbs or a lot smaller screen, say to the tune of 75% to 90% smaller at minimum to get the expected results I do with a 23 watt bulb. I would say to cut the screen at least in half and see what happens then keep trimming it until you get the best results.
    150G. Reef/Mix
    125G. 3 Regular Oscars/1 Jack Dempsey
    75G. 20+ Africans
    40G. Fish/Reef. Algae Scrubbers on ALL my SW
    10G. SW Fish/Reef.
    10G. SW Hospital/new fish quarantine/pod breeder tank
    6 stage RO/DI system 200 GPD.

  2. #22

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    I would say to cut the screen at least in half and see what happens then keep trimming it until you get the best results.[/QUOTE]

    hey kerry, i posted on the last page that i did cut it down to half from 16x12 to 8x12. should be more flow and nutrients per inch of screen. anyway i thought i would put a couple more pics, the last whole tank pic doesnt show much.Click image for larger version

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  3. #23
    kerry's Avatar
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    You can try that but, you are going to be limited by your light that is only 23 watts. I am at just under 20 square inches of screen facing the same light and struggled to get it to go. I think your limiting factor will be your light. It would be great to be proved wrong though. I still think your screen is at least twice the size it should be. I have probably done more horizontal testing then anyone else I have seen on this site. Not to say I am the expert but I have a little knowledge about them and would like to save you from the pitfalls I went through. IMO If you want a large screen with that 23 watt bulb you are going to have to cut the screen down and put it close enough so ALL the light spills onto the screen only. Not so close it burns it though.
    I hope someone else can make a horizontal grow like mine has. I was pretty proud when I got mine growing huge 3D algae like the SM100. There are more techniques out there that I have not thought of or tried so maybe you can come up with a better solution then I did. I don't mean to discourage a horizontal build I just know its very hard to do, and when you do its still not as good as the water fall type at eliminating nutrients with a lot less growth. It is fun though and its great learning about algae and light.

    Your best option is to use two spot/flood CFL's and make a water fall with a smaller screen. I think you have room for that but, the problem there is getting a pump and the plumbing to it.

    Let us know how and what you do other and I are always interested in what others are trying and are always willing to help. Be on the look out as I plan to make this scrubber a LED powered unit in a couple months or so.
    150G. Reef/Mix
    125G. 3 Regular Oscars/1 Jack Dempsey
    75G. 20+ Africans
    40G. Fish/Reef. Algae Scrubbers on ALL my SW
    10G. SW Fish/Reef.
    10G. SW Hospital/new fish quarantine/pod breeder tank
    6 stage RO/DI system 200 GPD.

  4. #24

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    i was tryin to go by the new guidelines, said use a 12x16 for horizontal, mine is at 45 degees, its between horizontal and vertical. i put in 1 gram a day of pellet. how much food do you put in using the 2.75 x 6.75 screen?

  5. #25
    kerry's Avatar
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    I do about a cube a day some times two.
    150G. Reef/Mix
    125G. 3 Regular Oscars/1 Jack Dempsey
    75G. 20+ Africans
    40G. Fish/Reef. Algae Scrubbers on ALL my SW
    10G. SW Fish/Reef.
    10G. SW Hospital/new fish quarantine/pod breeder tank
    6 stage RO/DI system 200 GPD.

  6. #26
    kerry's Avatar
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    These horizontals are hard to dial in and even harder when the light is not enough.
    150G. Reef/Mix
    125G. 3 Regular Oscars/1 Jack Dempsey
    75G. 20+ Africans
    40G. Fish/Reef. Algae Scrubbers on ALL my SW
    10G. SW Fish/Reef.
    10G. SW Hospital/new fish quarantine/pod breeder tank
    6 stage RO/DI system 200 GPD.

  7. #27

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    ok, sounds like you feed a little more than i do so i probbly need to cut one the same size as yours. how often do you clean yours and do you take it all off or do half at a time or?

  8. #28

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    well goin skimmerless, looks as tho the sump had been a nitrate sink, only 2 inches of gravel with low flow. all the detritus is just settleing in there, i stir it up once a week but there,s so little flow most of it seems to be just re settleing. so i took out the skimmer and using the pump for flow in the sump. reason for using gravel in there is because its supose to be better for pod breeding.

  9. #29
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    Gravel makes life very difficult for the creatures that eat your system detritus. 1 to 4 inches of substrate has anecdotally caused lots of problems. Use a deep sand bed (read up on this because there are risk factors) or go bare bottom.

  10. #30

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    there is no clean up crew other than 5 starfish, banded coral shrimp and a few pods. all snails and crabs i put in there just die. i can and did this week again, go thru and completely stir up my whole sand bed and sump bed without any ill effects to the corals. they dont even close up or even show any effects from it. dont want to jinxs myself but it doesnt seem to matter what i do with this tank it doesnt crash or bother it. all my flow goes from the back of the tank to the front and down which slowly push the sand to the back where the large maroon doesnt like it and spends half her time fanning it back to the front. use no phoshate remover and have no measurable phates. only prob with the tank is trates at 30 which i am hoping to get the scrubber dialed in to take care of for me. shouldnt need any clean up crew or aneorobic bacteria with good flow, mechanical filtering and a scrubber that works. also i go in with a fountain pump and blow all rock and coral off so the flow can take it into the filter. probbly just my opinion but seems aneorobic bacteria are more for people to lazy to spend 30 minutes week stirring detritus out of the sand and rocks so the mechanical filters can pick it up to be rinsed out. may be why i have 30 for trates but once the scrubber is going properly that should be solved.

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