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Thread: UAS fed from return pump & air stone

  1. #1

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    UAS fed from return pump & air stone

    Newbie here....

    I built a single sided UAS for my 120g that resides in my 38g sump and so far have seen only a fair amount of brown algae growth. I am feeding it with a 12 inch airstone using a luft pump and 2, 65 watt CFLs (130 actual watts), and screen size is 8x8 (I know a little large according to the new guidelines) and was lighting for 12 hours. My scrubber is built out of 1" PVC with the air stone slid into the bottom with a slit cut out to direct the bubbles (I'll post pics once I figure out how). I also have a T off my return pump with a ball valve to adjust my flow rate to my display with the remaining flow (about 200gph) going back into my sump just below my algae scrubber. I just increased my lighting to 18 hours.

    This has got me thinking.....What if I feed my scrubber directly from my return pump or also insert a bubble wand into the PVC to add bubbles/oxygen with the return pump flow. I was thinking of drilling holes in the PVC to release feed water/bubbles (if that makes sense). Has anyone tried this approach?

    Tank has been set up for about 4 months and I have hair algae growing like crazy and red slime algae....nitrates are 20 ppm and I have not yet measured my phosphates.

    Open to suggestions.....

  2. #2

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    Here are pictures of my UAS and lights. I'll take some pics of it in operation later tonight.

    Click image for larger version

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  3. #3
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    Welcome.

    What is the screen material?

  4. #4

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    The screen is plastic mesh #7, roughed up with a hole saw. I attached pics of the scrubber in my sump.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version

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  5. #5
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    How much feeding?

  6. #6

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    About 4 pinches of flake each day,1 cube freeze dried brine shrimp every other day, and 10 square inches noori every other day.

    Also been running a skimmer. Been in service 2 weeks, I cleaned off the brown algae. The pictures are of 2 days growth....or lack thereof .....

    FOWLR set up with small clean up crew.

  7. #7
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    Screen is way too big. Not enough nutrients to growth green hair.

    Cut it in half vertically and use just one bulb focused on the screen; tape or seal up the rest of the slot. Yes the pvc with holes works well.

  8. #8

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    Great! I may replace my 12 inch airstone with a 6 inch as well. Thanks!

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