+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 27

Thread: Reasoning against dual screen builds?

  1. #11
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710
    Quote Originally Posted by SantaMonica View Post
    1-sided has half the filtering of 2-sided, even with the same wattage, because with 1-sided the roots die twice as fast from darkness.
    ^^ this snuck in above one of your posts

    One lamp, one reflector, light reflects forward. Reflection off the opposing reflector has no factor at all.

  2. #12
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710
    Quote Originally Posted by Bilk View Post
    I also think there's still a way to make this work if light penetration to the roots is an issue. Just place lights on either end so the screen is illuminated from four sides.
    If you are referring to edge-lighting the screen, no, that won't work. Light must be perpendicular to the growth substrate.

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    El Dorado Hills, CA, USA
    Posts
    6
    If that were the case, we'd only have algae on the bottom of the aquarium versus the sides. Light scattering, reflection and refraction virtually guarantee something hits the substrate perpendicularly.
    Brandon

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    74
    I'm new to ATS in employing one, however I've seen them at work and have read about them for years as most of us have. There's a few things I'm not convinced of though. Roots dying is one. If the screen is filling from both sides with algae, the illumination from both sides, the light reaching the "roots", is continually diminishing on each side as the light get's blocked anyway. As for edge lighting, I don't believe that the light source has to be perpendicular as a secondary source. Light is light. It radiates and by definition that isn't a linear aspect.

    I can see a scrubber where the screens are separated by two or three inches and have a few on the edge and pointed in between the screens to help with the "dying root" issue. The back of these screens aren't the primary growing medium. The front is. The edge light will not be wasted. It's still energy into the system. Heck if the entire inside of the scrubber were made of reflective material, you could probably get growth on both sides of both screens.

    I guess there's only one way to find out Maybe I'll patent it

  5. #15

    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    74
    Quote Originally Posted by realtime3d View Post
    If that were the case, we'd only have algae on the bottom of the aquarium versus the sides. Light scattering, reflection and refraction virtually guarantee something hits the substrate perpendicularly.
    Exactly!

  6. #16
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710
    Quote Originally Posted by realtime3d View Post
    If that were the case, we'd only have algae on the bottom of the aquarium versus the sides. Light scattering, reflection and refraction virtually guarantee something hits the substrate perpendicularly.
    Maybe in your aquarium. But not on a scrubber.

  7. #17
    Banned
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Uk! England
    Posts
    1,212
    I've thought about edge lighting. Even tested it. Shine a light through the edge, and the whole screen glows (while being shaded from the light source).The light travels through the screen material.This would give light to the inside layers, but if it's enough or not, only testing it would confirm. However, plumped for the one sided screen cleanings.

  8. #18
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710
    Quote Originally Posted by Bilk View Post
    I'm new to ATS in employing one, however I've seen them at work and have read about them for years as most of us have. There's a few things I'm not convinced of though. Roots dying is one. If the screen is filling from both sides with algae, the illumination from both sides, the light reaching the "roots", is continually diminishing on each side as the light get's blocked anyway. As for edge lighting, I don't believe that the light source has to be perpendicular as a secondary source. Light is light. It radiates and by definition that isn't a linear aspect.

    I can see a scrubber where the screens are separated by two or three inches and have a few on the edge and pointed in between the screens to help with the "dying root" issue. The back of these screens aren't the primary growing medium. The front is. The edge light will not be wasted. It's still energy into the system. Heck if the entire inside of the scrubber were made of reflective material, you could probably get growth on both sides of both screens.

    I guess there's only one way to find out Maybe I'll patent it
    Yes, roots die in double-lit screens as well. They just don't die as fast, because though it may seem like an inconsequential amount of light that penetrates from one side to the other, when light is penetrating from both sides to the roots, they will last a few more days before the dying process starts versus a single sided screen. Thickness of growth is also a factor in all cases.

    Again, edge lighting really does nothing. You cannot force light to illuminate the substrate/roots from the edge. It would only penetrate a little ways along the substrate, then it would be absorbed or reflected. I'm really having a hard time understanding why you think this is feasible. I'm not trying to be a jack--- here, just honest. People have had troubles solved by changing the light orientation from a 60 degree angle to the screen to a 90 degree angle. So why would going the other direction help anything?

  9. #19
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710
    Quote Originally Posted by Garf View Post
    I've thought about edge lighting. Even tested it. Shine a light through the edge, and the whole screen glows (while being shaded from the light source).The light travels through the screen material.This would give light to the inside layers, but if it's enough or not, only testing it would confirm. However, plumped for the one sided screen cleanings.
    So are you saying you tried it and it worked?

  10. #20
    Banned
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Uk! England
    Posts
    1,212
    In as much as the screen material glowed, yes. Didn't try it with algae on though because this sets up another load of obstacles, stopping algea growing on the edge of the screen, concentrating light to illuminate he screen material and waterproofing the light source are just a few I can think of at the minute. One sided cleaning is much easier to sort out and test.

+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts