What do you think?

[beano_baby]

Here is the sump/ algae scrubber I am planning on building. What changes should i make? It is going to be in a 30 gallon tank and the display tank is 110 gallons. It will hold a Fahaka Puffer that is currently 4 inches long. I want to get everything estabilished so it will grow with him. I want to keep nitrates as low as possible and until he gets bigger do only 1 50% water change a month or less. This will have about 320 gph going through it. and its going to be freshwater. I am planning on starting off with just the aquarium light and when its obvious it cant handle keeping nitrates low then I will upgrade.

[SantaMonica]

Use the aquarium light?

[beano_baby]

Ya, I was just going to use the tank light for the 30 gallon. I have the hood and light for it. I read on another forum about someone who built one similiar to this one and that is what they used. Since they had a light bio load too I figured I'd be on with the aquarium light until my fish gets a few inches bigger. Right now he is 4 inches including the tail and he will have between the tank and sump around 125 gallons of water. The person who built one like this managed to get his nitrates down to unreadable numbers after two months. I know that light is not strong enough when my bio load becomes bigger but for now I think that would be sufficiant. If not then ill upgrade. What about the rest of my design? Anything else need discussing?

[SantaMonica]

How will the light reach the screen?

[beano_baby]

Ok, i spent some time trying to figure what you meant, but I think i understand what you mean now. If i am correct you were assuming my screen was running vertical and that would make sense seing how i didnt state otherwise and a mojority of scrubbers are running vertical. I am planning on using a screen on top of plexiglass and having it be on a angle so the screen will run around a 30 deg angle to the light. Sorry I didnt make that more clear in my earlier description.

Ill run this setup for around a month and examine my growth as well as my nitrates and after the first month ill make changes to the light as necessarry.

[SantaMonica]

No I meant how is the light getting to it if it does not have it's own bulb.

[beano_baby]

I was going to place a normal aquarium light on top of the sump. If that did not work I was going to buy either this:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...16&marketID=76

or this:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...16&marketID=76

and build a bracket and have it match the scrubbers angle.

[SantaMonica]

You'll want to use the first light. The second one is very strong, for high power filtering.

Also, the "filter" you have should be under-over-under, like this:

[beano_baby]

The reason I chose to go over-under-over is to have the first baffle on the bottom of the tank. the reasoning behind this it to minimize the snail crap that gets sucked into the filter. I was thinking of also planting some Brazilian Micro sword in the refugum/snail breeding part. The goal here is to have a good supply of food for the snails to gutload on as well as have a good biological system to help brake down the snail waste. Snails also like to lay eggs on plants although Ive never tried a grassy plant before.

Since this is freshwater and micro bubbles are not a concern with me do you think ill be ok the way I have it? or should i add a 4th baffle?

[SantaMonica]

Should be fine as is.