+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: Some waterfall ats questions

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Usa
    Posts
    7

    Some waterfall ats questions

    Hi guys,

    I'm hoping you can help speed up my research on the following waterfall ats questions...

    1) is the slot method for the screen the best or is the drill hole method better?

    2) is there a proven LED light source or is this still a bit in the experimentation stage? Would mind a link to some good options for a waterfall design if they are proven to work well. Currently I am using 40w cfls and at $8 bucks each and being replaced every 3 months this could start to get expensive.

    3) when a scrubber is new should you wait to clean the screen until their is some reasonable amount of growth or do you clean it every 7 days regardless?

    Thank you!

  2. #2
    Administrator
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
    Posts
    10,565
    Welcome,

    1. For waterfalls, slots are best because they rarely clog.
    2. http://algaescrubber.net/forums/show...ll=1#post36256
    3. Wait until growth; if slime, clean that off so green hair can attach.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Usa
    Posts
    7
    Thanks for the reply and information.

    One follow up question. These leds interest me...

    BEST:
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12W-40W-60...item3a83d789b3

    But I am unsure what wattage to get and the area it would cover on the screen. I have 2 different scrubbers that I recently built. Both waterfall style. One is 10"x13" and the other is 13"x20". Could you guide me in choosing the correct led for those two scrubbers? They are lit front and back. I'm wondering which fixtures as well as distances they should be mounted away from the screen. Thank you very much for your help.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Usa
    Posts
    7
    Link was broken. I think this one works
    http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/251320043955?_mwBanner=1

  5. #5
    Administrator
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
    Posts
    10,565

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    160
    Quote Originally Posted by Monti View Post
    Link was broken. I think this one works
    http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/251320043955?_mwBanner=1
    These lights work fine. Keep in mind that they are not 100% waterproof.

    I had one of these short out because of salt spray, even though it seemed to be sealed very well.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Usa
    Posts
    7
    Quote Originally Posted by SantaMonica View Post
    That helps, thank you. Sounds like basically you need half the watts if using leds versus cfls.
    Did I read somewhere that 1 square inch per gallon is a good starting point? I know you focus more on how much you feed versus how many gallons your tank is but I thought I read somewhere that 1" per gallon is a general rule. And that would be of display water not sump water (assuming you are not feeding your sump).

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Usa
    Posts
    7
    Thanks for the info rleahaines

    Do you guys feel that good quality leds such as the one in the link above work as well as fluorescents?

  9. #9
    Administrator
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
    Posts
    10,565
    How much water really does not matter. Food in must equal nutrients out, whether 10 or 100 gallons.

    LEDs seem to grow better most of the time, when about half the wattage. And much better when the same wattage, as long as the algae does not burn.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Usa
    Posts
    7
    Thank you both for your insight.

    Santa Montica...i have read the links but I am a little unclear on something in regards to waterfall type scrubbers. A 3x4" square screen illuminated with 12watts of fluorescents (6w on each side of screen)will remove 1 frozen cube worth of nutrients. To do this how much flow is required? Is it a minimum of 35gph per linear inch? So if it's 1" wide and 12" tall it requires 35gph but if it's 12" wide and 1" tall it would require 12x35gph? I do understand that these are general guidelines.

    Also if you put all 12 watts of light on one side only versus splitting up the wattage 6w and 6w to illuminate both sides, you reduce your nutrient take up by half correct? Is this because you have effectively reduced the flow by half since you are not taking advantage of the other side of the screen?

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 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