new to the idea

[sezmeg]

Hey every one

I just have a few questions. I was going to get a ecosystem refugium with miracle mud until this forum got recommended to me. If scrubbers do as the site states it mite be the solution to the problem I have. My reef tank has been set up for two years and I have an on going fight to keep my nitrates down past 15pm so I get a lot of hair algae. I have a bio ball system at the moment. Does any one think a scrubber will fix my problem? I have a 232L tank so if I am rite I will need 11.5x11.5 cm scrubber to have the rite surface area if lighted from both sides? Sorry we use metric system in Australia.i can fit larger one in. So is it bigger the better. One other question is. I would be running the scrubber vertically in to my existing sump. Do you find people get much salt creep or spray?

Thanks for any assistance any one can provide
Sezmeg

[SantaMonica]

A scrubber will eliminate your nuisance algae with 8 weeks, almost guaranteed. It's just a matter of your DIY skills. Of course you are going to have excess nitrate with bio balls, so if your have live rock and live sand, you can remove those now (remove half this week, half next week).

You got the sizing wrong however. You have 60 gal, so you need 60 square inches, which is a 375 square cm screen, which is about 20 cm X 20 cm, lit on both sides. Bigger is indeed better, but ONLY IF you use more light and flow too. A bigger screen is not better (is actually worse) if you don't have more light and flow. So start with the question: How many watts of power, and how many LPH of flow, can you supply. The standard 20 cm X 20 cm setup will fix your current algae problem; a more powerful scrubber will do it quicker, and, will allow you to feed more and have more livestock without having any algae problems. But if your goal is just to fix your current problem, then keep it simple.

Salt creep/spray is totally a function of your design that you build. Enclosed designs like my 100 has zero. Open designs where the spraybar is up high over the sump, and where the flow is very high, will have some. Of course it's these open designs that are the cheapest and easiest to make (just a few dollars). Overall, there are few complaints about creep/spray, compared to the happiness of eliminating nuisance algae.

[sezmeg]

Thanks Santamonica,

Currently I have a return pump pumping 3000L a/h will I be able to make a larger scrubber with this amount of water flow. What range of light will be required? I am currently looking at two clip on compact floorows with 11w bulbs. one on either side. How big of a screen can I go with just two lights? also does the screen have to be solid or can it be a fine mesh like fly screen or the bug screen you get on a tent?

Thanks
Sezmeg

[SantaMonica]

Quick guideline:

0.5 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon MINIMUM.
1.0 actual (not equivalent) fluorescent watts per gallon for HIGH filtering.
1.0 square inches of screen per gallon, with bulbs on BOTH sides. (10 x 10 = 100 square inches = 100 gal)
2.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if ONE sided.
18 hours of lights ON, and 6 hours of lights OFF, each day.
Flow is 24 hours, and is 35 gph per inch of width of screen, EVEN IF one sided.
Very rough screen made of roughed-up-like-a-cactus plastic canvas.
Clean algae off of screen every SEVEN (7) days NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK.

[sezmeg]

Cool,

So by my calculations I will need 8.75L per inch so I should be able to maintain a 30cmx30cm (75'x75') screen with some to spare with my 3000 L/H (810g/h) pump? also I will run one 60w bulbs on either side of the screen. Are there any plans/instructions on how to build a vertical unit. Sorry diy skills not the greatest so easier the better

Thanks in advance
sezmeg

[SantaMonica]

That pump is really too big. You only need about 1600 lph for a 30 cm wide screen. You'll have to use a ball valve and really turn it down.

A 35 watt CFL bulb on each side would work fine. That's 35 real watts, not equivalent watts. So the 60 watt one you mention is either too big real watts, or too small equivalent watts.

Here's an older post of DIY... use plastic canvas instead of the tank divider:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=37

You might want to have someone else cut the slot in the pipe, it's the only hard part.

[Amphiprion]

SM, what do you normally use to cut a slot in the pipe and how exactly do you go about doing it. I've done it about a dozen times using anything from rotary tools, drawing lines (that never come out straight), table saws, etc. and I've yet to find a way that comes out satisfactory the first time around. I always have to tweak it a bit to get it even, etc.

[SantaMonica]

Table saws are the best. But I have been drawing lines using a tape measure, and then cutting with dremel.