Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everything

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Reminder Of The Day: Number Of Lights/Screens

One-light between two-screens: Makes better use of the light, but leaves the other sides of the screens unused (in the dark), thus wasting half your flow. The big advantage is cleaning: You can clean one screen, and leave the other in operation, which give you more consistent filtering.

Two-lights on one-screen: Makes better use of the screen (both sides are lit), but can waste light if not reflected properly. Advantages are (1) redundancy of the lights: If one goes out, you'll still have filtering until you can buy a replacement, and (2) higher performance for its size, since each side of the screen gets hit by light from both sides, especially right after cleaning when the algae is thin.

Best of both worlds: Multiple lights between two screens. Uses the most flow and power, but is always filtering, and will never go totally "dark" unexpectedly.

 

[Varga]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Man I can't believe how dedicated you are to promoting this thing SM

I'm thinking about making another one. Have you seen Greg's (FramerGuy) turf builder? I haven't looked into it much but if you have any info on that one it would be great same concept as yours, different housing and what not

 

[BCS]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

New to the SW community, I stayed awake until 5:00am reading this forum then couldn't find the reef sanctuary (thought I would remember the name). Now I registered and subscribed. I had to run out and start accumulating the material to make this scrubber. Thanks for the hours of reading, now it's time to get to work on it.

 

[phantom28000]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Matter of fact, since your system is not started yet, how about starting off with just a scrubber, and monitor your water as you add things to your tank. When your scrubber can no longer keep nitrate and phosphate undetectable for a month straight, then you can buy your next filter device.

What you sugested above was my next question. You are saying it might be best to just build your item here & not go to the expense of buying everything else most do & concentrate on all the other things envolved in this hobby.I was wondering if this would be all that is needed to start out with. Do you seem to think that this scrubber will not be able to keep up with the load over a period of time? Thanks for the great info.

 

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Hey Varga, yep it's interesting what happens when promotion is one of your hobbies . If the Framer scrubber the one that runs around his wall?

BCS, join the club of late night readers, and scrubbers

Phantom, correct, a scrubber does everything you need unless you really overload it, or undersize it, or operate it incorrectly. If you are expecting a heavy fish loaded tank, then you can double the size and the lighting, and you should never need additional filters. This is a generality, of course.

 

[untilthen]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

my water is freezing b 4 it gets back into the tank... any cheap small submersible heaters out their?

 

[Coreysreef]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

SantaMonica-

Has anyone used two screens and alternated flow to them by a SCWD?

 

[phantom28000]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Thanks for the great info. Looks like a Reef tank with few fish would work great & I understand everything is a general statement .

 

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Until: Every fish store and site has heaters.

Corey: There have been SCWD designs on paper, but not built yet. I personally had two of them lock up over a few months, and won't use them anymore.

Phantom: Yep, and just check N and P weekly.

 

[phantom28000]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

SantaMonica could you please tell me if you have a sand base & its depth just for my information about what type system this is working so well on. If I am going to follow others instructions why not do it right. Thanks a ton. Really like to see some pics of your tank if they are out here somewhere. I am sure it is a real looker.

 

[phantom28000]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Sorry I found it way back one the first your first post on this forum. How easy it is to forget thanks again.

 

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

No sand in mine; just some remnants from the LR that I have to siphon out once in a while. I'm trying to get coralline to cover the bottom.

 

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

.
Scrubber FAQ 1.0 is now complete, and will be updated periodically:

Algae Scrubbers • View topic - ALGAE SCRUBBER FAQ 1.0

 

[bluespotjawfish]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Great job and very helpful!

DAY 12 UPDATE - PODS are eating it again. Do I need to clean it again?

 

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Clean once a week in FW in the sink. But clean only one side per week.

Did you rough-up or sand the screen? Is starting to look like the problem is a smooth screen, where the algae starts slipping off when it gets heavy enough. For a very good improvement, glue a sheet of rug canvas to each side of the screen:

No-Slip Rug Canvas 24" x30"

 

[bluespotjawfish]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

I scratched it up a bit and it was also previously used. I will scratch up each side some more next time I clean it. If I get the rug stuff, how do you glue it on?

Nitrates seem to be starting to come down - 25-35 ppm after an 8 gallon WC.
I've had a lot of growth on the chaeto so it could be from that.
Would you do a larger WC to get the nitrates down faster, or use the extra nitrates to encourage faster growth on the scrubber?

Phosphates are increasing - 0.1 ppm. Should I run my phosban for a day?

 

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

You clean the screen and epoxy the canvas on.

If you are not have problems, I'd not do any more w/c, and let the screen grow.

 

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

.

 

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Here is an easy DIY for a nano. This one starts with a Marineland Eclipse 6 gallon, which was chosen because of the easy-to-access hatch on the top:

First thing you need to do to the filter box is cut out this section, using a Dremel cut-off tool, or even a soldering iron:

Doesn't need to be a smooth cut, since water will be draining down through the holes anyway.
Now, test fit the filter box on the back wall:

Looking from the backside, see how the filter box will set on the wall:

use a little bit of scrap plastic to raise this side a bit:

Now, epoxy some plastic sheet (I just cut them out from the hood material) onto the filter box so that it will hook onto the wall; the epoxy will also hold the little plastic scrap in place too:

Mounting done:

Now cut a piece of hard plastic (any color, any thickness) to fit in the filter box. Use sandpaper or a drill or a file to make the surface rough:

Now cut a piece of "Rug Canvas" or "Plastic Canvas" (found at any sewing or craft store, or online) to fit on the backing:

Rug canvas is preferred because it lets the algae to attach better, but since rug canvas is flimsy, you'll need to epoxy it to the backing. Plastic canvas (pictured) is rigid and can just be set down on the backing, but it does not hold algae as well.

Here is the screen finished. Water should flow off the edges and drain out, but if it collects and gets too deep, cut a little section as shown and it will drain out rapidly:

Attach your light; a halide was chosen so as to get good growth, easy attachment to the tank, and strong lighting for corals:

Here is the screen with a fews days of growth (food was put into the water to rot):

A few more days:

Begin to do your weekly cleanings, 1/2 per week:

Cleaning video:
http://www.radio-media.com/fish/6galCleaning.mpg


If the pump ever stops, turn it over and remove the round part, and check to make sure the little wheel can turn freely:

Pump check video:
http://www.radio-media.com/fish/6galPumpStop.mpg


That's it! Post your nano scrubber pics!

 

[Stormrider]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

SM or anyone else that would like to chime in, since I live like 6 blocks from the ocean (Virginia Beach) can I just harvest some turf algea to seed my screen ?

Thanks,

PS I am planning on using a powerhead on a wave timer.