DIY Algae Scrubber

[Krazykarl]

anyone that has built or is building one if you can comment on this topic to help me in the right path please do. about to start one to help eliminate excess nutrients in the water. thanks

 

[stellarflare]

Hi Kyle, To start with, you have to look at your overall total volume of water. Add it up to get your total, being your display tank size, your sump & or refugium to get a general total amount of water you will be treating. The idea is you want to create an environment that algae will want to grow on. A vertical surface "based on your total volume of water" The ideal surface would be for crafter's at"Michaels" called "Plastic Canvas" You want to grab a hole saw and "by hand" use the teeth of the hole saw to scrape the plastic canvas surface both sides and or double up a two layered pieces of plastic canvas. It will take you sometime to do but scrape the plastic canvas till the surface becomes really rough, like the feel of cactus.

ALGAE SCRUBBER FAQ (August 2010)

http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=68

Q: How big of a scrubber do you need?
A: Start with one square inch (6.25 square cm) of screen, with a light on both sides, for every U.S. gallon (3.8 liters) of water in your display tank. Thus, a 100 gallon display tank would need a screen 10 inches by 10 inches (100 square inches), with a light on both sides. If you can only put a light on one side, then you need to double the screen area, and also double the lighting on the one side. You don't need to include the volume of the sump, unless it also has livestock in it that you feed.

 

[stellarflare]

Pictures of Hundreds of Scrubber Designs http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26

 

[Cal_stir]

check this out


http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic89570-4-1.aspx

 

[Dr BlueThumb]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1977420

I like kdirk set up on page 9 reefcentral but I would personally place the side's of the box closer to the screen, so the light's are with in 2"-3" from the algae on each side. closer the better.

you can hook it up using your overflow but you'll need to be careful of it clogging up, something for the end pipe of the scrubber as back up would need to be in place. just incase

I think people are making the end of the screen pipe going upwards at the very end, with a hose leading to the sump

wouldn't be hard to figure out. plus you can shade the pipe so algae doesn't grow around it and in it.

shading might be accomplished by placing a larger pipe around the smaller pipe with the screen. then dremeled out to fit.

 

[stellarflare]

Hi Kyle, I have plastic canvas for you , it is free for the taking. I have different plastic canvas mesh sizes for you to choose from. I figure you will need 1.0 square inches of screen per gallon, with bulbs on BOTH sides (10 x 10 = 100 square inches = 100 gal)
[1.64 square cm per liter] so if you have a 50 gallon your screen only needs to be half the 100 gallon size with lighting on both sides. So I hope you see this message before buying because I have plenty of plastic canvas for you to choose from.

I used 1 inch pvc. I used a dremel tool with a thin grinding disk to cut a straight slot horizontally, the length of the pvc to slip the plastic canvas into and tied it off with electrical ties. If you want to go with 1 inch pvc, I can make the slotted pipe for you at no cost because I have plenty of 1 inch. My dremel tool is still set up, Just give me your measurement of how long your horizontal pipe will be and how long of measurement, the slot you want cut into it, so let me know my friend.

 

[stellarflare]

Hi Kyle, Here is my DIY Algae Scrubber Build

 

[Krazykarl]

That looks intense lol! Holy build....looks great. I wanna keep it simple. Perhaps have my overflow spill into a bucket with holes in it, let eater trickle down the screen before entering my sump. Might work!

 

[stellarflare]

Hi Kyle, Just what the Doctor Ordered for 300 gallons lol, Got plastic canvas and I can make you the slotted 1 inch PVC if you need it, for free, so let me know my friend. P.S. everything is ground faulted to a GFI mughhalamughhalamughhala!

 

[stellarflare]

Hi Kyle, The pictures of my scrubber were taken when I had just finished building it and installing it on top of my tank so now after running the scrubber for one week. The algae has disappeared from my display tank, & is now growing (BIG TIME)   ;D on the plastic canvas screen. 8)

Let me know what you think my friend & P.S. What do you take in your coffee since we will probably see each other next Tuesday March 8th at 7:00PM at Tim Hortons on Howard near the EC Row expressway to meet Rick and others for the frag pickup.

Brian

 

[shayneh]

Any new pictures of the tank?

 

[stellarflare]

Hi shayneh, How are you doing my friend? Yes. Here are some pictures of my work in progress. I am now making my DIY overhead canopy that will go all the way up to & become part of my ceiling. So here are some pictures of the 180 gallon display & 112 gallon refugium & my frag tank that the algae scrubber drains into. Hope you enjoy the images

Brian

 

[Krazykarl]

i am beyond jealous brian, i am dying to get my hands on a new tank. I so badly want to start a 180...thats huge. ugh....i wish i woulda just done it from the start. If i only knew then what i know now....ugh.....right now i don't have room for that scrubber thats why i haven't even bothered making it yet....looks great....very very jealous...your damn sump is larger than my display lol

 

[stellarflare]

Hi Kyle, I will keep a lookout for a 180 for you my friend. There are deals out there. Just have to find them. So don't worry, something will come up. I know it, so hang in there. P.S. I have had nightmares, scratch building a 1500+ gallon epoxied/fiberglass/ wood framed monster in my garage. lol  ;D : :-* :'( ???

 

[crazybizzle]

kill those mojave anemones/glass anemones/aiptasia before they start spreading.trust me

 

[stellarflare]

Hi crazybizzle, Thank you for your advice my friend. If you had not brought it to my attention that Quote:

" kill those mojave anemones/glass anemones/aiptasia before they start spreading.trust me"

I would not have been aware of my problem that you have pointed out.    A thousand thanks to you my friend.
I have removed the two live rocks that had a total of one each on each rock from the tank. The "  mojave anemones/glass anemones/aiptasia has now disapeared into the rocks. My question to you now is what advice would you recommend in eradicating the parasites from the rock? Should I immerse the two rocks into a vinegar bath or something more drastic? Like chiseling the rock which would make it tough for me to do since the mojave anemones/glass anemones/aiptasia has headed for cover, inside the rock. I am eagerly hoping crazybizzle, for your advice and I really appreciate your valuable information that you have freely given to me in my nubius learning curve into reefing my friend.

 

[Dr BlueThumb]

That guy will probably pop his head off shortly, regrow in the same spot. then the head will float to another crevice and land somewhere, then regrow and give off ten plus babies in a small perimeter.

 

[Krazykarl]

hey bri, now that i am going to get that 180 and hopefully get it up and running within due time, i think im gonna take you up on that algae scrubber build. ill be running 235 gallons total water volume when said and done. Im gonna start the new tank fresh with some live rock i already have in a qt tank, all new sand and water, and every time i do a water change out of my 55 now im gonna do the same in the 180 and poor in the old water to help it cycle a little faster. so im probably gonna have a huge algae bloom due to a new tank again so def looking to run the scrubber. Hope all falls in to place for me.....ill be in touch

 

[stellarflare]

Thank you Dr BlueThumb for letting me know about that probability. I will nip this in the bud, one way or another before it goes out of control my friend.

Thanks Again, for your valuable opinion my friend

 

[stellarflare]

Hi Kyle, no problem my friend. Getting that monster tank is the most important part of the project. Now you can take your time and consider how you want your overflow and such to work. I found that the most important part of dealing with nutrient export is a coast to coast overflow. That said, the top consideration is to have the best no flood setup. I drilled my tank & built a coast to coast overflow with a emergency standpipe, a full siphon standpipe, and a open channel standpipe. Then I drilled the return. If I was to do it all over again, the number one issue would be the [Bulkheads]. I used on my system at the time of drilling with a Diamond hole saw that you can get at Princess Auto for $10.00. At the time, I went to Corbets to get 1 inch bulkheads. I know! Why did I go there??? Well at the time I could not find another local source. Now though, after already doing the job, I would reconsider using the same bulkheads again. That said , I find that a better bulkhead should have been used. I am simply saying that I found the standard bulkheads in the aquarium industry are in my opinion garbage. Why? Because they are garbage ... so much so, I would look at the most critical  piece of plumbing that you would have to pay close attention to is in fact "The Bulkhead" What I have found and would cost more is a PVC Schedule 80 Bulkhead that you can get in Windsor at "Windsor Factory Supply" You can understand that that bulkhead is not going to fail on you, because the PVC Plastic of Schedule 80 is double the strength and thickness. It also means that a normal, standard, aquarium 1 inch bulkhead that requires a 1+3/4 inch hole to be drilled through the Aquarium glass - " Is the most important aspect of your entire DIY project". I am not sure yet, but I could find out what diamond hole saw size would be required for that type of bulkhead but this to me would be the only thing in my project that I found was of the #1, greatest concern.

The next top consideration is to have the best no flood setup. I drilled my tank & built a coast to coast overflow with a emergency standpipe, a full siphon standpipe, and a open channel standpipe. Why? Because it is fail-safe  !!!! I went with the this setup.

I went with the " Bean Animals Silent & Fail-safe Aquarium Overflow System
I highly recommend you study this system! Here is the link:

http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx

Well I hope You Kyle and your Mrs have a wonderful time and a safe trip to go get that monster.

Take care

Brian