DIY Algae scrubber

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jaws7777

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Guys donyou think this would be affective in reducing nitrates ? kno4te kno4te and i were discussing this.

How large would it need to be for a 300 gal ? How many hrs of light would ut need ? And could we do away with the back portion and instead just shine a full spectrum bulb at it from the outside ?


Sorry for all the questions but i am enamoured by nitrate reduction
 
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6-8 hours I think is minimum with light on it. Definitely should be able to shine a large light on it like a spot light.

For 300g up the knitting mesh will need to be like 14x18 or larger or maybe add 2. With a larger light.
 
jaws7777 said:
Guys donyou think this would be affective in reducing nitrates ? kno4te kno4te and i were discussing this.

How large would it need to be for a 300 gal ? How many hrs of light would ut need ? And could we do away with the back portion and instead just shine a full spectrum bulb at it from the outside ?


Sorry for all the questions but i am enamoured by nitrate reduction
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I plan to buy a few liters of Seachem denitrate and turn a 5gal bucket into a nitrate filter. I like this method as its no maintenence, and should reduce the nitrates to 0.
 
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I believe, I've heard, with algae, it would be more beneficial to run light much longer, even 24/7
 
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Angelphish said:
I plan to buy a few liters of Seachem denitrate and turn a 5gal bucket into a nitrate filter. I like this method as its no maintenence, and should reduce the nitrates to 0.
Click to expand...

Can you exlain more in detail this sounds intriguing. Even post pics if you have them
 
It works, I had something like that on my 125. Mine was more open air drip across the plastic. It worked but water evap was horrid. I changed it to pothos and it works the same without the evaporation.

IMG_0865.JPG

You could do the same in your sump, with either a shower/bath shampoo holder or make a little box with zip ties and plastic mesh. Add a good grow light on a timer and good to go.
 
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Maintenance and low cost may be easier with the algae scrubber. Just scrape off algae build up and put back near the light.
 
jaws7777 said:
Can you exlain more in detail this sounds intriguing. Even post pics if you have them
Click to expand...
I haven't made one yet, so I can't do pics atm.

It's quite simple. You take a bucket, drill one 5mm hole on the top, and one on the side, as close as you can get it to the bottom. The filter should flow bottom to top, and be powered by a pump less than 6gph, ideally the TOM aqua lift pump. After that, all that needs to be done is fill it with media and turn it on.

The filter would remove nitrates from about 580-590 gallons of water per week, so it should be able to handle a 300 gal tank. The bacteria in the filter converts nitrate to nitrogen, which gasses out of the system once it reaches the aquarium, or sump. The bacteria is anaerobic, meaning they thrive in low oxygen environments. This is the reason why the pump needs to have a low flow rate.
 
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