So far so good, I do most of my tinkering around during the winter. Their are a few technical details to read through that need to be well understood.
Algae scrubber as bio filter.
- Thread starter markstrimaran
- Start date
So far so good, I do most of my tinkering around during the winter. Their are a few technical details to read through that need to be well understood.
I am trusting the seachem ammonia alert. Since none of the fish are acting like they being poisoned.
12 hours later it is back into yellow. Which I don't think has the capacity to burn up that much ammonia in 12 hours.
I found it is from dosing Alaskan mineral supplements. It has no ammonia, nitrogen, added.
They sell similar supplements with nitrogen added, and listed on the ingredient list.
So I am wondering if any of minerals might react with a API ammonia test.
Led back board, on fluidized scrubber, time to change a light bulb.
Thermal crack in epoxy, from prolonged heat, moisture then penetrated the bottom aluminum heat sink, effectively separating the led, from the heat sink.
This allowed the led to run even hotter, causing the epoxy expand and crack to the soldered electrical terminal.
Which allowed galvanic electralisis gradually severed the electrical connection.
I put in a back up mirror for the spot occupied by the old light.
The replacement is built and ready to go. But I had no issues with the tank going on 6 months, plus. So with out the other two lights ammonia has been creeping. On API TEST.
So I will see if the mirror and 20 watts will suffice.
Mean while, I have a pile of 620nm orange leds, and two CC 400 WATT power supplies. Time to tinker with some amphibious leds, for my other projects.
The replacement is built and ready to go. But I had no issues with the tank going on 6 months, plus. So with out the other two lights ammonia has been creeping. On API TEST.
So I will see if the mirror and 20 watts will suffice.
Mean while, I have a pile of 620nm orange leds, and two CC 400 WATT power supplies. Time to tinker with some amphibious leds, for my other projects.
Ammonia is back to zero, as of yesterday with 20 watts of leds and a reflector mirror, were the other 20 watts were.
The algea in the upflow scrubber, eventually balls up on top for easy removal with out having to remove the screen, which is made with sand infused plastic. It holds the algea's roots much firmer that just a plastic canvas.
So harvesting does not effect the ability of the screen to filter out ammonia.
Top view looking down.
Top view after harvesting.
Free salad, or reuse as pleco feed.
The upflow scrubber is behind a divider siliconed in, surrounded with mirrors. A small hole in the front corner is the suction intake, a 500 gph submersible pump is inside the chamber. Any loose algea bits get pumped out and into a small overhead sump with a large filter sock.
The two PVC pipes are on a closed loop into a 55 gallon drum in the basement. That is set up for doing 7 minute water changes.
Did a extra heavy feeding an
I added a replacement light as ammonia was creeping after heavy feeding.
Skipper fly larvae, in old algea scrubber culture.
I also has a brood of fry hatch out, under the scrubbers water conditions. From a group of grow outs.
Burning off ammonia in 72 hours. Time to feed some more.