Exactly. Just build a large scrubber screen in a tank. You can easily fit 4000 square inches in a 36 tall X 96 long tank, and just attach the lights to the outside of the glass.
Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!
- Thread starter SantaMonica
- Start date
It's interesting, but I'd like to hear someone who's used this on fw to chime in and tells us some numbers of reduction, or at least stabalization. I don't think I'd have the room to do anything like this on my tank, but it keeps the wheels churning at least. I'll probably do a ozone reactor maybe! Might not have the need though if I do a continous drip(more like stream for 4000) system. This is cool though and for smaller tanks I can see where you could easily hide this. There will not be enough room behind my tank for the size I would need. My mechanical, and bb filters will be back there. lol.
id love to see this on a freshwater setup!!!man, you are all over, on every forum, it seems. this is shorter than the 41 pages on reef central, so i got through this one... its an interesting idea, and there's no doubt in my mind that it will work in saltwater, the trouble with freshwater is finding a truly effective type of algae to form the filter screen with. However, I've always been a huge advocate for natural NO3 removal along with PO4, in freshwater or saltwater, and as a result, I think these both can work, fresh or salt. Maybe some sort of terrestrial moss would even be effective??
Well actually the algae will pick itself. Unlike plants, you don't put algae there for it to grow. Instead you start of with a blank plastic screen, and it fills in itself, based on growing conditions.
Now that's a new one.
I have no idea.Reminder Of The Day:
Why Larger Is Not Better: A larger screen, by itself (without larger lights), is not better than a smaller screen. This means that if you want more nitrate and phosphate removal from your water, the best way to do it is by getting stronger lights, or by moving the lights closer to the screen. If all you do is get a larger screen, the new larger edges of the screen will be too far from the light to have any effect. Of course, the most effective way to increase nitrate and phosphate removal is to do all three: Increase screen size; add more lights to cover the new screen parts; and position all the lights closer to the screen.
Why Larger Is Not Better: A larger screen, by itself (without larger lights), is not better than a smaller screen. This means that if you want more nitrate and phosphate removal from your water, the best way to do it is by getting stronger lights, or by moving the lights closer to the screen. If all you do is get a larger screen, the new larger edges of the screen will be too far from the light to have any effect. Of course, the most effective way to increase nitrate and phosphate removal is to do all three: Increase screen size; add more lights to cover the new screen parts; and position all the lights closer to the screen.
Wellcome! A very interesting system.
Just so I understand. Algae are a product of phosphates. The phosphates are in the water.
With your system one is simply giving the algae a place to grow which is more growth friendly to the algae ( screen and lighting ) and, admittedly, a more convenient system to clean the algae ( take the screen out and clean it and replace it ).
Basically, you are concentrating the algae growth in one " controllable " place.
But the system still is inside your tank's system therefore the phosphate containg water remains in your system and you are not getting the phosphates out.
So how does this "avoid/reduce" water changes?
Am I right?
Just so I understand. Algae are a product of phosphates. The phosphates are in the water.
With your system one is simply giving the algae a place to grow which is more growth friendly to the algae ( screen and lighting ) and, admittedly, a more convenient system to clean the algae ( take the screen out and clean it and replace it ).
Basically, you are concentrating the algae growth in one " controllable " place.
But the system still is inside your tank's system therefore the phosphate containg water remains in your system and you are not getting the phosphates out.
So how does this "avoid/reduce" water changes?
Am I right?
Miguel;2302409; said:
I thought the algae removed the phosphates? I don't think this could reduce the amount of water changes, but it'd certainly make the tank cleaner.
Great idea, my 200g reef tank needs the glass cleaned almost every day and I do have trouble with algae. I might try this in my sump if I can fit it in. My house has trouble with humidity, though, so I am reluctant to build something that looks like a diy humidifier as well as a filter.
