Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!

[SantaMonica]

Well it's kinda the same thing. Any light that is a "grow" light, is what has been optimized for growth. A lot of them are pink, however. Pink is a combination of red and blue, the two color used most for growth. But strength is more important than color.

 

[cvermeulen]

Well it's kinda the same thing. Any light that is a "grow" light, is what has been optimized for growth. A lot of them are pink, however. Pink is a combination of red and blue, the two color used most for growth. But strength is more important than color.

Well you're correct in kind of a broad sense, the PAR spectrum includes more than the 450 and 670 nm red and blues, but there are peaks in those regeons. I just wanted to chime in and say there are cheaper bulbs than the pink grow lights that actually perform better per watt. The grow lights WORK, and in fact they work very well, but they aren't the BEST value in terms of initial cost, as well as efficiency.

 

[brianhellno]

An update on my piranha tank. I wanted to test the ability of the scrubber to see how well it handles a worst case scenario. I didn't change out the water for a week (the longest ever) and I left in uneaten food that made its way to the bottom of the tank. At the end of the week 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and only 5 PPM Nitrate. Simply amazing. I'm not quite sure why I change the water out anymore. I guess its just a good thing to do? I still need to get pictures up for you guys. I'm slacking too much on that.

Also another question. Would a algae scrubber be sufficient enough to handle all of the biological filtration for a tank?

 

[SantaMonica]

Great to hear! The reason, of course, is that algae uses Ammonia/Ammonium, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Phosphate directly, as it is introduced into the water by the rotting food.

Yes a scrubber can handle all filtering, PROVIDED, that it's big enough, and that you have a redundant setup that will operate fully in case a pump or light goes out, and while you are cleaning a screen.

 

[SantaMonica]

Update: Cross-cuts

Making cross-cuts in the slot is now recommended for all pipes. The biggest advantage of cross-cuts is that when algae grows up into the slot, a cross-cut will still allow water to flow out on top of the algae. Cross-cuts do require more flow, so if your pump/pipe combination is having trouble delivering the recommended 35 gph per inch of slot (53 lph/cm), then you might want to get more flow first. Start with one cross-cut every inch (2.5cm), and later try one every .5 inch (1.25cm):

 

[justin guest]

An update on my piranha tank. I wanted to test the ability of the scrubber to see how well it handles a worst case scenario. I didn't change out the water for a week (the longest ever) and I left in uneaten food that made its way to the bottom of the tank. At the end of the week 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and only 5 PPM Nitrate. Simply amazing. I'm not quite sure why I change the water out anymore. I guess its just a good thing to do? I still need to get pictures up for you guys. I'm slacking too much on that.

Also another question. Would a algae scrubber be sufficient enough to handle all of the biological filtration for a tank?

Thx for the update

j<><

 

[SantaMonica]

Here are some more designs to give you more ideas:



Freshwater: Delilah on the TA site:

Freshwater: Hop2jr on the FL site:

And the rest are saltwater:


Adee on the SARK site:

Amalick on the MASA site:

Andreas on the MASA site:

Andy on the FF site:

Azules27 on the spanish AR site:

BalaShark on the MFT site:

Beazalbob69 on the SWF site:

Bigploch on the LR site:

BigTanner on the RS site:

Bluespotjawfish on the RS site:

Brettb2020 on the MASA site:

Cbrownfish on the RASOC site:

Christophe on the MD site:

Chudly on the MD site:

Cvermeulen on the MFK site:

Cyberseer on the algae scrubber site:

DangerDave on the MB site:

Darkblue on the RP site:

Dave3441 on the UR site:

Dohn on the MASA site:

Drakken on the SWF site:

DrPepperSmith on the algae scrubber site; This is one of the non-nano horizontal designs that looks like it will work. Note that it is lifted above the water:

Emperador on the spanish AR site:

Enatiello on the RS site:

Gatorzone19 on the SWF site:

Gechav on the spanish AR site:

Glock339 on the UR site; This one is on the top of the display, and uses the display's MH:

Iceman on the SG site:

Ikarbary on the SARK site:

Jared on the RS site:

Jason on the spanish AR site:

Joeyp on the RP site:

Johntanjm on the SG site:

Jtremblay on the MD site:

Juliovideo on the spanish AR site:

K+n_vts on the UR site:

UserKeithtty on the algae scrubber site:

Khawyc on the MD site:

Lance126 on the RP site:

Leochngyh on the MD site:

LethargicCoder on the MB site:

Lxa783 on the RASOC site:

Madeley on the algae scrubber site:

Majorjoey on the FR site:

Manuelink on the spanish AR site:

MikeBushie on the MASA site:

MJM on the SARK site:

Murfman on the SCMAS site:

NM983 on the algae scrubber site:

OceanParks on the MFT site:

Oil_Fan on the FL site:

Reefski on the MD site:

RentalDeceptionist on the UR site:

Riaanp on the MASA site:

SaltCritters on the TR site:

Scruffels on the MASA site:

Sean48183 on the SWF site:

Sims on the SARK site:

Skunkbudfour20 on the RC site:

SoCalJim on the MD site:

Spanko on the SWF site:

Stevenkoh08 on the SRC site:

Weylin on the MFK site:

Wolfpak on the RP site:

End pics

 

[SantaMonica]

Part 5 of 7:

"The Food of Reefs, Part 5: Bacteria" by Eric Borneman
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/eb/index.php

"Given the enormous bacterial biomass in all ecosystems, it should be of little surprise that [bacteria] are food for something, if not many things. Bacteria, being composed of living material, contain a relatively large amount of nitrogen, an element in very short supply in coral reef waters.

"The biomass and productivity of bacteria on [natural] coral reefs are as great as those in nutrient-enriched (or eutrophic) lakes, and up to a hundred times greater than in the open ocean. Planktonic bacteria in coral reefs [..] have filamentous processes to allow them to absorb and consume dissolved organic molecules [DOC].

"In virtually all studied marine environments, bacteria are water purifiers, decomposers of organic material, and a primary source of protein for both those animals that directly graze on them and those that acquire them indirectly through secondary consumption.

"Given the importance of bacteria as a food source in marine ecosystems, it might not be surprising to learn that they are also a primary food source for corals. It has been found that bacteria alone can supply up to 100% of both the daily carbon and nitrogen requirements of corals. All corals studied consume dissolved organic material [DOC], bacteria, and detrital material [waste].

"Bacteria not only provide carbon and nitrogen for the [coral] polyp, but also provide an important source of phosphorous for the zooxanthellae, in addition to other elements such as vitamins and iron.

"Bacteria exist in very high diversity and biomass in the marine environment, and especially on coral reefs and on coral surfaces. They play critical roles in virtually all ecological processes that control reefs, and are a major component of food webs. Corals feed on bacteria at levels and efficiencies that rival all other bacterial consumers.

 

[Weylin]

Well its been almost 2 weeks and nothing has come up yet... I have used a 15 watt CFL 2" from the screen and nothing.. Just a lil red near the top where the water flows..and its turned brown.. Today i changed the bulb from 15 to 23 watts..i hope it makes some differance..

 

[SantaMonica]

Well we just have to analyze your tank a little bit. Post several pics of your tank, sump, scrubber, lights, and the flow off the bottom of the screen. And gather up this info if you would:


Size of screen.
Gallons in display.
Type of bulb for scrubber: Watts, Kelvin, and age.
Screen is lit on one or both sides?
How many hours the scrubber lights are on.