Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!

[SantaMonica]

rucus: They are tiny crustations. FW kills them. If by "warmth" of a bulb you mean "Kelvin" tempurature, yes it matters, but not as much as power and nearness. Try 5100K or 6500K. As for the one guy trying an LED, I'm still waiting on the first growth pics this week.

jgray: The 23W CFL floodlights in the example produce 1250 lumens each. I was using 4 of them in my own bucket, for massive growth. You can try the ebay ones, but you might search for "plant grow" ones which have blue and red LED's, not white.

acer: Yes it works in FW. All the basics are the same. Green or brown does not matter. If you use a scrubber, either green or brown will absorb nitrate and phosphate, and get it out of your water.

 

[Jgray152]

I may still try LEDs but I need to do some more research. Its going to be expensive for sure but it will be paid off in the long run from power consumption savings.

 

[zennzzo]

OK got my plastic canvas, now to sand and seed it...

 

[ChrisGray]

thanks im gonna make one of these, i always get algae on my rocks and its a real pain scrubbing it off with a tooth brush

 

[Onion01]

this is awesome! great write up

 

[SantaMonica]

Cool Chris, you'll see the algae gone in a month or so. Your're cool too Onion

 

[SantaMonica]

.
Reminder Of The Day:

Feeding: Here are the two building block articles by Eric Borneman that cover what happens when you feed your tank. This information is what you need to know to understand what scrubbers do:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/eb/index.php
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/eb/index.php

Here is an excerpt from the second one:

"Detritus [waste] ... is the principal food source for the many bacterial species that work in various nitrification and denitrification activities. Before reaching the microbial community, however, [waste] acts as a food source for the smaller consumers such as amphipods, copepods, errant polychaetes, protozoans, flagellates, ciliates and other animals whose activities contribute to the stability and productivity of a coral reef and a coral reef aquarium."

and

"Of the many food sources available to corals and already discussed in this series of articles, particulate organic material [waste], dissolved organic material [DOC/DOM], and bacteria are the most universally accepted food sources"

and

"The use of detrital material, or particulate organic material, as food source is a cornerstone of coral reef ecology and forms what is well accepted to be the base of the entire food chain"
.
.

 

[Jgray152]

The 23W CFL floodlights in the example produce 1250 lumens each. I was using 4 of them in my own bucket, for massive growth.

Im wondering how much light is wasted and not used for photosynthisis..

The LEDs I found come in 3 watt and 5 watt. 5 watt being real pricey and limited in colors, I don't think I found red in 5 watt. 3 watt has blue (460-470nm) and red (640-680nm I think)

The 3 watts alone are really really bright and im wondering if we really need to use that much lumens considering we will be lighting up a very small area and not a room or spot of a large area.

Check these out.
http://www.plasmaled.com/high_power_module.htm

3 watt 13v LED. Blue (460-475nm) (camra makes it look purple)

Red would be a bit brighter, around 170 Lm where blue is usually about 20-40 Lm @ 3watt

I think since these LEDs only emit certain wave lengths, they should be better at growth at a lower Lumens rating than an incondecent bulb with a wide range wavelength at a higher Lumens and a much wider viewing angle.

1000-3000 Lumens for LEDs is just insane and so out of this world pricey. The wattage I think would be a bit high as well.

Could we possibly settle for 200-500 LM with direct wave lengths in such a small concealed area? Especially since the viewing angles are more direct.

 

[cvermeulen]

Here's a thought... any reason the screen could not be submerged in a sump?

 

[Jgray152]

Good question. Just need to use water proof lighting which may be one of the reasons its been used external.