i dont really know what you are all talking about but i do now hydroponics and just asking, woulnt it be better to use HPS lights, or metal halides, flourescents and some newer leds even work better if you want to grow plants. halogen lights dont have any of the right light spectrum colors.
Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!
- Thread starter SantaMonica
- Start date
hi SantaMonica, so basically, the real expense (excepting the container for this filter) for this filtration system is just for:
1. the Pump
2. tubings, and the
3. mesh media used
right?
1. the Pump
2. tubings, and the
3. mesh media used
right?
Nick: 3000K Compact Flourescent Floodlights are best, 23 watts or more.
Wham: Mesh in $1, tubing is cheap, and if you use the overflow, there is no pump.
Dave: See the FAQ below for sizing.
Wham: Mesh in $1, tubing is cheap, and if you use the overflow, there is no pump.
Dave: See the FAQ below for sizing.
If the purpose of the WC is to reduce Nitrate, Phosphate, or nuisance algae, then you will not need to do them anymore. If the purpose of the WC is to do anything else (like remove medications, etc), then you will still need to do them.
Several Updates:
1. Change CFL or T5 bulbs every THREE MONTHS!
2. Wattage recommendation: 0.5 Watts per gallon for medium filtering. 1.0 for high filtering.
3. CFL bulbs: 55W is the max that works good. If you need more watts, get two or three smaller ones, or go to T5HO (best)
4. Skimmer overflow: Be careful of your skimmer overflowing (if it does not have an overflow tube.) The rotting food in the skimmer cups has been growing bacteria, and thus producing ammonia, so if it overflows into your sump, the ammonia can kill things. If this happens, then a scrubber removes this ammonia from the water (skimmers do not remove ammonia; they only make ammonia in the cup.)
5. Current best place to get plastic canvas: www.EverythingPlasticCanvas.com
6. Surges are not recommended for scrubbers, because (1) the have not shown to improve operations, (2) they are hard to diy, (2) they are noisy/messy, and (4) they reduce the filtering contact time with the water.
7. Cleaning: If your screen goes up into the pipe, you can clean the screen extra good in that area, so that less algae will grow up into the pipe.
8. Purple growth: If your screen is new, and you are getting thin purple growth in spots, it is probably cyano because of weak lighting. If your screen is 3 months old or more, and you start getting purple growth, feel it. If it's is furry, then it's turf. If it's not furry, then it cyano.
9. Never run the lighting 24/7.
10. Cyano in display: Sometimes, after an algae scrubber has removed most of the nuisance algae in a tank, cyano will grow a bit more. This is normal, because cyano does not eat the same thing that nuisance algae does (thus, the cyano now has less competition). But the cyano will reduce too eventually. The cyano occurs because it has the capability of getting nitrogen directly from the water, without needing Nitrate, Nitrate or Ammonia/Ammonium (which is what algae gets nitrogen from). But as the scrubber continues to filter, the cyano will have a harder and harder time holding on.
11. Why "polished" water is bad: The "clean" water look you get with a skimmer and other mechanical filters is because the food (i.e, waste "protein") has been removed from the water. This is what you want if you have just large fish. But if you want a "real" natural reef, you don't want to do this. Go diving some time and look at the water on a natural reef; there are millions of specks and dots and particles and things floating in the water in a super thick soup. And that's just six inches in front of your face. These things are what feed everything, including small fish.
1. Change CFL or T5 bulbs every THREE MONTHS!
2. Wattage recommendation: 0.5 Watts per gallon for medium filtering. 1.0 for high filtering.
3. CFL bulbs: 55W is the max that works good. If you need more watts, get two or three smaller ones, or go to T5HO (best)
4. Skimmer overflow: Be careful of your skimmer overflowing (if it does not have an overflow tube.) The rotting food in the skimmer cups has been growing bacteria, and thus producing ammonia, so if it overflows into your sump, the ammonia can kill things. If this happens, then a scrubber removes this ammonia from the water (skimmers do not remove ammonia; they only make ammonia in the cup.)
5. Current best place to get plastic canvas: www.EverythingPlasticCanvas.com
6. Surges are not recommended for scrubbers, because (1) the have not shown to improve operations, (2) they are hard to diy, (2) they are noisy/messy, and (4) they reduce the filtering contact time with the water.
7. Cleaning: If your screen goes up into the pipe, you can clean the screen extra good in that area, so that less algae will grow up into the pipe.
8. Purple growth: If your screen is new, and you are getting thin purple growth in spots, it is probably cyano because of weak lighting. If your screen is 3 months old or more, and you start getting purple growth, feel it. If it's is furry, then it's turf. If it's not furry, then it cyano.
9. Never run the lighting 24/7.
10. Cyano in display: Sometimes, after an algae scrubber has removed most of the nuisance algae in a tank, cyano will grow a bit more. This is normal, because cyano does not eat the same thing that nuisance algae does (thus, the cyano now has less competition). But the cyano will reduce too eventually. The cyano occurs because it has the capability of getting nitrogen directly from the water, without needing Nitrate, Nitrate or Ammonia/Ammonium (which is what algae gets nitrogen from). But as the scrubber continues to filter, the cyano will have a harder and harder time holding on.
11. Why "polished" water is bad: The "clean" water look you get with a skimmer and other mechanical filters is because the food (i.e, waste "protein") has been removed from the water. This is what you want if you have just large fish. But if you want a "real" natural reef, you don't want to do this. Go diving some time and look at the water on a natural reef; there are millions of specks and dots and particles and things floating in the water in a super thick soup. And that's just six inches in front of your face. These things are what feed everything, including small fish.
hi SM, got some questions here (and i hope you can shed me some light) xD
am gonna rig a DIY of your ATS... but for a 20gallon tank.
1. using a 3" width medium with more than 105 gal/hr, will this be enough for a 20gallon tank?
2. if it's more than 105 gal/hr, will this be better?
3. any rule on how long (coz your measurement is only in widths)?
4. if i connect 2 (or more) 20 gallon tanks (tank 1 with pump will throw water to tank 2 then tank 2 with pump to throw water to tank 3, and so on), what would be the optimum width or length of medium for this and how strong should the flow of the water be?
thanks in advance xD
am gonna rig a DIY of your ATS... but for a 20gallon tank.
1. using a 3" width medium with more than 105 gal/hr, will this be enough for a 20gallon tank?
2. if it's more than 105 gal/hr, will this be better?
3. any rule on how long (coz your measurement is only in widths)?
4. if i connect 2 (or more) 20 gallon tanks (tank 1 with pump will throw water to tank 2 then tank 2 with pump to throw water to tank 3, and so on), what would be the optimum width or length of medium for this and how strong should the flow of the water be?
thanks in advance xD
