Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!

[linusfishing]

Ali: Yes

Linus: The screen needs to be out-of-the-water, and tilted, so that only a rapid flow goes across it.

Hi Santa Monica, apprciate your input!

Then could you please advise how the screen is placed in the box which i am referring to?

 

[SantaMonica]

It's just set in there, with one end lifted up an inch or two. The more you tilt it, the better.

 

[cvermeulen]

I'd think there's also the factor of your water cost, chemicals cost (Prime, etc.), stability, whatever else it is removing, fish health, and overall water quality rather than just easy-mode. Wouldn't it?

I can't wait to get my big tank done and start working on the scrubber(s) for it.

Well my water cost was zero, prime for a 125gl tank is very cheap, and electricity to run a scrubber costs money too.

For a very large tank with municipal water fees it makes more sense - in my case it was making a real mess - clogging my mech filters and clouding the water. If I'd designed it better however, this probably would have been a lot less of an issue.

 

[nolapete]

If I'd designed it better however, this probably would have been a lot less of an issue.

LOL, that's what I'm working out now. I don't think a giant one is the solution, but several smaller ones that can be cleaned on alternating weeks to make it a 5 minute job instead of an hour job.

My quest for how to divide up 4300 square inches effectively continues...

 

[SantaMonica]

Yes multiples are better. The biggest plastic canvas screen you can buy is 22" X 14", so that makes a good place to start.

Also keep in mind that cloudiness is caused by rotting algae; if cleaned properly you will avoid this.

 

[kallmond]

I think in order to do 4300 square inches you're going to have to go back to the drawing board so to speak.

The lighting requirements, heat, smell? would get pretty intense. Even doing 16 2' wide 2' screens is a ton of electricity, heat, floorspace and work.

Have you thought of exploring a moving screen option? Like those rotating tie racks? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCRP3Gr9oqA

 

[SantaMonica]

Rotating won't work. Needs full time light.

Consider solar powered. Then again, consider the cost of the other filtering methods.

 

[cvermeulen]

Rotating won't work. Needs full time light.

In the beginning you were saying the algae screen needs time in the dark to recharge every day. I took issue with that point then, but now you're going back on it. Which is it? If it does indeed benefit from a break, that would be a great opportunity to use a conveyor belt style scrubber, such that the screen is slowly moved along under a long row of lights, spending 12 hours a day illuminated and 12 hours in the dark, but also allowing your tank constant benefit from the photosynthetic reaction.

Now, such a scrubber would be very complicated and it sort of defeats the purpose of a cheap DIY denitration system by being bulky and expensive, but it would WORK.

Pete, 4300in^2 is a 3 foot by 12 foot screen. I think you're going to have to get inventive to make this practical. A 6x2x2 trough with 10x 2'x2' screens and light panels in between each set of screens would work nicely, but it would also be pretty pricey to build, and seems like it'd be a pain to maintain.

 

[linusfishing]

Waoh, it's getting a little confusing. So shd light be on 24/7 or ? I've just implemented and diy my own small scrubber... So shd it be 24/7 lights or?

 

[Toddo]

Anyone seroiusly interested in learning more about this filtering concept should be looking at this site...

http://www.algaescrubber.net/

SantaMonica and Co. have volumes of info there.