Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!

[kallmond]

This thread started off talking about leaving the lights on 24/7 I thought. Interesting about 6on 2 off 'mini' days.

 

[cvermeulen]

I found that while Googling "Algae Respiration". I think it was www.lagoonsonline.com.

I haven't read about anyone leaving the lights on 24/7... do you have any forum post links about that and the success/failure anyone had?

You're doin' some good research there....btw!!

Thanks for the link, I'll have to read that.

Well now this thread is so long I don't reeally want to go back through, but I believe the original recommendation was to start out the first week by leaving the lights on 24/7 and then start turning them off at night for 8-12 hours to let the algae "rest". I wanted some data on why that made sense but noone ever could provide it. Out of pure laziness I left my scrubber lights on all the time, and noticed no real difference between that and turning them off and on, but I also didn't really go to the trouble of carefully measuring anything - all I could say is that I grew a crap load of algae either way. It just seems to me that algae is such a simple plant that light=growth and turning it off will only make the algae stop growing for the night, but I'm open to new information on that.

As for doing research - well this is what happens when one is bored at work . My interest in this topic kind of waxes and wanes. I am still trying to decide if it's worth it for my 600gl. Electricity cost vs water cost, and cleaning a screen vs changing some water. Seems pretty even to me. The only clearly definable benefit I see would be the stability in the water.

 

[cvermeulen]

This is what I was talking about. Has this changed?:

You can leave the light on for 24 hours for the first week if you want to speed up the process; otherwise just put it on a timer for 18 hours ON, and 6 hours OFF. You will see absolutely nothing grow for the first two days. On day 3 you'll start seeing some growth, and by day 5 most of the screen should have a light brown coating. If this level of growth does not happen on your screen, your lighting is probably not strong enough, or it's not close enough to the screen. Increase the bulb power, or move it closer.

 

[Toddo]

Yup that's what i saw also....24/7 on a new screen until you see algae, then 18 on 6 off in any combination. Someone did a measured test using the 18/6 method verses the 3/1 method, and essentially there was no difference in growth. http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=380

So, I guess there's not much to the lights off cycle duration, as long as the algae get it at some point.

I did read somewhere about the lights off cycle of algae and what is happening and why. I'll see if I can locate that. (unless someone wants to jump in here and enlighten us rubes)

I haven't seen any posts about leaving them on 24/7 indefinitely, but since you had success doing this I may experiment with that.

 

[SantaMonica]

It's still 18 on, and 6 off. I thought that by the rotating rack you meant that a single light would alternately light several screens. That's what would not work. The light cannot be pulsed; it needs to be constant.

 

[SantaMonica]

Success Updates:

Coolhandgoose on the scrubber site: "Since I installed the new light two weeks ago my nitrates have gone from 20 to 0. The cyano in my display is now starting to disappear."

Desert_Fishy on the SWF site: "I started my 75g reef 5 months ago (2nd venture w/SW) and decided to start up with a scrubber and no skimmer due to this thread. All I have are powerheads, lights, scrubber and a heater. My water readings are perfect, corals are really flourishing, fish are happy and I spend 10 minutes a week cleaning the algae off the scrubber - although that is becoming a bigger and bigger job. My only problem now is that copepods, feather dusters and some other small pink bug-like creatures that live on the glass are multiplying out of control. I have feather dusters everywhere!"

Toddo on the MFK site: "This is my 125 freshwater tank with medium bio load. I have an XP3 with Biomax/mech pads, and this scrubber as the only filtration now. Its been 12 days with just the scrubber for nitrate control. Nitrates and ammonia are still at zero. No water changes. This is significant, as my well water is 35-40ppm Nitrates. It grows enough algae to need weekly cleaning now. I had a specific freshwater requirement for low to no nitrates, and I have met that, using my scrubber. It was properly designed and built using info provided, and is now functioning as expected."

DeathWish302 on the RC site: "The turf scrubber slowly drove out the cyano, and has been amazingly processing EVERYTHING I have thrown at the tank in regards to food."

AlgaeNator on the scrubber site: "I have been running a version of ATS for about 2 months, and have been skimmerless for 4 weeks now, and am very happy with the ATS concept and performance so for. I have been running my prototype Victory Scrump for about 3 weeks now, to prove the concept and it's working VERY well. My corals are healthier than EVER, Two of MY RIC's that were dying going clear, are now SPLITTING after removing the skimmer. Im amazed actually at how well my other softies are doing too. In my case, I might not be typical though, as I think i was OVERSKIMMING my tank with my larger skimmers i build and sell, removing the good stuff with the bad"

Manuelink on the scrubber site [from spanish]: "with algal over 4 months without water changes, no skimmer, no additives anything, just food and my corals growing like additives. the coralline algae and is infested by all sides, that speaks of good levels of alk and calcium. is a wonder this invention"

 

[warderkous]

This is awesome I am definately goig to set one up for each of my reef systems. Thanks for the post

 

[cvermeulen]

It's still 18 on, and 6 off. I thought that by the rotating rack you meant that a single light would alternately light several screens. That's what would not work. The light cannot be pulsed; it needs to be constant.

Perhaps one light would not be enough for several rotating screens (we don't know), but 2 lights for three screens on a rotating rack could supply the (seemingly arbitrary) 18/6 ratio.

I have to ask though, why do you say pulsed light won't work? Do you have any reason for this? Fluorescent light IS pulsed at a 60Hz frequency. Someone said a 6hour/2 hour alternating schedule was ideal. You're advocating 18/6. Do you have any data to suggest that a 6 minute/2 minute schedule would not work? I doubt it. I would wager that ANY schedule that affords sufficient light to support growth will work, and that for similar average light schedules and light/dark ratios, there will not be a measurable difference in efficacy. I've already stated that IME there is little difference between 12 on 12 off and just leaving the light on 24 hours a day. Point being - algae is pretty resilient and forgiving - it has to cope with a lot of varying conditions in nature, and there are thousands of different forms of algae that will grow to suit your conditions. Saying something "won't work" when you haven't even tried it, and don't have any facts to support it is useless.

I may come off as pedantic here, but I hear a lot of things like "That won't work" or "That's not fish safe" or "You have to do it this way" on this site, when in fact there are many ways of doing one thing, and people are unwilling to consider any way other than theirs. I'm just trying to separate fact from opinion.

 

[SantaMonica]

Duty cycle. If screen X has a constant light for 18 hours, and screen Y is rotating and only gets light for half the time during that same 18 hours, then it's only getting 50% of the light of X. That's why it won't work, or will work only half as much, which basically is not working.

 

[SantaMonica]

I now have a system to make double-layered, cactus-rough, plastic canvas screens:
http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=319

If there is a sales or vendor forum where this would be better placed, let me know.