pretty ghetto but, diy algae scrubber.

djberg · 12/08/2013, 08:36 AM

Untitled by dj.berg, on Flickr

been reading about these for a bit and went on a whim and built one, just using the sump feeds. i had the pvc already, bought a tee, an end cap and a 90. and the screen stuff(knitting/yarn stuff) from the craft store for $.63 including tax. one pass on the table saw, and some hot glue, there it is. it's a trial run and if i like what it does i'll build a permanent mount for it.

Capt_Cully · 12/08/2013, 10:19 AM

If it works, you can't beat the price! I love it.

djberg · 12/08/2013, 10:46 AM

yeah i love the cheap and the diy, or maybe im diy because im cheap... we will see how it goes, as for right now in the first section of my sump there's a skimmer, the scrubber, and a bit of cheato. the rest of the areas should have pristine water lol!

Capt_Cully · 12/08/2013, 02:59 PM

Do scrubbers stink like low tide? Always been a concern when considering one. Especially with an under tank sump system.

djberg · 12/08/2013, 03:32 PM

hmm good question, i guess i'll find out.

Floyd R Turbo · 12/08/2013, 09:05 PM

my experience is the only time you smell anything is when you shut the water off to remove it. Then, the smell depends on the type of growth you are getting.

If it smells, generally you are not getting the right type of growth. But the net end result is what matters: does it filter (does it do it's job)

The things that affect this are:

- screen roughness (very rough)

- water flow rate (35 GPH per inch of screen width, measured not calculated if possible)

- Light intensity and wattage in relation to screen size (for CFL, 1-2 watts per square inch of material, split between both sides)

I can't tell much from your pic but here is what it appears like:

Screen doesn't look very rough. It needs to be really rough.

screen appears to be white material. Ideally you want the clear stuff because any opaque color blocks light when lighting on both sides. which brings to the next point:

light on both sides if you can. If this means a smaller screen, do it. you can use a screen less than half the L x W if it's lit on both sides

light needs to be perpendicular to the screen, not shining down along it. This is a big one.

flow looks OK but not covering entire screen which tells me that it's overall not enough. Making the screen 1/2 the width would corral all that water on to the screen better.

screen looks very large - about 10" x 10"? generally you can size per feeding - 12 sq in of material for each "cube" of food you feed on an average daily basis (half that for a single-sided screen). So unless you're feeding 4 cubes/day, screen is way huge.

that's just a quick eval from what I see. I want you to have a successful experiment!!

djberg · 12/09/2013, 08:28 AM

thanks floyd,

going off your issues to address, the screen is pretty scored up, has caught a bunch of pass over algae coming out of the tank, or it's growing that fast, cant say which.single sided light is where i'm going to stay since it's a basic starter. and as for right now the only foreseeable issue that i am dealing with is i think my pass with the table saw could be 1/32-1/16" wider have to use a zip tie to slide it through to lear any algae hung up in my "slit".

Floyd R Turbo · 12/09/2013, 09:00 AM

yeah I found out that your standard saw blade is 1/10" wide not 1/8". I had to buy a $60 Bosch blade with extra-wide kerf for "finishing" to get that width of cut. Then, once you make the cut, the pipe will want to close up so it pinches in the middle. That's why I went to schedule 80 and a router.

Getting the slot just right is pretty tricky when just doing one.

djberg · 12/09/2013, 09:42 AM

yeah my next available option was a daddo blade and i'd say that would be too wide.

djberg · 12/11/2013, 01:02 PM

3 days in, growth of the algae seems to be decent, the rest of the sump is pretty much algae less... the display is a bit of a different story, may build a second one for the main as well...

but for my little maybe $15 at most investment i'm super happy! cant wait to get the frag tank drilled tonight, though i'm pretty scared via i've never drilled/cut holes in a tank before. got everything else ready to go with that. and well i may still have a decent algae issue in the display, i'm hoping by feeding and returning the frag inline before the display, my algae in the frag should be minimal at most.

Untitled by dj.berg, on Flickr

MAVX · 12/11/2013, 02:08 PM

I may do this after I relocate my sump to the basement.

Drilling tanks is easy. Just take your time and follow directions. Only tanks I've broken were super thin 10 gallon tanks.

Good luck!

djberg · 12/11/2013, 03:40 PM

thanks max, yeah neither me or my buddy have hole saw cut any glass yet... but we have my frag and his two sumps for his 180 to do tonight.

12/08/2013, 08:36 AM	#1
djberg Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: jamestown ny Posts: 168	pretty ghetto but, diy algae scrubber. Untitled by dj.berg, on Flickr been reading about these for a bit and went on a whim and built one, just using the sump feeds. i had the pvc already, bought a tee, an end cap and a 90. and the screen stuff(knitting/yarn stuff) from the craft store for $.63 including tax. one pass on the table saw, and some hot glue, there it is. it's a trial run and if i like what it does i'll build a permanent mount for it.

12/08/2013, 10:19 AM	#2
Capt_Cully Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 13,574	If it works, you can't beat the price! I love it. __________________ People say cars are a bad investment. Those people don't have reef tanks. Current Tank Info: 120, Radion Gen 2 Pro x 2

12/08/2013, 02:59 PM	#4
Capt_Cully Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 13,574	Do scrubbers stink like low tide? Always been a concern when considering one. Especially with an under tank sump system. __________________ People say cars are a bad investment. Those people don't have reef tanks. Current Tank Info: 120, Radion Gen 2 Pro x 2

12/08/2013, 09:05 PM	#6
Floyd R Turbo Either busy or sleeping Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: West Des Moines, IA Posts: 4,265 Blog Entries: 15	my experience is the only time you smell anything is when you shut the water off to remove it. Then, the smell depends on the type of growth you are getting. If it smells, generally you are not getting the right type of growth. But the net end result is what matters: does it filter (does it do it's job) The things that affect this are: - screen roughness (very rough) - water flow rate (35 GPH per inch of screen width, measured not calculated if possible) - Light intensity and wattage in relation to screen size (for CFL, 1-2 watts per square inch of material, split between both sides) I can't tell much from your pic but here is what it appears like: Screen doesn't look very rough. It needs to be really rough. screen appears to be white material. Ideally you want the clear stuff because any opaque color blocks light when lighting on both sides. which brings to the next point: light on both sides if you can. If this means a smaller screen, do it. you can use a screen less than half the L x W if it's lit on both sides light needs to be perpendicular to the screen, not shining down along it. This is a big one. flow looks OK but not covering entire screen which tells me that it's overall not enough. Making the screen 1/2 the width would corral all that water on to the screen better. screen looks very large - about 10" x 10"? generally you can size per feeding - 12 sq in of material for each "cube" of food you feed on an average daily basis (half that for a single-sided screen). So unless you're feeding 4 cubes/day, screen is way huge. that's just a quick eval from what I see. I want you to have a successful experiment!! __________________ Algae Scrubber Basics!!! GOOGLE "algaescrubber zoho" General Interest Forums --> Advanced Topics --> Algae Scrubber Basics (sticky) --> POSTS #3251-64 (Basics), #5206 (Cleaning), #6884 (LEDs), #729

12/09/2013, 09:00 AM	#8
Floyd R Turbo Either busy or sleeping Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: West Des Moines, IA Posts: 4,265 Blog Entries: 15	yeah I found out that your standard saw blade is 1/10" wide not 1/8". I had to buy a $60 Bosch blade with extra-wide kerf for "finishing" to get that width of cut. Then, once you make the cut, the pipe will want to close up so it pinches in the middle. That's why I went to schedule 80 and a router. Getting the slot just right is pretty tricky when just doing one. __________________ Algae Scrubber Basics!!! GOOGLE "algaescrubber zoho" General Interest Forums --> Advanced Topics --> Algae Scrubber Basics (sticky) --> POSTS #3251-64 (Basics), #5206 (Cleaning), #6884 (LEDs), #729

12/08/2013, 10:46 AM	#3
djberg Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: jamestown ny Posts: 168	yeah i love the cheap and the diy, or maybe im diy because im cheap... we will see how it goes, as for right now in the first section of my sump there's a skimmer, the scrubber, and a bit of cheato. the rest of the areas should have pristine water lol!

12/08/2013, 03:32 PM	#5
djberg Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: jamestown ny Posts: 168	hmm good question, i guess i'll find out.

12/09/2013, 08:28 AM	#7
djberg Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: jamestown ny Posts: 168	thanks floyd, going off your issues to address, the screen is pretty scored up, has caught a bunch of pass over algae coming out of the tank, or it's growing that fast, cant say which.single sided light is where i'm going to stay since it's a basic starter. and as for right now the only foreseeable issue that i am dealing with is i think my pass with the table saw could be 1/32-1/16" wider have to use a zip tie to slide it through to lear any algae hung up in my "slit".

12/09/2013, 09:42 AM	#9
djberg Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: jamestown ny Posts: 168	yeah my next available option was a daddo blade and i'd say that would be too wide.

12/11/2013, 01:02 PM	#10
djberg Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: jamestown ny Posts: 168	3 days in, growth of the algae seems to be decent, the rest of the sump is pretty much algae less... the display is a bit of a different story, may build a second one for the main as well... but for my little maybe $15 at most investment i'm super happy! cant wait to get the frag tank drilled tonight, though i'm pretty scared via i've never drilled/cut holes in a tank before. got everything else ready to go with that. and well i may still have a decent algae issue in the display, i'm hoping by feeding and returning the frag inline before the display, my algae in the frag should be minimal at most. Untitled by dj.berg, on Flickr

12/11/2013, 02:08 PM	#11
MAVX Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 266	I may do this after I relocate my sump to the basement. Drilling tanks is easy. Just take your time and follow directions. Only tanks I've broken were super thin 10 gallon tanks. Good luck!

12/11/2013, 03:40 PM	#12
djberg Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: jamestown ny Posts: 168	thanks max, yeah neither me or my buddy have hole saw cut any glass yet... but we have my frag and his two sumps for his 180 to do tonight.