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Unread 09/02/2018, 07:47 PM   #10051
Western_reefer
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Hey everyone, so I just recently upgraded to a 120 gallon 4x2x2 tank with 40 gallon breeder sump that is a mixed reef but mostly SPS dominated reef, very minimalistic aquascap, maybe 80lb or so of live rock, plus or minus 10 pounds, about 80 pounds of live sand and it is heavily stocked with fish, and extremely heavy feeding.
Daily feeding is as follows throughout the day:
5ml oyster feast
5ml roti feast
5ml roe eggs
1 sheet of nori
1 cube of frozen food
1 gram PE pellets by Piscine Energetics
1 gram PE FLAKES by Piscine Energetics
Dry food is also soaked with Selcon concentrate a few times a week

I calculated that ill need about 90 sq inches of mesh screen lit from both sides? Does that sound about right? How long or tall should I go? How much flow and light will I need?


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Current Tank Info: 120 gallon Mixed Reef, mostly SPS dominated
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Unread 09/03/2018, 04:34 AM   #10052
hkgar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Western_reefer View Post
Hey everyone, so I just recently upgraded to a 120 gallon 4x2x2 tank with 40 gallon breeder sump that is a mixed reef but mostly SPS dominated reef, very minimalistic aquascap, maybe 80lb or so of live rock, plus or minus 10 pounds, about 80 pounds of live sand and it is heavily stocked with fish, and extremely heavy feeding.
Daily feeding is as follows throughout the day:
5ml oyster feast
5ml roti feast
5ml roe eggs
1 sheet of nori
1 cube of frozen food
1 gram PE pellets by Piscine Energetics
1 gram PE FLAKES by Piscine Energetics
Dry food is also soaked with Selcon concentrate a few times a week

I calculated that ill need about 90 sq inches of mesh screen lit from both sides? Does that sound about right? How long or tall should I go? How much flow and light will I need?
That's what I use on my tank. I also feed heavy.


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 09/03/2018, 10:52 PM   #10053
Western_reefer
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Would it be a good idea to make a bigger scrubber than calculated/needed? Say instead if making a 10x9 sheet do a 12x12 screen or 16x16?


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-Moses, the reef/azoox nut.

Food comes with it's own flavor. Anything that has to steal flavor from other food just so it can have flavor is not a food. That is

Current Tank Info: 120 gallon Mixed Reef, mostly SPS dominated
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Unread 09/06/2018, 09:49 PM   #10054
SantaMonica
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Quote:
extremely heavy feeding
May fav thing to hear.

As for food amounts, I never included liquid food into the totals because they varied so much. So now would be a good time for you to decant them and press them into cube sizes to see what they equal.


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Unread 09/19/2018, 07:39 PM   #10055
SantaMonica
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Fun waterfall growth pics...


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File Type: jpg WfTheMerchantOnSCR-1.jpg (46.9 KB, 103 views)
File Type: jpg WfTheMerchantOnSCR-2.jpg (50.4 KB, 88 views)
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Unread 10/20/2018, 05:37 PM   #10056
MSHUR
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Guys,Do you run your scrubbers 24/7 ?


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Unread 10/20/2018, 09:31 PM   #10057
SantaMonica
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A few people do. It will work if nutrients in the water are very high, because the dark growth needs the most light. Also in freshwater it can usually be done.

Best though is to start with 18 hours.


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Unread 10/21/2018, 08:35 AM   #10058
MSHUR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SantaMonica View Post
A few people do. It will work if nutrients in the water are very high, because the dark growth needs the most light. Also in freshwater it can usually be done.

Best though is to start with 18 hours.


18 hrs would be optimum for algea to grow?


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Unread 10/21/2018, 10:23 AM   #10059
SantaMonica
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For scrubbers, it's more about color and thickness of the growth. Since you don't know what the growth will be, you start at 18. If it's black slime and blocks light, you add more. If it light yellow, you reduce intensity.


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Unread 10/21/2018, 11:03 AM   #10060
MSHUR
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Thank you.
Do algea need some time without a light ? Corals need some time with no light.


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Current Tank Info: Reef Savvy crystal glass, Profilux network system,PS -Diuna T5-10 bulbs, BK SM-300
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Unread 10/21/2018, 03:04 PM   #10061
hkgar
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I run my flow 24/7 and the lights 12 hours. My harvest today, 7 days growth, was 560 grams for a 90 sq " screen.


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 10/21/2018, 07:31 PM   #10062
Scrubber_steve
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MSHUR View Post
Thank you.
Do algea need some time without a light ? Corals need some time with no light.
macro algae, no in general. Ive run mine 24/7 using LED. The ulva was not negatively affected at all. The growth increased & NO3 fell to zero.
In general the longer the illumination period the greater inorganic nutrient export.
If I were you I would find the Goldi Locks illumination duration you need to get the level of NO3 you want. In other words, if you want higher NO3 levels, run the illumination for a shorter period of time. If your NO3 is higher than you want it, increase the illumination duration until you reach your target no3.


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Unread 10/21/2018, 07:34 PM   #10063
MSHUR
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THank you guys for feedback


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Current Tank Info: Reef Savvy crystal glass, Profilux network system,PS -Diuna T5-10 bulbs, BK SM-300
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Unread 10/24/2018, 10:24 AM   #10064
MSHUR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SantaMonica View Post
Red 660nm

And remember that dark green slime removes more nutrients from the water, per gram, than GHA. You just need to use a brush for cleaning, and do it more often.
do you think Red is better then white (3-4 K )?

Joe from 302 Aquatics swears that white better then only red...HMMMMM


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Unread 10/24/2018, 12:41 PM   #10065
SantaMonica
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Yes of course. It's well known that red is critical for photosynthesis, and for algae it's all that's needed because GHA attaches to the tops of rocks on reefs/beach where red is strong. Further deep, red goes away. So the best filtering at the surfaces gets strong red.

Anyone who uses white usually does so because the leakage of light into the room/sump is so much that any color would be intolerable; so they use white.


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Inventor of the easy-to-DIY upflow scrubber, and also the waterfall scrubber that everyone loves to build:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843
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Unread 10/25/2018, 06:44 PM   #10066
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MSHUR View Post
do you think Red is better then white (3-4 K )?

Joe from 302 Aquatics swears that white better then only red...HMMMMM
This is the ulva growing on my scrubber screen under only 660nm LED.
IMO, the wattage used to generate other spectrums of light is not only a waste of electricity, but the other spectrums promote types of algae you don't want.


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Unread 10/25/2018, 07:14 PM   #10067
MSHUR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Twinfallz View Post
This is the ulva growing on my scrubber screen under only 660nm LED.

IMO, the wattage used to generate other spectrums of light is not only a waste of electricity, but the other spectrums promote types of algae you don't want.


Superior growth !
What type of LED do you use?


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Unread 10/25/2018, 07:18 PM   #10068
Scrubber_steve
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MSHUR View Post
Superior growth !
What type of LED do you use?


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I make my own using cree


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Unread 10/25/2018, 07:22 PM   #10069
MSHUR
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Got it!


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Unread 10/26/2018, 12:50 AM   #10070
hottuna
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That mortar idea on the screen a few pages back is ridiculous...Not a fan of roughing up the screen either...I've had plenty of horizontal scrubbers grow great algae without roughing up the screen . maybe it helps on the vertical...


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Unread 10/28/2018, 03:08 PM   #10071
SantaMonica
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A rougher screen only helps. Especially on upflows and waterfalls, where there is more vertical pulling on the algae. It's the rapid air/water interface turbulence rubbing and pulling on the algae that give the best filtering.


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http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843
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Unread 10/29/2018, 12:36 PM   #10072
Floyd R Turbo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hottuna View Post
That mortar idea on the screen a few pages back is ridiculous...Not a fan of roughing up the screen either...I've had plenty of horizontal scrubbers grow great algae without roughing up the screen . maybe it helps on the vertical...
Don't knock it until you try it. After making scrubbers for just over 8 years, I can tell you that it makes a major difference, at least on anything vertical. I can see how it would maybe not make that noticeable of a difference with horizontal, but that's related to the need for strength where the algae anchors to the substrate.

If you try a waterfall with a stock screen, then one with it roughed up lightly, then roughly up heavily, then a mortar coated screen, you will see the difference. I wouldn't recommend it if there wasn't an advantage to it.

The advantage to the mortar screen is the speed at which it populates. This can vary from tank-to-tank but in general, it allows the screen to start growing algae much faster. Then as the mortar detaches during harvesting, the exposed areas of the canvas start to fill in. This happens slower without the mortar, but once the algae has grown on the mortar and some screen is exposed, that exposed screen fills in faster since there is algae present already. Eventually 95% of the mortar is gone and you're left with about the same result in the long run. It's the short-run where it makes a difference.

Incidentally, going back to the attachment issue, when you have an open-air waterfall scrubber, the algae will attach very strongly. When you have a closed-box scrubber that is allowed to fill up with 3D growth, the algae will tend to anchor more weakly. That doesn't mean that it's going to detach and fall into your tank (depending on the design) but what I've seen happening is that the substrate becomes more of a "placeholder" for lack of a better term. The mat/mass of algae eases up on the "pulling" from the screen, and the result seems to be less "need to anchor" so it just doesn't...

The same could be the case for the horizontal, which is why there might be less of a need to rough up the screen.

Just some observations and thoughts...


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Algae Scrubber Basics!!! GOOGLE "algaescrubber zoho"
General Interest Forums --> Advanced Topics --> Algae Scrubber Basics (sticky)
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Unread 11/11/2018, 01:22 PM   #10073
SantaMonica
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Fun Sunday growth pic... I think this one needs brushing.


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Inventor of the easy-to-DIY upflow scrubber, and also the waterfall scrubber that everyone loves to build:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843
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Unread 11/19/2018, 09:57 AM   #10074
finrod2
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So if I were going with using LED's for lighting on my DIY scrubber how many watts would be optimum? My screen is going to be 20" x 12", mainly only 1 side for now. I have a 375G tank.


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Unread 11/19/2018, 10:02 AM   #10075
hkgar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by finrod2 View Post
So if I were going with using LED's for lighting on my DIY scrubber how many watts would be optimum? My screen is going to be 20" x 12", mainly only 1 side for now. I have a 375G tank.
Here you go
https://docs.zoho.com/sheet/publishe...b2b670ae00412b


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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