Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!

[onizukaa]

hi, how bout this? the reflector cost me $8. The light clip was another $4.50

wow bro where you buy the reflector and the clip? it's something i had been trying to look for haha

[Sea_Urchin]

Light clip at a cheapo shop in Aljunied crescent. Reflector at DK lighting, located along the road at Geylang lor 40

[Eniram]

Light clip at a cheapo shop in Aljunied crescent. Reflector at DK lighting, located along the road at Geylang lor 40

Hey sea urchin thx for the recommendation on the clip on lights its fantastic!

Reflector you can go to any lighting shop and ask the shop owner you want to get a "PLC DOWNLIGHT REFLECTOR". You might also wanna bring the clip on fixture and lamp to the shop and do some sizing up before buying the reflecctor. Mine was rather big, reflector didn't stay in place therefore did some modification to house the reflector.

Hope this helps

[Eniram]

Hey reefers, why is it not recommended to run the lights for 24hrs? Didn't see any explanation on this post, so far what i've come across are 18hrs on 6hrs off why is this so? pls advice thx

[kanegan]

I asked the question before. the answer i got was algae also need rest!

Dunno whether it was a joke....

Thanks Sea_urchin and eniram for the reflector recommendations. I have been looking for it forever

I am using foil to cover my bulb now.

[Eniram]

I asked the question before. the answer i got was algae also need rest!

Dunno whether it was a joke....

Thanks Sea_urchin and eniram for the reflector recommendations. I have been looking for it forever

I am using foil to cover my bulb now.

Hey no problem man! algae need to rest for what? aren't they suppose to be removing all the waste in the tank 24/7...haha cheap labour!

I think most of THOSE shops that sell alot of household products from pots to pans and small electrical items you are able to find the clip on lights.

[SantaMonica]

Lower Kelvin grows algae better.

More watts grows algae better.

Stronger flow grows algae better, IF the screen if rough enough to hold on to the algae.

Yes algae needs 6 hours of rest every day. They still filter during this time.

[bobiegoh]

SM: Yes its not sticked to the pipe and therefore its one sided. Ok will give the cheato away and change to a 3000K lamp. What will happen with a 5000K 11W lamp? won't this promote algae growth? how come a lower Kelvin will promote algae growth?

Bobiegoh:

Yes it is a stand alone pump and is it necessary to have a strong water flow? Isn't it suppose to trickle down like a feature water fall? Can't afford to have a double sided scrubber i've got not enough space to house another lamp.

Maybe you can share with me your scrubber instead?

thx guys

Bro, my design including lighting set can be found in this thread. I am using 2 x 13W ES warm white norm bulbs (2700K).

Strong water flow promote algae growth and air exchanges.

Yes it is more efficient if the flow is like water fall. Ref to SM note.

How big is your sump and what is the config? Full sump pic will be at great help.

Algae is like plant. Need time to "rest" and "work".

GB.

[Eniram]

Lower Kelvin grows algae better.

More watts grows algae better.

Stronger flow grows algae better, IF the screen if rough enough to hold on to the algae.

Yes algae needs 6 hours of rest every day. They still filter during this time.

Bro, my design including lighting set can be found in this thread. I am using 2 x 13W ES warm white norm bulbs (2700K).

Strong water flow promote algae growth and air exchanges.

Yes it is more efficient if the flow is like water fall. Ref to SM note.

How big is your sump and what is the config? Full sump pic will be at great help.

Algae is like plant. Need time to "rest" and "work".

GB.

Oh OK now i understand better...thanks again. Will post the picture of my sump soon.

I know I'm suppose to use the calculator to calculate the flow rate, won't a constant flow of water on the screen promote algae growth? unless it will algae growth will be slower?

[Eniram]

Hey reefers out there Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Here is the pic of my sump bobiegoh, its a 3ft sump and its supporting a 3ft tank. Just change to a 3000K 20W lamp, love the tornado from Philips really helps in keeping the scrubber neat and tidy.

Will change the pump for the scrubber once Christmas is over! Now bust entertaining and eating! Alright folks enjoy your long weekend!

[Eniram]

Sorry but another qns, since my scrubber hasn't shown any algae growth shall i run the lights 24/7?

[SantaMonica]

won't a constant flow of water on the screen promote algae growth? unless it will algae growth will be slower?

Flow is constant whether it is low or high. Higher flow filters better, as long as the algae does not let go of the screen. here is the ideal:

[bobiegoh]

Hey reefers out there Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Here is the pic of my sump bobiegoh, its a 3ft sump and its supporting a 3ft tank. Just change to a 3000K 20W lamp, love the tornado from Philips really helps in keeping the scrubber neat and tidy.

Will change the pump for the scrubber once Christmas is over! Now bust entertaining and eating! Alright folks enjoy your long weekend!

yo bro, these are some of the ideas that you might want to consider.

1/ Your light did not cover the whole screen. Only part of your screen does receive the light directly, even you change to higher voltage 20W bulb, the algae growth is very limited. Solution A/ More lights B/ Bigger reflector C/ light Position at vertical, ref to my light set as example.

2/ Stop your skimmer. To have both skimmer and scrubber running, the scrubber will not works and skimmer will have algae on it. With so many pumps running, your chiller will have to work harder.

3/ A 3ft sump is more than enough to run an effective scrubber. My sump is only 1.5ft for supporting a 3ft tank.

GB.

[SantaMonica]

Update: Cleaning algae off of the rocks.

If you are running a scrubber to help remove algae from the display, try first running the scrubber without manually removing algae off of the rocks. This is because when you scrub algae off of the rocks (or if you put a lawnmower or similar in) while the rocks are still in the tank, the algae will float around and die, causing a nutrient spike. It's better to let the scrubber slowly remove the algae for you. This will prevent spikes, and is less work too.

However, if there are LOTS of algae in the display (so much so that the phosphate and nitrate tests are zero), then your scrubber may not easily compete, even after many weeks. So if after four weeks you don't notice a reduction in algae in the display, then slowly start removing algae manually from the display (or, add a small algae eater). Don't remove TOO much algae at once (or don't get TOO big of an algae eater) because that will generate a spike too. Once the algae in the display has been reduced some, your scrubber should be able to take over from there, and all the rest of the nuisance algae should slowly go away.

Note: This does not apply if you remove the rocks from the system before cleaning. Removing rocks can be done at any time, but is much more work.

[qwertman321]

I read some replies and they say that after using a scrubber, they do not need to use addictives. how is this possible?

[SantaMonica]

The only additives you need for a reef are CA, Alk, MG, and maybe Strontium. Everything else is supplied in the food you feed.

What they probably mean is that since they are not doing waterchanges, they are not removing these things, so they have to add less. But scrubbers do not supply CA, Alk and MG, so you still need to watch/add these.

[qwertman321]

Hi SantaMonica , i m very impress with the ability of a scrubber to remove no3 and po4 so i decided to build one .

I have read your thread many times but i cant seem to find the reason why arent there any algae growing on my screen.

My screen had not been seeded and i'm using 2 , 13 w 2700k lights, on for 18 hours a day.

It has been running for 5 days now and there are only a few dots of brown algae on my screen.

Could u help me identify the problem with my scrubber?

[Eniram]

yo bro, these are some of the ideas that you might want to consider.

1/ Your light did not cover the whole screen. Only part of your screen does receive the light directly, even you change to higher voltage 20W bulb, the algae growth is very limited. Solution A/ More lights B/ Bigger reflector C/ light Position at vertical, ref to my light set as example.

2/ Stop your skimmer. To have both skimmer and scrubber running, the scrubber will not works and skimmer will have algae on it. With so many pumps running, your chiller will have to work harder.

3/ A 3ft sump is more than enough to run an effective scrubber. My sump is only 1.5ft for supporting a 3ft tank.

GB.

Hi Bobie,

Care to post a pic of your current algae growth on your scrubber?

Have adjusted the flow and now i am getting a constant flow as SM mentioned. What about wattage of lamp? whats the ideal wattage? i changed from a 20W to a 12W CFL

[bobiegoh]

Hi Bobie,

Care to post a pic of your current algae growth on your scrubber?

Have adjusted the flow and now i am getting a constant flow as SM mentioned. What about wattage of lamp? whats the ideal wattage? i changed from a 20W to a 12W CFL

Yo bro, I will post the algae on screen next week when I clean it. Some pointers for you,

1/ The flow will be getting slower when the algae started to growth. That why stronger flow is required.

2/ Wattage is very much depending on your bulb position and distance from the screen. If your bulb is at horizontal position pointing to the screen, then you need a bigger reflector and higher wattage. 16-18W is enough. If your bulb is at vertical position pointing downward to the tank bottom, then 13W is sufficient. I am using 13W ES CFL as well.

3/ For initial run up, it may takes about 2-4weeks before you can see green algae. I have been running scrubber without skimmer and other agents such as wools, balls and rings for months, each time after cleaned, it takes about 4 days to see brown algae first then green.

4/ Do not on the light for 24hrs though there is no algae on screen. The light has to be set on the opposite timer from your display tank.

GB.

[Eniram]

Yo bro, I will post the algae on screen next week when I clean it. Some pointers for you,

1/ The flow will be getting slower when the algae started to growth. That why stronger flow is required.

2/ Wattage is very much depending on your bulb position and distance from the screen. If your bulb is at horizontal position pointing to the screen, then you need a bigger reflector and higher wattage. 16-18W is enough. If your bulb is at vertical position pointing downward to the tank bottom, then 13W is sufficient. I am using 13W ES CFL as well.

3/ For initial run up, it may takes about 2-4weeks before you can see green algae. I have been running scrubber without skimmer and other agents such as wools, balls and rings for months, each time after cleaned, it takes about 4 days to see brown algae first then green.

4/ Do not on the light for 24hrs though there is no algae on screen. The light has to be set on the opposite timer from your display tank.

GB.

Thanks bobie, will wait for your pictures.

Timer to be set the opposite from tank? For the initial stage or later on when algae has bloomed?

I find it hard not to run the lights for 24hrs.....i need to grow algae!!!! hahaha Need to reduce NO3 in tank!!!

If this project is a success then skimmer and FR is off on sale!

[bobiegoh]

Thanks bobie, will wait for your pictures.

Timer to be set the opposite from tank? For the initial stage or later on when algae has bloomed?

I find it hard not to run the lights for 24hrs.....i need to grow algae!!!! hahaha Need to reduce NO3 in tank!!!

If this project is a success then skimmer and FR is off on sale!

Yo bro, this timer setting is through out the entire life-cycle of the scrubber. Having 24hrs light on will not expedite the growth of algae. Ref to SM note.

Perhaps I can share my experience with you. Before that my NO3 was always at least 100 and tank was full of hairy algae no matter how you often clean it (my tank is near to the windows). The first 1-2 month, you will not see much results, but only anxieties. On the 3rd month, you will notice lots of PODs and lost sight of hairy algae, NO3 is at 12.5 with more LS. You might get a different result and time-line depending on your setup and environment. Lesson that I learned was

1/ Discontinue of skimmer and other agents.

2/ Double up the screen from 1 to 3.

3/ Extend the lighting hours from 10 to 14hrs.

4/ Double up the light from 1 to 2 becos of multi screens. Changed from daylight to warm white.

GB.

[Eniram]

Yo bro, this timer setting is through out the entire life-cycle of the scrubber. Having 24hrs light on will not expedite the growth of algae. Ref to SM note.

Perhaps I can share my experience with you. Before that my NO3 was always at least 100 and tank was full of hairy algae no matter how you often clean it (my tank is near to the windows). The first 1-2 month, you will not see much results, but only anxieties. On the 3rd month, you will notice lots of PODs and lost sight of hairy algae, NO3 is at 12.5 with more LS. You might get a different result and time-line depending on your setup and environment. Lesson that I learned was

1/ Discontinue of skimmer and other agents.

2/ Double up the screen from 1 to 3.

3/ Extend the lighting hours from 10 to 14hrs.

4/ Double up the light from 1 to 2 becos of multi screens. Changed from daylight to warm white.

GB.

Yea same here i have 100 NO3 now and am trying different ways to reduce it, currently dosing vodka to reduce it. When should i turn off the skimmer? Now or when algae blooms?

Can't afford to remove it now as sump space is taken up by the skimmer so once the scrubber is in full swing will remove and construct a bigger one.

[SantaMonica]

91liters: Your screen is too big for your light. The light needs to be within 4 inches of all parts of the screen. Reduce the size of the screen to about 10 X 10. Or better, get more lights.

Also, rough up the screen.

[Eniram]

Hi there SM merry Christmas and a happy new year. I have added a new pump and adjusted the flow and now its flowing constantly as shown.

Bulb changed to a 3000k 12W cfl. 1" away from screen

Just some info my screen is 7" wide, flow wise am not too sure as i didn't measure.

How long will the algae start to bloom?

[topcat]

Flow is constant whether it is low or high. Higher flow filters better, as long as the algae does not let go of the screen. here is the ideal:

Hi,

Very fascinating read here.

Can these scrubbers really replace the protein skimmers ? Manufacturers with their normally overpriced skimmers will not be happy.

Why can't the skimmer run at the same time as the scrubber ?

I still feel a less powerful skimmer should be used somewhere else for safety and backup purposes.

Anyone here in SG knows where I can get the above netting ? Or can suggest a better type ?

Definitely no harm to try this out as it is not expensive and may actually work and obsolete the skimmer.

It may also obsolete the RDSB too if their aim is to reduce nitrates !

Is there any negatives when one deploy the scrubbers ? Does it reduce any needed nutrients from the water ?

Does the scrubber cools down the water by evaporative cooling and how much (1 to 2 degrees) ? Good area to research as it will lower the chiller's bill.