Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!

[VelvetAirwaves]

question , the solid particles of fish waste and such dont really get filtered right? so this way wouldnt the tank be filled with waste if there was no other medium(like japmat or sponge) to trap it?

[SantaMonica]

Nope, it does not build up. Waste is like fertilizer (like cow waste for gardens)... it is exactly what feeds your coral (and some inverts and fish). Then it is eaten by bacteria, which results in Inorganic Nitrate and Inorganic Phosphate that feeds the scrubber algae. You can even add more waste into the tank, and corals will grow even more. The scrubber removes what's left. This is how the ocean works.

[VelvetAirwaves]

nice design. so we can make do without anything at all. and just have a scrubber. ingenious

[SantaMonica]

For nitrate and phosphate control, yes. A scrubber will also raise your oxygen, pH, remove metals and CO2, and grow copepods.

[VelvetAirwaves]

would it be enough for a fowlr tank?

[SantaMonica]

Yes, maybe a little bigger, with more lights, to handle the fish waste. A few hermit crabs will break up the waste quickly, and the bacteria will dissolve the rest.

[VelvetAirwaves]

hmm cause i keep only cephlapods and its impossible to place hermits cause they'll eventually become food for my cuttles and octos. hmm also due to the fact that they produce alot of chemical and physical waste , wont the ammonia shoot up? hmm...

[johntanjm]

so long as your tank has matured live rocks and a good colony of bacteria, even with heavy feeding (of course not a ridiculous amount

), ammonia and nitrites NO2 will be undetectable. whatever that's left i.e. NO3 should be taken cared of by the algae scrubber.

is that right santa?

[SantaMonica]

Yep. A tank can't produce more Inorganic Nitrate and Inorganic Phosphate that what is put in as food; doesn't matter what livestock there is. I pretty amazing to see pieces of waste floating around the tank; you think for sure it polluting everying, but it actually feeds the corals/inverts, and, the scrubber keeps Inorganic Nitrate and Inorganic Phosphate very low.

[SantaMonica]

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Text Version: Nutrients, part 5

When Food Decomposes

Food ==> Bacteria ==> Inorganic Nitrate and Inorganic Phosphate ==>

==> Algae growth on your rocks and glass eats most of the

Inorganic Nitrate and Inorganic Phosphate.

==> The remaining Inorganic Nitrate and Inorganic Phosphate

stays in your water, which is what you read when you test.

Previous Versions:

http://www.radio-media.com/fish/Nutrients1.jpg

http://www.radio-media.com/fish/Nutrients2.jpg

http://www.radio-media.com/fish/Nutrients3.jpg

http://www.radio-media.com/fish/Nutrients4.jpg

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[SantaMonica]

LEDs for Scrubbers

Many folks want to try an LED scrubber. We do to, which is why we are trying to figure them out on the scrubber site. However, they are a ways down the road; nothing to report yet. If anyone wants to try themselves, here is a starting point:

Low-Power LED panel, to experiement with:

http://shop.sunshine-systems.com/product.sc?productId=1

Higher-Power LED panel, not sure if enough for good growth:

http://shop.sunshine-systems.com/product.sc?productId=10

The deal with LEDs is that you need lots of light power to have good growth. How much is still unknown. But the above panels are cheap enough that some folks should be able to give them a try. It's just for experimenting, though. If you need results you can count on, get a 23W CFL full spectrum or bigger, or a T5HO, or halide

[Firestarter]

I'm having a big big big issue with micro bubbles! the bubbles form at the bottom of the screen irregardless of whether my screen is in contact with the water surface. My flow might be too strong but there's not very much i could do about that. help help!

Hi, there are some flaws in your sump design.

Although you used 6" of foam to block off the bubbles, I don't think its the right solution in the long run, as it might we clogged up overtime.

[SantaMonica]

Successes of the Day:

brianhellno on the MFK site: "Just wanted to share my success with a turf scrubber with my freshwater tank. Currently I have a 125 with (5) 6-inch piranha, (6) 4-inch giant danios, about (20) 1-inch baby black cons, (2) 2-inch green terrors, (2) 2-inch jack dempseys, and (1) 2.5 inch blue malawi cichlid. The smaller fish were all supposed to be feeders, but the piranha ignore them. Anyways I've had the scrubber up and running for almost three weeks now and I finally tested the water parameters: Ammonia 0 ppm, Nitrite 0 ppm, Nitrate 5 ppm. Not too bad! Usually the Nitrate sits around 40 to 80 ppm right before a water change, so this is definitely an improvement. All I can say is thanks for the great idea!

worley on the scrubber site: "Well just got my phosphate test kit and did a test... *drumroll* .... 0ppm. It's the API phosphate test kit, and it was the very lightest green on the salt water card (0ppm). That's a great result, especially as I'm now feeding tonnes into the tank, 1 block of brine shrimp and 1 of mysis, plus some live brine (fed with live phyto a an hour before feeding to the fish) and some pellet foods. [...] I still can't get over the phosphate test, and how low the nitrates are considering there's not been a water change in 2 months and so much food has gone in.

jan on the RPhil site: "Today is my 24th day of cycling, I measured my water my parameters and here are the result: Nitrate 0ppm. Turf algae is almost all over my screen Razz !!!! thanks for this great Idea!

[Firestarter]

Hi Santa, any updates on the LED scrubber that you posted some time back?

[SantaMonica]

We are talking with that guy at the scrubber site. Not great growth; he used the very low power panel, and, had it too far away. Several folks should be testing other panels soon.

[loowk]

Can anyone advice where to find the netting in singapore?

[JuzzMarine]

Hi all, sharing my success I'm using a piece of glass wrap with some netting material i found at pasir ris fish farm. I blast it 24/7 with 18W & 9W 6500K PL.

First day....

Seeded some algae...

After one week....

After two week....

Close up....

[SantaMonica]

Very nice. Can you slide the lights all the way to the right, so they are closer to the screen?

Any more powerful bulbs you can use?

[SantaMonica]

Builds/Designs Of The Week:

Aqualityplace on the UR site:

Nickq on the UR site:

Dave3441 on the UR site:

RentalDeceptionist on the UR site:

Workers99 on the UR site:

[SantaMonica]

Bluespotjawfish on the RS site:

[SantaMonica]

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Reefski on the MD site:

Christophe on the MD site:

Sharkey18 on the MD site:

Loveaneighbor on the MD site:

[SantaMonica]

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Dohn on the MASA site; not DIY-able, but good idea for manufacturing:

[SantaMonica]

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Riaanp on the MASA site; this is on the back of a nano. The light is actually inside of the compartment, and he says it does not get wet at all:

Franske on the MASA site:

[SantaMonica]

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Enatiello on the RS site:

GlaringToast on the MFT site:

Jan on the RP site:

[SantaMonica]

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Juzzmarine on the SG site:

Nitschke on the SWF site: