Eugenereef Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 So after reading the thread from markdadof2, I decided to make one for myself. I did have some major hair algae problem, but I think it as due to the (I think) phosphate leaching out of my BRS rocks and generous feeding! Anyhow the rocks are cooking right now so I figured I might try this out scrubber that may help me with my feeding habit! So here goes: Total cost was less than $30.00. My major problem was the space under the tank and open area to hang the scrubbed in the sump. There was a four inch area between skimmer and refuge where I could fit this thing. So I build two support structures with scarp acrylic bought from the shop in Eugene for $4:00. Below are the pictures in the series how the scrubber was made: First I made the base of the scrubber with two sides that could lock the scrubber in place: Then I made the two side supports that would hold the net for alges. I taped two equal size peices of acrylic and drilled a 1 1/4 inch hole with hole saw: Then I glued the two side supports to the bases I had created earlier: And this is how the are going to sit on the sump: Then I joined the two pieces with another piece of acrylic that serves as a back splash and keeps everything locked in place: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenereef Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 Once everything was glued and ready, it was time to make the water channel: The 1 1/4 inch pvc pipe was marked for the right places to make a 10 inch slit: And a slit was made with dremal mill tool: And prepare the plastic mat that was cut to 10 inch width with two notches at the top for it to fit in the channel: And did a trial fit: And then everything was trial fit together. I used shower curtains to hold the mat in place: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenereef Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 Then I added two stops and brackets to hold the front splash guard. I did not want to glue as it will make it hard to remove the algae laden mat. This way I could remove the front splash guard when cleaning the mat: Then it was time to put it to work (scary): I'll post an update in a few weeks how this new addition to my tank is doing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramy Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 That is realy awesome design there took it to a whole new level I like it =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattv Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Nice job as always! Can't wait for some updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badxgillen Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 i have a friend with this same design with the screen at a slope in a rubbermade container and it works great.obviously yours is more astheticaly pleasing not being in a container. he does two smaller screens and rotates wich one he cleans so there is never any sudden fluxes in nutrient uptake.thanks for the swet setup pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Very nice and clean looking design! From my own experience with algae scrubbers and research I have 3 observations that you may want to consider. 1. You may need to try to shield the light from right where the screen and the pipe come together at the top. If you don't you may notice that the algae will clog the slit at the top and make the flow irregular. 2. If possible you can use 2 mats tied together with some fishing line. This will allow the algae to stay seeded between the mats when you clean it and make the scrubber far more productive. 3. I didn't notice if you did or not but if you take the mat and lay it flat on a surface and take any hole saw and just scrape the surface of the mat to rough it up. It will give the mat a slightly rough surface and serves two purposes. First it gives the algae something to adhere to since the mat is smooth the algae will slide off and second since it is a rough surface the algae pores will stay seeded in the mat and grow faster after cleaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenereef Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 Thanks guys! Both Badxgillen and Barecuda made some very good points. he does two smaller screens and rotates wich one he cleans so there is never any sudden fluxes in nutrient uptake I am going to split the screen in two 5 inch strips and clean one at a time! You may need to try to shield the light from right where the screen and the pipe come together at the top. If you don't you may notice that the algae will clog the slit at the top and make the flow irregular. 2. If possible you can use 2 mats tied together with some fishing line. This will allow the algae to stay seeded between the mats when you clean it and make the scrubber far more productive. Excellent suggestion. This will also somewhat thicken the mat. I made the slit a little bit wider keeping your point in mind about algae clogging the opening. I didn't notice if you did or not but if you take the mat and lay it flat on a surface and take any hole saw and just scrape the surface of the mat to rough it up. It will give the mat a slightly rough surface and serves two purposes. First it gives the algae something to adhere to since the mat is smooth the algae will slide off and second since it is a rough surface the algae pores will stay seeded in the mat and grow faster after cleaning Yes, I actually did score the surface of the mat with a brass brush ring (I don't know what the technical name is!) attached to the drill. The whole thing took about 2.5 to 3 hr to complete. Its a really easy project for the folks who keep battleing with hair algae. I don't know if this would work or not, but the concept sounds very logical and scientific to me . So here we go with the experiment to verify it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticEngineer Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 OK, now I definately gotta get mine on my coldwatert tank today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Not sure about the split screen idea. From what I know and have researched you NEED to clean these weekly so unless you are going to offset the cleanings by a few days I think the maintenance may be a pain. By my experience if you do not clean it weekly the algae will either sluff off or the under layer dies and the nutrients it has collected are returned back to the system. By the addition of the second screen back to back you reduce the time needed for the algae to start regrowing and your weekly maintenance will be reduced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenereef Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 Not sure about the split screen idea. From what I know and have researched you NEED to clean these weekly so unless you are going to offset the cleanings by a few days I think the maintenance may be a pain. By my experience if you do not clean it weekly the algae will either sluff off or the under layer dies and the nutrients it has collected are returned back to the system. By the addition of the second screen back to back you reduce the time needed for the algae to start regrowing and your weekly maintenance will be reduced. I have a refugium too and so I am expecting to have less of algae. That said, I thing having a split screen and spending 15 mins every 3 days is not that bad. Its just take the screen out, scrub it under tap, dry it and put it back on the scrubber. removing screen alternatingly may keep the nuterient cunsumption constant. Lastly, if this fails (afterall this is an experiment) I'll further modify it to address the issues as they arise with the help of people here on this form. You guys have already pointed out two good modifications to this project. OK, now I definately gotta get mine on my coldwatert tank today. Good luck. Its really simple and quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenereef Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 Oh And by the way, I have turned off my skimmer to see how quickly I get the algae loading on the screen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticEngineer Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Good luck. Its really simple and quick. Yeah I have my plumbing list already made for a trip to HD tomorrow. Already picked up 2 sheets of the plastic canvas in clear. I have a 19" high x 28" area to fit the ATS and hang my plastic canvas from, so I think I am going ot get a 3rd sheet and cut them all down an inch or so. That way since I'll only be able to light it from one side I will have 3 seperate algae sheets and I can rotate through them. I will have a total of 384 sq inches of surface area for algae to grow on. It'll be lit with natural sunlight from a north facing window (so not a whole lot) and an LED array I had laying around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smann Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Where did you guys get the screen, I have been looking at doing one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefnjunkie Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Nice thread! Once I get things moved over I have plans to add one as well, I have always wanted to add one since running across Santamonicas thread 3 years ago, just never had a place for it. Also interested in where you got the screen, I figured a craft store would sell it but I have not searched. Another great DIY build/thread -(clap) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badxgillen Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 yup craft store like michaels and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticEngineer Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I picked mine up at the Michaels in Tualatin, its back by the yarn and sewing stuff. Costs .59 cents a sheet and they have it in just about every color. I got clear for my ATS, but I picked up a piece of black so I could make some filter grate covers out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenereef Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Mine came from walmart. $2.50 for this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smann Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Cool, Thanks guys, glad I added extra supply lines on my manifold, already used two of them so this will be the last "add on" gadget I have a water supply for! Oh yeah, great thread, have to tag it somehow so I can find it again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derbird Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Looks great, I have to build one some day! A quick question, what kind of pump do you have for it? How many gallons per hour do you think is best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenereef Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Looks great, I have to build one some day! A quick question, what kind of pump do you have for it? How many gallons per hour do you think is best? Thanks! I am using Maxijet 900 PH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticEngineer Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Managed to take some pics of mine all set up, now just gotta wait for the algae to grow I think I am going to build a 30w LED floodlight similar to my 50w and put it behind the tank for additional lighting if the natural light thing doesn't work out. Here is the lobster tank I am using as my "sump" for the 200 gallon main display tank. You can see the window behind the tank. Here's a closer pic of the opening to the filtration area where the ATS is housed. You can see just the top of it in the pic. Here's a top down pic looking at the back filtration area where the ATS is. Pic of the ball valve to adjust the flow rate, and the union so I can pull the hole thing out. Used a spare piece of PVC to brace the capped off end so that when it gets coverd in algae it doesn't put stress on the joints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenereef Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Nice! Your ATS is going to be a lot more easy to clean than mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticEngineer Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Nice! Your ATS is going to be a lot more easy to clean than mine. Lets hope so Thats one of the benefits of having your entire system in the garage I guess, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdadof2 Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 You guys went a lot fancier than I did. Nice work! How is it working for you so far? I tend to take mine out every 7-10 days to clean. No algae in my display tank still, and I've increased feedings some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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