Algae Scrubber Lighting

[Windy]

I recently built an algae scrubber and used lights recommended by Floyd R Turbo. Now of course he has revised his mantra on LEDs and the original lights were not strong enough. Be careful who you take advice from. So, having to re-light my ATS, I decided to build them myself. I went with LEDs and I will have 42 watts of LEDs on each side of my screen. Here is what I am using.

Assembly of LEDS:








Ready for installation:

 

[Windy]

Here is the installation:
The screen from the old lights:



In the cabinet:



Wiring harness:



Light test:



Complete:

 

[Windy]

An update.

 

[DFW]

Wow! What a setup! Your screen looks like mine does after about 1 week. I use fluorescent bulbs in reflectors - one a 19 watt, and the other side a 23 watt. I run them 18 hours/day, and usually go 3 weeks between cleanings.

 

[ReeferEric]

Is that more so slim then hair algae?

 

[Windy]

Is that more so slim then hair algae?

The outside area is a lot of slime. The middle is gradually tuning into green hair algae. Also as it matures, there is less algae in my system and my macro algae is failing.

 

[tigerdragon]

What lighting on macro and does it get nutrients? My scrubber is in with my macro and rock rubble but gets light from scrubber, all is fed from rtn manifold pulled socks so fuge gets nutrients macro is growing like mad

 

[Windy]

You can research this for yourself, but what I have read says the macro algae will die because the algae scrubber will take the nutrients out of the water. You might house it separately and feed it, but my experience is it will succumb to the more efficient algae scrubber.

 

[Windy]

I just replaced the enclosure with glass and reduced the screen width as well.

 

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Great looking! Looking forward to see some more pictures of the growth.

~SF

 

[SantaMonica]

You might house it separately and feed it, but my experience is it will succumb to the more efficient algae scrubber

Yes correct, it does not matter where the scrubber is, because the nutrients will be the same levels in the water.