Algae scrubber lights!!!!!????

[yazeed]

I am making my first algae scrubber, I use 8000L dc jebao pump for tow 40*36 cm screen.
How much light to use for it!!!????

 

[A+Aquatics]

I have found that a host of different lights will work, simple will do fine here. For experimental purposes I have used the basic household 60W light bulb and found good growth from it.
Although there are much more experienced hobbyist in this area who I am sure will suggest certain parameters of lighting.

 

[yazeed]

I purchased a 20 watt flood led light which is purple,one for each screen.
Is that enough?!!!

 

[ReeferBob]

I use a 100 watt equivalent CFL at 2700k range. For better growth add a reflector to your light fixture (even aluminum foil will work) and put a light on both sides of the ATS. I run mine from 6am to 9pm. Some run them longer up to 18 hours is no problem.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

I am making my first algae scrubber, I use 8000L dc jebao pump for tow 40*36 cm screen.
How much light to use for it!!!????

That's a larger screen - 14" x 15" = 210 sq in, 210/12 = 17.5 cubes/day capacity, is this on a large tank where you are feeding a ton?

Going by the LED sizing guideline

Here is my recommendation for LED lighting of a waterfall algae scrubber screen:

This is for a double-sided screen using Philips Luxeon ES 3W Deep Red 660nm LEDs without lenses (120-140 degree) running at 700mA at 2-3" from the screen to LED

Minimum coverage: One LED on each side of every 8 sq in of screen
Maximum coverage: One LED on each side of every 4 sq in of screen

Simple as that. For new screens (bare) if using the "Maximum" level, run at 350mA until mature, or use a diffuser. Might have to do this with the Minimum level also actually, but not typically. The minimum could probably be stretched to a larger area but screen will cure slower and generally have less capacity.

So for a 6x6 screen, which is 36 sq in, /8 = 4.5 per side. Make it 5.
So for a 6x6 screen, which is 36 sq in, /4 = 9 per side.

Supplementing with blue/violet: Always run blues at 350mA, violets can be run higher but should follow the same rule for the maturing stage (350 at first, then increase after maturing). Use one to two at this current level for every 5-6 reds, roughly. Lots of flexibility here, a little blue/violet goes a long way. I've used 440-445nm Royal Blue Luxeon ESs for this, but I know of at least one other that used to use RBs and switched to Deep Violets and almost doubled growth. Steve's LEDs now carries a good Hyper Violet made by SemiLED.

Regarding non DIY-LEDs in general, this is what I have roughed out to help with this.
The issue is that my DIY LED guideline is based on coverage. You can't say "I need 5 3W LEDs which is 15W, so a 15 W fixture is what I need". It doesn't work that way.

That's because a 3W LED does not necessarily consume 3W, and a purchased LED may rate it's intensity based on actual wattage used, or it may add up the LEDs and give a wattage but the actual watt draw is less. You have to watch for this.

A 3W Philips Luxeon ES 660nm LED will typically drop 2.2v across the LED at 700mA. Power = Amps * Volts so 2.2 V * 0.700 A = 1.54W. What? I thought it was a 3W. It is. That is something called MARKETING. LEDs have become more efficient over time as they have been redesigned, so a lower Vdrop and Idrive results in the same output, but instead of calling it a 1.5W and confusing everyone, they call it a 3W still.

So now on to your fixture you are looking at.

Converting the "LED per unit area guideline" to a "wattage" guideline is as simple as doing the math.

Figure out what you need per the "unit area" guideline. In the above example, 6x6 screen, minimum level (low intensity), 5x 3W per side. Each is actually drawing 1.5W, so 5x1.5 = 7.5W. Your light fixture should actually consume, at the wall, a minimum of 7.5W. The electronics built into the fixture will draw power also, meaning that you might want to add a little cushion to the number. So a 10W fixture on a 6x6 screen would be about right for a comparable replacement to an array of 5x 3W LEDs.

Now let's add that factor in and parallel it to screen size. A 6x6 screen = 36 sq in. Make it 40. you need a 10W actual-draw LED fixture on each side of this. So you could say that the rule of thumb for a pre-built LED fixture is that you need 0.25W per square inch of screen. That would get you into the Minimum light arena - or "Minimum Intensity", and you need one of these on each side of the screen.

Doubling that would put you on the higher end. 0.5W per square inch - actual wattage draw of fixture.

What you have to watch for is when they use a multi-chip that has 9 1W LEDs on it and they call that 10W. Not necessarily true. But 1W LEDs are actually more efficient than 3W LEDs when you are talking radiant flux output per unit of energy input into the LED, so it's not horrible, just shoot for the higher light level and you'll be OK usually. At best, you will actually be at the minimum level. At worst, you'll be on the low side but still OK.

that's 0.25W of LED light per sq in per side, meaning a bare minimum of 50W on each side, and that doesn't address the light spread issue. Some 50W multichip fixtures might work if you get the distance right

For a CFL light, you're looking at minimum 100W actual per side if not double that.

But I would come back around to the size of the scrubber - that's the driving factor behind the lighting requirement: size and lighting in proportion to feeding. If you don't feed that much, then less light will work but in that case, the screen being oversized compared to feeding means you can scale the screen size way back and use the lighting more efficiently

 

[Cory]

I love my ats, best filter ever!

As far as lights just buy red led in the 1-3watt per led range. Should work like a charm. 660nm if you wabt to know the specific wavelength.