Do Algae Reactors Work, And Worth It?

[fishbox]

Looks like quite a few people had bad results with the Amazon lights on that Central forum. Not that they didn't grow cheato but they either quit working or they were damaging the housing of the reactor. A few mentioned hair line cracks in the reactor. I have no desire to flood or burn down my home. So I'm looking into better options for my Phosban 550. Marine Depot has these 6ft strips but I'm curious of the heat output
https://www.marinedepot.com/Accel_A...m=Product+Page+Segment&utm_content=chrome_ff&

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

I think I mentioned before that my first rev of my algae scrubber which has a 3W 445nm Royal Blue at 700mA dead center of the array and ~1" from a 1/4" acrylic window caused crazing over time to the acrylic directly in front of the LED. So any LED that is smack up against an acrylic tube is likely to cause a similar issue over time.

That being said, crazing and fracturing are different things. Crazing is essentially stress fractures, micro cracks, whatever you want to call it. It's generally aesthetic in this case and not very likely to cause a catastrophic failure. Crazing on an acrylic tank...that's another story

 

[fishbox]

That being said, crazing and fracturing are different things. Crazing is essentially stress fractures, micro cracks, whatever you want to call it. It's generally aesthetic in this case and not very likely to cause a catastrophic failure.

Well that's good to hear. [emoji3] [emoji3]

 

[jmp21677]

The lights I'm using are covered in a rubber film for the waterproof piece. Can't say I'm sure they aren't causing damage to reactor. I'll have to look when I get home. I have not noticed that they are really hot when I have touched them

 

[JoshKReef]

Looks like quite a few people had bad results with the Amazon lights on that Central forum. Not that they didn't grow cheato but they either quit working or they were damaging the housing of the reactor. A few mentioned hair line cracks in the reactor. I have no desire to flood or burn down my home. So I'm looking into better options for my Phosban 550. Marine Depot has these 6ft strips but I'm curious of the heat output
https://www.marinedepot.com/Accel_A...m=Product+Page+Segment&utm_content=chrome_ff&

Are you doing in sump or out of sump? If out of sump, why don't people use something like corrugated drain pipe to make a sleeve around their reactor? Mount the lights to the sleeve, and drop your reactor into it. That will leave some room for the lights to breath if heat is an issue, while also preventing light from escaping (you may be able to find white for reflection, or spray paint it white inside). You could also put a fan under it to blow the hot air out of the top if its an issue. I think wrapping the LED's in vinyl is causing the issue of both the reactor being damaged, and the lights burning out.

 

[fishbox]

Are you doing in sump or out of sump? If out of sump, why don't people use something like corrugated drain pipe to make a sleeve around their reactor? Mount the lights to the sleeve, and drop your reactor into it. That will leave some room for the lights to breath if heat is an issue, while also preventing light from escaping (you may be able to find white for reflection, or spray paint it white inside). You could also put a fan under it to blow the hot air out of the top if its an issue. I think wrapping the LED's in vinyl is causing the issue of both the reactor being damaged, and the lights burning out.

Now that my friend is genius!
I'll be out of sump and think I'll try this. Do you mind if I share this idea on that central forum?

 

[JoshKReef]

Now that my friend is genius!
I'll be out of sump and think I'll try this. Do you mind if I share this idea on that central forum?

Not at all, when you post your results of your test, mention me (so it alerts me) because I'm curious. I'm setting up a sump right now with a fuge and was planning on doing cheating and rubble, and after reading all this, I may switch over to a reactor.

 

[fishbox]

Not at all, when you post your results of your test, mention me (so it alerts me) because I'm curious. I'm setting up a sump right now with a fuge and was planning on doing cheating and rubble, and after reading all this, I may switch over to a reactor.

I will! I have a huge exam next week so I won't be doing much till then. But I'll get it built right after and post my results

 

[SantaMonica]

IP69K is the highest rating, for high pressure steam proof.

 

[Davy Jones]

As of testing, nitrates started around 10 at the beginning of the experiment. I havent had a chance to test again however my chaeto is whilting and turning white so the amazon grow lights are either too bright, or not the correct spectrum. I have witnessed no growth and infact think i may need a new ball of chaeto.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Well, gotta say it is doing something. The cheato is three times the size it was in just a bit over a week. Wow! Main display does not have much algae yet, but I had just cleaned it completely.

 

[SantaMonica]

chaeto is whilting and turning white

Lack of nutrient delivery. Common in chaeto because it blocks flow.

 

[Davy Jones]

Lack of nutrient delivery. Common in chaeto because it blocks flow.

Thanks for this! I removed some of the pre-filter in my reactor to increase the amount of flow hitting the chaeto. If that doesn't work I'll have to shorten the tubing and move the reactor higher up so the pump has to work less.

 

[jasonrusso]

Lack of nutrient delivery. Common in chaeto because it blocks flow.

I had plenty of flow with the same LEDs everyone else used and my chaeto died. I guess I didn't have enough nutrients.

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Has anybody had good luck with their Amazon lights lasting? Trying to figure who to buy from.

They will not last. Count on replacing them often. These are cheap, crappy Chinese LED strips. It will work for a proof of concept but not long term. There is also the real chance of fire since these DIY projects are properly heat sinked. The reactors will probably not last long with the heat and UV, the ARID uses a plastic light tube that must be replaced periodically.
I thank those early adopters/DIY for doing the proof of concept.

 

[SantaMonica]

are properly heat sinked

You might mean "not properly"

 

[Forsaken77]

They will not last. Count on replacing them often. These are cheap, crappy Chinese LED strips. It will work for a proof of concept but not long term. There is also the real chance of fire since these DIY projects are properly heat sinked. The reactors will probably not last long with the heat and UV, the ARID uses a plastic light tube that must be replaced periodically.
I thank those early adopters/DIY for doing the proof of concept.

Is that the current model of the ARID where the light tube needs replacing, or an earlier model? Because the guy from Pax Bellum told me they did many improvements from feedback of the original model.

I posted this earlier in this thread, but I spoke with an led manufacturer and he said that a 16ft/5M length strip will not work because it's too many led's without enough power. That's why he suggested getting two 8ft rolls because the LEDs towards the end of a 16ft roll will be much dimmer.

Also, if it's possible to actually find an IP68 roll, which is meant for continual submersion (and less heat because each led is encapsulated), the in-sump model of this should dissipate the little amount of heat it will give off to the water. But the same strategy for an out-of-sump reactor will cause significantly more heat around the reactor without the water to cool it.

The Amazon lights are IP67, which is not meant for constant submersion, only 30 minutes, and are being marketed as "waterproof." Some of the sellers lights run hotter than others as well.

So if we can actually find IP68 lights for an in-sump model, in the correct spectrum, and use white vinyl wrap of some sort to cover the reactor to reflect light back in, it should work.

Or, for an out of sump model, put a clear buffer between the led's and reactor, still wrapped in white vinyl.

I have been speaking with led manufacturers around the US and won't give up until I can find one that can make these. But they will not be as cheap as the crappy Amazon Chinese lights that weren't even designed for this purpose. Those Amazon led's are meant for indoor gardening type setups. So heat isn't one of their priorities.

We will eventually get there, even if I have to have a manufacturer design these lights specifically for this purpose and I'll sell them myself. It seems like something that should already be available, but isn't.

 

[Forsaken77]

Thanks for this! I removed some of the pre-filter in my reactor to increase the amount of flow hitting the chaeto. If that doesn't work I'll have to shorten the tubing and move the reactor higher up so the pump has to work less.

Are you throttling the pump back or using it wide open? Because if it has flow control, just increase the amount of flow.

 

[Forsaken77]

Now that my friend is genius!
I'll be out of sump and think I'll try this. Do you mind if I share this idea on that central forum?

Do they make that material in white? Because the ARID reactor guy said white will reflect light back into the chamber, where black will absorb it.

And how would you implement it? You'd have to cut holes in front of every led, making the led's still almost in contact with the reactor. A clear type of buffer would seem to work better. But this is just a hypothesis.

 

[jasonrusso]

Or, for an out of sump model, put a clear buffer between the led's and reactor, still wrapped in white vinyl.

The 80 degree water flowing through the reactor with the lights directly touching it is probably the best heatsink you can get. If you put a space in between you will lose that.