The massive thread about algae scrubbers has been interesting, and I shared my first DIY build (pic below) there. That build looks like a sea monster's ass though, and sucks to clean, and isn't big enough, blah blah blah. Up next is an attempt to spend a bit more time, make a nice unit with powerful lighting, 2 screens with the lighting in the middle, self contained, quiet, and so on.
The only thing I really haven't figured a way around is how to contain the masses of hair algae that like to droop off the screen and clog everything. I don't think there's really much that can be done there though.
Anyways.... pics! Here is the old scrubber:
And, so far as I've gotten on the new build has been to try to piece together how I'm going to mount the lights... I only have 10" of vertical space, and I want to keep the unit thin. Wasting a bunch of space for conventional lamp mounting was not an option, and I wasted several days trying to make a nice holder for 4 T8 bulbs that was only 1.25" wide, and would still allow me to pop in and out the replacement bulbs. At the end of it I threw my hands up in the air and glued the end caps to some acrylic strips. I will have to do some minor disassembly to replace the bulbs, but it will work, and I shouldn't have to replace bulbs too often (!).
For lamps I just used standard 5000k 24" T8 Bulbs, in a sort of bastardized ODNO configuration, running off a 48" ballast.
More to come! slowly.
The only thing I really haven't figured a way around is how to contain the masses of hair algae that like to droop off the screen and clog everything. I don't think there's really much that can be done there though.
Anyways.... pics! Here is the old scrubber:
And, so far as I've gotten on the new build has been to try to piece together how I'm going to mount the lights... I only have 10" of vertical space, and I want to keep the unit thin. Wasting a bunch of space for conventional lamp mounting was not an option, and I wasted several days trying to make a nice holder for 4 T8 bulbs that was only 1.25" wide, and would still allow me to pop in and out the replacement bulbs. At the end of it I threw my hands up in the air and glued the end caps to some acrylic strips. I will have to do some minor disassembly to replace the bulbs, but it will work, and I shouldn't have to replace bulbs too often (!).
For lamps I just used standard 5000k 24" T8 Bulbs, in a sort of bastardized ODNO configuration, running off a 48" ballast.
More to come! slowly.
