My Observations after a year of scrubbing.

So turbo are you saying to turn off the carbon reactor? Can you do that? Won't the bacteria in there go bad after a while?


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Don

 

I have read in the chemistry forums on RC that carbon is mostly a biological filter after a week. And if you turn off the filter they get into some kind of aerobic and anaerobic type of talk that is way above my noggin. But I think that they saying it is bad to stop the flow for too long. Garf or some body hopefully will chime in on this.


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Don

 

Maybe add a solenoid with a tee on the air inlet somehow. Then when the solenoid is open the skimmer is getting the most air and starts skimming?

 

I've had a strange few days. On one hand I know that screen aeration is good for algae and the growth and reduction of ALK consumption. On the other hand recent information suggests that pH increase localised to the photosynthesising screen is actually precipitating phosphate as calcium phosphate on and in the screen (above pH 8.5). It's suggested that this is the primary phosphate reduction mechanism. This high pH would also increase ALK consumption but if I threw a spoon full of bicarbonate in the tank with the knowledge that I had removed a similar amount of extra phosphate, I think I would remain happy. Currently testing this theory. There may also be another complication. If calcium is being bound by phosphate and precipitated under high pH, then the competition from DOC may partially inhibit its effect. Hence the reduction of DOC may increase phosphate precipitation. Hopefully someone more qualified will put me out of my misery

 

I couldn't maintain a high pH on the screen without adding kalk, when the growth was thick. It was like the algae underneath the top layer was resipiring more CO2 than the upper (lit) layers were consuming, or perhaps the extra DOC was being consumed by bacteria which produce CO2. I think for the phosphate precipitation to occur, scrubbers need to be larger (huge) and run thinner to maintain lighting down to the screen. Needless to say, without any noticeable or testable improvement, I gave up.

 

I am guessing your concern is lack of dissolved O2, not too much o2? It is very difficult to have too much O2, even with an ozone generator.

Carbon will certainly make the water crystal clear when used with a scrubber. My biggest issue with that route though is cost. When I tried that method for about a year I was going through $40 worth of Rox carbon a month. I think finding a proper balance with bacteria will also accomplish the same goal for a fraction of the cost, if we could figure out exactly how to achieve that balance.

 

UVB is supposed to break down humic substances quickly into more bacterially digestable forms (or so ive read). Its supposed to form 60% of natural reduction through sunlight UVB. Perhaps a desert reptile UVB lamp over a small recirculating sump section (or small tank) would do something to avoid GAC. Just a thought

 

Yeah, but not as damaging as UVC(in sterilisers)

Trying to find the stuff about it.

Apparently the carbon is released as CO2, which is interesting