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HarrisonMG · 07/11/2019, 10:19 AM

Finally finished! Here's my algae scrubber that I built for my 75g tank, after weeks of planning.

I realized that because of my sump setup, I could not have the unit just sit on top of the sump -- there is simply no space. It would've had to have gone in the return section, and then everything in there would be cramped, and the light on the outside of the sump would have been in my way....I could go on. I realized the best would be for it to go on the empty wall opposite the end of my sump. I also knew I'd have to design things from the ground up, to maximize the plastic sheet space, minimize noise, light leak, and space used by the unit. That's how I ended up mounting it the the side of the stand and draining with a bean animal system.

This is my sump before and after:

The box is made of ¼" acrylic, but I made a prototype in 1/8". The prototype, I cut out on the circular saw and was displeased with the edges. For the real deal, I went to my local library, which got a new handheld CNC machine, the Shaper Origin, and boy was that cool! Anyways, I ran into many challenges along the way.
For one, I couldn't get the slot pipe to be even flow, so I ended up stacking 4 cutoff bits on my Dremel for the desired width of the slot, instead of going around the edges.
The light I got (it was the exact same cost as making one DIY, but came with a casing and a fan) is the exact width and height of the scrubber, but I had no way to suspend it, so as you can see in the photo, I built a stand. The surface actually pops off so it can come out, and the distance from the acrylic to the union I calculated to keep the stand rock solid.
To combat light leak, I cut out some cardboard fit to the sides of the scrubber, one side covered in aluminum foil and the other in navy duct tape. It works for now, I guess. The front piece is only taped up on one side so it swings open for easy look at algae.
Finally, I wanted the pipes as out-of-the-way as possible, so you can see the drains come out and then go to the sump at a 45 degree angle so they aren't right up front, but what you don't see is that the input pipe goes up from the sump against the front of the stand, over the door opening, and then connects to the spray bar w/a union.

Here's my tank:

I'll update in a few weeks when algae comes in, but so far....thoughts?

Thanks!
--Harrison

07/11/2019, 10:19 AM	#10207
HarrisonMG Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Connecticut Posts: 192	Finally finished! Here's my algae scrubber that I built for my 75g tank, after weeks of planning. I realized that because of my sump setup, I could not have the unit just sit on top of the sump -- there is simply no space. It would've had to have gone in the return section, and then everything in there would be cramped, and the light on the outside of the sump would have been in my way....I could go on. I realized the best would be for it to go on the empty wall opposite the end of my sump. I also knew I'd have to design things from the ground up, to maximize the plastic sheet space, minimize noise, light leak, and space used by the unit. That's how I ended up mounting it the the side of the stand and draining with a bean animal system. This is my sump before and after: The box is made of ¼" acrylic, but I made a prototype in 1/8". The prototype, I cut out on the circular saw and was displeased with the edges. For the real deal, I went to my local library, which got a new handheld CNC machine, the Shaper Origin, and boy was that cool! Anyways, I ran into many challenges along the way. For one, I couldn't get the slot pipe to be even flow, so I ended up stacking 4 cutoff bits on my Dremel for the desired width of the slot, instead of going around the edges. The light I got (it was the exact same cost as making one DIY, but came with a casing and a fan) is the exact width and height of the scrubber, but I had no way to suspend it, so as you can see in the photo, I built a stand. The surface actually pops off so it can come out, and the distance from the acrylic to the union I calculated to keep the stand rock solid. To combat light leak, I cut out some cardboard fit to the sides of the scrubber, one side covered in aluminum foil and the other in navy duct tape. It works for now, I guess. The front piece is only taped up on one side so it swings open for easy look at algae. Finally, I wanted the pipes as out-of-the-way as possible, so you can see the drains come out and then go to the sump at a 45 degree angle so they aren't right up front, but what you don't see is that the input pipe goes up from the sump against the front of the stand, over the door opening, and then connects to the spray bar w/a union. Here's my tank: I'll update in a few weeks when algae comes in, but so far....thoughts? Thanks! --Harrison