Wanted to start a thread on my latest diy gadget. I understand that many discus keepers like to keep it simple, with tried and trued methods, like BB, sponge filters and large daily changes. I also realize that many members are open to the use of technical components and other diy gadgets that can better their overall experience.
I will say I understand nothing takes place of wcs but if something works why not utilize it.
My new diy project is an algae reactor. As I know the benefits of scrubbers I wanted to experiment with something similar without the large space requirements. My hope is to see the results in two different areas for myself. One obviously is nutrient export between wcs. Yes I will still do my normal wcs but I would like to see if there is any change on params.
The other is I have had a bit of trouble this summer with some green algae. My guess is the amount of sunlight the tank gets from the kitchen window here in sunny California. I can't get the wife to stop opening the blinds while I'm at work so here I am.
This project may show positive results and may not but as a person that likes to tinker and diy I figure it's worth a shot.
In an earlier post I diy'd a purigen reactor. Essentially what I have done is taking the existing reactor (obviously removed purigen), placed plastic knitting mesh inside and wrapped with a warm led strip light.
I have been running approximately 12 hour light cycles thus far. I will be adding a wemo switch so that it's automatic but have been manually turning off and on at this point.
I installed Saturday and today see noticeable algae growth. Now we shall see if there are results. If not, didn't cost much more than an led strip from Amazon.
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