MY ALGAE SCRUBBER PROTOTYPE

[DFW]

Thank you, Chris, and David for your kind words! I hope that they are healthy! I don't know how you can tell that from looking at these poor quality photos.

This scrubber is growing some really weird algae these days. I guess it is turf algae. It's like a hairy, matted green sponge.

 

[jerryclunsford]

Did you consider a raceway type ATS.
I am considering building one.

 

[DFW]

@jerryclunsford wrote:

I don't know what that is.

My scrubber is still going strong. I have added chaeto to the sump, and it is also growing nicely. I clean the scrubber once every 3 weeks. Actually it's been 4 weeks this time.

 

[washingtond]

@DFW wrote:

I don't know what that is.

My scrubber is still going strong. I have added chaeto to the sump, and it is also growing nicely. I clean the scrubber once every 3 weeks. Actually it's been 4 weeks this time."]

I am glad to see that it is working out.

 

[DFW]

@washingtond wrote:

Thank you, sir! I must guess that it is working. I am going a way that I've never been before, so have no real reference point as to what is really working, or not. But it SEEMS to me to be working, from my perspective as one that knows that he really doesn't know much. I will confess that trusting in the One that made all of these creatures to help you with their care works very well indeed!!

 

[washingtond]

Some things to remember, algae requires both light and nutrients to grow. The nutrients are waste pulled out of the water and therefore not available to cause bad things to grow in the tank itself. You can test nitrates as a check, also general aquarium observation, is there excessive algae growing on the rock, glass ect. The bottom line is if algae is growing on your filter it is pulling bad stuff out. There real question would be if it large enough to be effective?

 

[DFW]

My observation is that I would like to have a larger scrubber, or maybe stronger lighting on the scrubber. The chaeto is growing faster than I thought that it would, so there are available nutrients after the scrubber has done what it can. I have never had any hair algae problems, though, anywhere in this system. There is some short mossy looking algae on some fairly new rock where detritus had likely settled prior to coralline algae having had time to grow.

 

[Baldguy]

@jerryclunsford wrote:

I assume you're talking of a horizontal or trough type. I briefly considered doing that but everything I've read says the waterfall or upflow designs works better. I think the problem is having enough surface area and flow. I decided to go with the two sided waterfall design available commercially. I'm on the waiting list now.

 

[jerryclunsford]

Sorry, did not mean to jack your thread.
Yes, a trough type.
Here is an example.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Algal-Turf-Scrubber-Reef-Racer-ATS-Reef-Filter-Reef-Tank-Fuge-55-Gallon-/191319538141?pt=Fish_Filters&hash=item2c8b8879dd
I was thinking of running the tank overflow though it before it drains into sump so flow should not be a problem. As for surface area I should be able to get one side 7 x 18 inches.
That should work for a 37 gallon. I think that will have more surface area than the commercial one I have a link to.

 

[DFW]

@Baldguy wrote:

Where did you order from?

 

[Baldguy]

https://www.algaescrubbing.com/forums/product-information.19/
He's been doing it a while and has really fine tuned everything with revisions. Tried and true.

 

[DFW]

That's a real pretty one. Mine has more surface area, and doesn't need all the fancy connections, so is much easier to make. I would like to get LEDs goin' on mine though! When I get time, I will make an improved version of this one!

 

[washingtond]

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[DFW]

@washingtond wrote:

Thank you for your kind support!

 

[DFW]

I went to clean the scrubber yesterday, and the plastic grid that the algae grows on crumbled apart. I have had to start over with another piece of the plastic grid. I got 3 years out of that piece of plastic, so I guess that is pretty good. I had already had to trim away an inch, or so, from the top several times because it had gotten brittle, and broken. So, it was about 5 inches shorter than the piece I had started out with. I used a piece of the grid this time that has slightly larger holes, which makes the plastic slightly thicker as well. And rather than insert it in the slot of the feed pipe, I have suspended it about an eighth of an inch below the slot opening. It is flowing better, that's for sure. I was not able to insert this readily in the slot because it is a little too thick. It will work out better this way, I think. After scratching up the surface of the plastic grid with a hole saw, I smeared some of the algae from the old grid all over it. After starting the scrubber up with the new grid, some of the algae is sticking, so that's a start. I will leave the lights on 24/7 until it gets good coverage. I have been running lights 16 hours a day, but need to get this thing going because I have no other export mechanism in place. I will likely employ a couple of bags of chemipure elite during this transition.

 

[rckrzy1]

I bought one of those dual screen scrubbers from ebay, after 4 weeks I have to clean it every week. Pretty impressed by the export.
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[DFW]

Do you have a link? I did not see it right away.

 

[washingtond]

They really do work and is good for removing organic material from the water. The larger you can make it the better.