Algae Scrubber Basics

[TheFishMan65]

Detritus is waste or debris, since my fish eat the food I have other waste.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Hey everyone!! I am going to be building an algae scrubber for my 125 gallon tank which will hopefully help me fight the algae issues I have. So from what I have read so far(can't get all the way through this thread so I may be asking some questions that have come up earlier or I missed it lol) I will need a 10"x12.5" screen for my tank as well as 4 23 watt CFL bulbs. My scrubber is going to be fed via overflow into the sump. So one question I have is if it is okay to adjust my return pump so it is pumping only 350 gph? From my understanding you want 35gph of flow for every 1" wide the screen is. Now just some minor details I haven't come across yet: for the hole cut out of the PVC, it will be 10" long, but what is the other dimension(height/width)? Also, what will hold the scrubber in place so that the screen doesn't fall out of the hole drilled? Thanks in advance!!

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Posts 2001-2010 will help you answer many questions

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Thanks!! I would have never found that. At least not any time soon if I read every post from the beginning to there. I really understand them now. Much appretiated!

 

[Bry17nyc]

hey everyone ..i built an algae scrubber for my 90 gallon tank ..its been running for about 9 days
this is a picture of it with measurements
and the second picture is how it is today

i havent cleaned it yet...should i?
does it look normal or you think im suppose t have more growth

its lit up with a 42watt cfl bulb

 

[redneckgearhead]

hey everyone ..i built an algae scrubber for my 90 gallon tank ..its been running for about 9 days
this is a picture of it with measurements
and the second picture is how it is today

i havent cleaned it yet...should i?
does it look normal or you think im suppose t have more growth

its lit up with a 42watt cfl bulb

Every seven days is recommended, even when there doesn't look like there is much to clean.

 

[SPotter]

Bryan,
Csn you a picture of the screen with the light? I'd like to see what kind of reflector you are using and how close the light is.

Steve

 

[JohnnyB in SD]

Just changed my scrubber from CFL's to T5's and improved the flow, now I'm getting dark sloppy goop. Nasty stuff.
Anybody know what post# has the troubleshooting of algae type based on flow & lighting variables?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

exactly what color algae are you getting, brown, yellow, black, etc.

 

[SPotter]

hey everyone ..i built an algae scrubber for my 90 gallon tank ..its been running for about 9 days
this is a picture of it with measurements
and the second picture is how it is today

i havent cleaned it yet...should i?
does it look normal or you think im suppose t have more growth

its lit up with a 42watt cfl bulb

Bry,
How far away is your light from the screen? Did you "ruff" up the screen? Floyd and SRusso are kind of the resident experts here but I am going to say you definitely need more light, increased flow and you should do away with that 3" flap thats not getting direct water flow.

 

[JohnnyB in SD]

exactly what color algae are you getting, brown, yellow, black, etc.

Is very dark green probably considered black. Even coating across the entire screen though, and N&P still in check so not huge problem.
Is just that when I was using CFL's I was on the verge of having nice green turf but mixed with a rainbow of other varieties, and very inconsistent coverage.
I have the T5's about 4" - 5" away from screen to accommodate cooling fans, maybe they need to be closer?
Or is black just a phase that will pass?
THANKS for the help.

FYI: I tried a chamber with slot routed in bottom for screen to hang down through. Works but has noise & splash issues that need to be dealt with, I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you really have a need to.

 

[SPotter]

8th week of scrubbing......
After 8 weeks i think Im dialed in. Im on my third slot and flow is great. n's have been 0 since week 2 and my p's have come back down to 0.012 after going up to 0.035 for a couple of weeks. This weeks harvest is actually something to take a picture of and share.

I am now thinking about going skimmers during the day since i am only cleaning my cup every 7-10 days.

Steve

 

[papagimp]

Or is black just a phase that will pass?

I'm curious on the answer to this as well. I just cleaned my screen for the 3rd time, although that first week it was hardly functional, was still testing out the setup and all. But the screen (forgive me for not taking pictures when I should/could have) was a solid sheet of black, after scrubbing it clean, the screen has a very light green tint to it. Coverage seemed decent enough. I'll get before/after pics this week and post em up, until then, keep the info, question and answers coming! I'm lovin' the 'new toy' for my tank lol. btw, have noticed a drop in nitrates from around 40ppm to around 15ppm since putting this scrubber together (also removed the skimmer altogether - it went to a new more appropriate sized project i'm working on)

thanks again everyone, ya'll rock.

 

[tyler91913]

what do you make of this?

what do you make of this?

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the algae is coming in this week in red, yellow, green, and nearly black. It's also spraying out of the slot in a couple of places, rather than flowing smoothly down the mesh as it did last week. What gives?

 

[tyler91913]

Johnny,

If you have time, tell us more about your T5 project (materials, cutting, plans followed, suppliers, etc.), since I think I'll be following in your footsteps. Killing the splashing sound will be critical for me though; the constant tinkling in the living room is driving me nuts.

Tyler

Is very dark green probably considered black. Even coating across the entire screen though, and N&P still in check so not huge problem.
Is just that when I was using CFL's I was on the verge of having nice green turf but mixed with a rainbow of other varieties, and very inconsistent coverage.
I have the T5's about 4" - 5" away from screen to accommodate cooling fans, maybe they need to be closer?
Or is black just a phase that will pass?
THANKS for the help.

FYI: I tried a chamber with slot routed in bottom for screen to hang down through. Works but has noise & splash issues that need to be dealt with, I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you really have a need to.

 

[JohnnyB in SD]

I made a T5 powered scrubber based off Santa Monica's plans, which is pretty much what FloydRT did as well. I did not buy off the shelf light fixtures, used inexpensive sockets and an old ballast. Used very silent fans to cool the light chambers as Floyd indicated heat was a problem that warped his acrylic. I bought my acrylic from scrap bin at local plastic supplier for $2 a pound. Took a while to accumulate all the needed materials but was very cheap.
I will provide further details if you would email me, posting & PM's are too limited for sending links & pics IMO.

 

[rysher]

interested on the light you're using johnny, and i guess posting is much better so others (like me) can also benefit from it and you wont keep on emailing it to everyone interested. just my 2cents.

 

[JohnnyB in SD]

Yeah, I understand that. I'll try to get to it tonight.

 

[JohnnyB in SD]

So what's the best way to put a link into a post?

 

[SPotter]

I need some input fRom everyone on here. Im about two months away from starting my 280 gallon upgrade and my current skimmers is only rated to 180 gallons. I am planning on building a bigger ats for that tank and instead of buying a bigger skimmer just using the one i have now with an ats. My thought for this is it will take several months for me to stock the tank and this will give the new ats time to break in and development good growth. thoughts?

Steve