Algae Scrubber Basics

So here is my newly made scrubber, I came across SM's thread last weekend and thought it was awesome, and made my ATS right away. Then read through everything and found out I built it according to old plans. Info on my tank, it is approx 140G and just under 2 months old, don't know what I did right but I have minor algae in my tank and my levels have been zero since I started testing them a month ago. I have 8 blue chromis, 3 damsel and 1 yellow tang. I haven't measured what 3 hefty pinches of NLS 1mm pellets equals in cubes a day(if anyone could help on that it would be awesome)
IMG_6712-1.jpg

This is it originally, 13x10 with probably just under 400GPH, I talked to floyd and he pointed me in the direction of the new sizing.
IMG_6713.jpg
So now it is 6 wide and probably 10 long, with 2 23watt spotlight style light on it. After a week I am kinda borwnish yellow color I would say. Oh and I still have the 400 now going across 6 inches so that is 66 gallons per inch. Should I change anything? I plan on adding more fish so I don't want to make it too small but if this works I will probably build a proper led one along the lines of Floyds.
 
Looks good so far, just one thing to point out, you are using CFL spotlights which aren't the best for efficiency, but if you are going to keep using them you can ditch the reflector, those have one built in. You could just put in a spiral lamp or get one of the dome-type 8" reflectors, that would spread the light a little better. Or just wait and see if what you built works good.
 
So I've started reading this thread, and I have a terrible algae problem. I run carbon and GFO and change every two weeks. Starting to change every week GFO carbon every couple days.

Let me see if I got this correct... An algae scrubber can reduce the algae in my dt? For realz?
 
Floyd R Turbo said:
Electrical Protection

This should really go without saying, but you should always plug your lights into Ground-Fault protected receptacles (GFCI). You should actually have all your equipment plugged into GFCI receptacles, and on as many separate circuits as feasible "“ but that's another discussion.

Instead of multiple GFCI receptacles one could just install a GFCI breaker if they have a dedicated circuit for their tank like mine. About 40$
Click to expand...
 
I've recently upgraded my tank; pretty much same size, same equipment, some of the same live rock, some of the same livestock, , but different tank and stand. I have not changed my LED ATS - it's documented elsewhere in this thread EXCEPT that I moved the screen closer to the LEDs - not by design, but due to a space limitation. And the result has been very significant.

Previously my screen was 5-6" from the LEDs and it grew algae well. It was a nice dark green, and I could always find small 2-3 cm pods in it. And it was stringy, but not long threads and kind of gooey. And it stunk. I hated cleaning it every week.

Now my screen is 3.5" from the same LEDs and the algae has changed. It's no longer gooey and stinky. Barely smells in fact. And it's nothing but a solid mat of medium (not light, not dark) green thread algae. When I scrape a square section up each weekend with a credit card, I can hold it up as a solid rectangular mat. One piece of hair algae. I could never do that before. Any algae pics I took previously had to be put in a cup. No more. I could post a picture of an in-tack mat. (Can do next weekend if proof is needed.) ;)

And the pods - wow! I don't know why, but now it's got pods that are 6, almost 7 cm. Big suckers. I've got no idea why, but they are much larger now.

Does any of this matter? I don't know. But I know no small attention is paid in this thread to kind of algae you are growing, and the pod population. So I figured I'd post my findings.

Plus, based on these results, I can tell you that there should be NO reason to hesitate to throw together an LED ATS. Just go find my posts in this thread where I detail mine, build the same or similar (sized accordingly) and put those LEDs CLOSE to the mat. :)
 
Ahhh... I realize that I have to post a disclaimer. I said I did not change my ATS or ATS light. That's not exactly true. The light and screen are the same, as is the setup - other than distance between them. But I DID have to make a new PVC pipe that the screen slips into. Given that no two DIY'ed slots that the screen slips into will be the same, it's safe to say the flow has changed. And I installed a gate valve in the plumbing that feeds the screen - to better control the flow. Previously I had a cheap ball valve.

I set the flow visually, so it looks like the same rate to me, though I did not measure it. If anything , it's less flow because I dialed it back a bit to reduce noise. But IMO the flow is substantially similar. Sorry I can't quantify either the old, or new, flow.

But I'm certain that it's not MORE flow now. So IMO the improvement I'm seeing is NOT because of improved flow. But I can't prove it. :)
 
Musbtr1pin said:
Instead of multiple GFCI receptacles one could just install a GFCI breaker if they have a dedicated circuit for their tank like mine. About 40$
Click to expand...

I thought this also, but then someone pointed out to me that the NEC does not require GFCI protection near water, they just strongly recommend it, and the reason is that continuous-duty pumps (like return pumps) are technically not supposed to be connected to GFCI protected circuits for some reason (which evades me right now)
 
scolley said:
But I DID have to make a new PVC pipe that the screen slips into.

...

But I'm certain that it's not MORE flow now. So IMO the improvement I'm seeing is NOT because of improved flow. But I can't prove it. :)
Click to expand...

IIRC you originally had a slot that forced the flow to be restricted to one side, correct? When you changed the hanging method, did you change it so that the flow goes down both sides now?
 
Floyd R Turbo said:
I thought this also, but then someone pointed out to me that the NEC does not require GFCI protection near water, they just strongly recommend it, and the reason is that continuous-duty pumps (like return pumps) are technically not supposed to be connected to GFCI protected circuits for some reason (which evades me right now)
Click to expand...

They actually are required if around a bathroom after. Sink, shower, bath, ext. in my 2011 nec book. Electrical engineering in the works.

So can you verify that if I instal an algae scrubber, it will take care of my nuisance algae?
 
I have HA all over, tank is 11 months old. 180 gal 75 gal sump. It's pretty discouraging to bust you're *** day in and day out only to have it overcome by HA
 
Floyd R Turbo said:
I thought this also, but then someone pointed out to me that the NEC does not require GFCI protection near water, they just strongly recommend it, and the reason is that continuous-duty pumps (like return pumps) are technically not supposed to be connected to GFCI protected circuits for some reason (which evades me right now)
Click to expand...

Not to take this thread off topic but as of 2008 all residential circuits are required to be protected by GFCI and AFCI devices (outlets/breakers).

The problem is or was that certain electrical motors like compressors on refrigerators or garbage disposals, blower motors etc. require a large inrush of current to get them started and then they drop down to their normal operating current. But depending on the size of the motor and the amps it draws this could cause problems with false trips every time they go to start up.

I think it was earlier than 2008 that they mandated all manufacturers of GFCI devices to start making their devices to better compensate for this issue.

So unless you're running fairly large pumps on older circuitry then it's not as big a deal anymore for most of us to run our pumps on GFCI's.
 
Floyd R Turbo said:
IIRC you originally had a slot that forced the flow to be restricted to one side, correct? When you changed the hanging method, did you change it so that the flow goes down both sides now?
Click to expand...

Great memory Floyd. Nope - it's still one sided, because the same light is on the same side of the same screen.

As before, I put a generous bead of silicone on the back side of the PVC where the water exits, so as to not waste flow down the back. And as with my previous piece of PVC, that seam separated from the screen over time. However - as before - the little knobs and bumps molded into the silicone in the shape of the mat help keep them mat firmly against the silicone seam. The end result is that it blocks most flow, but not all. And the mat winds up being wet on the back (unlit) side all the time, but no flow of any significance.

This is just the same as before.

Also, if it was not clear... not only is this the same screen from my previous tank, I took great care to bring the original algae mat with it. And I have introduced some new corals to this tank, but only AFTER this new "wonder mat" was growing. So I don't think this algae was introduced, but instead is a result of the light spacing.
 
This is a new an innovative idea I would like to Use on my system. I'm almost to the point where I'm just gonna dump a gallon of bleach in da b**** and let er burn. Can't seem to get much help on here without getting flamed for not reading 172 pages of posts. I read 50 of em, and no I need some answers. THANKS
 
yes, they're worth building. Build it right though.

I'll save you the time of reading 3100 posts. These are really all you need

Basics Write Up - Post #1
Updated Summary - Post #2001-2010
Quick Troubleshooting - Post #1902
Alternate/Updated Sizing - Post #2723

Are you on GIRS?
 
Pictures of Tank

Pictures of Tank

Pictures aren't the best, but you can see the HA all over the darned place. Also I took pictures of my sump in case someone has some new ideas
 

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