Algae Scrubber Basics

srusso said:
View attachment 140361

New bubble tip anemone I just got last night. Seems happy in the tank already!
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HOSTING!!!

I was just about to walk the dog, looked at the tank... and got this one!!!
You can hear my dog mad at me, he needs to go!!!

It's a sign of a winning thread of the month!~ :lol:


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CLINTOS said:
This is a very good question.

I too want to do something similar. I was hoping to still use the canvas material and possibly use eggcrate under it.

I just have question's about algae length after a week etc. but don't want to jack the thread.
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There's nothing wrong with the trough approach. It has the advantage of meeting your space requirements and if that is critical, then I'd recommend it. You won't be hitting both sides of a screen with intense light and water flow so you would want it to have twice the screen area since it is one sided but you'll still make plenty of nitrate/phosphate absorbing algae.

Algae length after a week will be hazed up screen and your nitrates should begin to drop. The growth takes off after about a week. If you have some algae growing in your display tank, pull it out and rub it over your screen when you are getting started. That will speed up the initial growth noticably. I helped a friend out with this idea and they were amazed with the results.
 
Just out of curiousity has anybody tried using an ats on a breeding system? There is a huge bioload on a fish breeding system which typically houses a large amount if juvenile fish that are being fed many times a day to grow out faster anf typically in a smaller environment than normal aquarium conditions suggest. Just curious if anyone has tried this
 
madean said:
Just out of curiousity has anybody tried using an ats on a breeding system? There is a huge bioload on a fish breeding system which typically houses a large amount if juvenile fish that are being fed many times a day to grow out faster anf typically in a smaller environment than normal aquarium conditions suggest. Just curious if anyone has tried this
Click to expand...

I have a theory about this, micro life thrives in a algae scrubber only system. And it is that very life in which makes breeding possible. Algae scrubbers keep the food in the water and remove the negative effects of that food floating in the water for that time.

Now that I have a pair of hosting clowns, I am sure eggs are not far away. Once they hatch I will attempt to collect a few larvae and/or are ready for collection. I will put them in my sump and allow them to grow naturally. In the sump just under my algae scrubber they will be top of the food chain. Could you imagine, growing out fish fry in your sump?! No extra work needed!!
 
I think i have developed a complex/addiction. I get excited for friday. Not because its payday or the end of the week, but to scrub my algae scrubber. Anyone find that odd???
 
Yeah, but i think about it almost everyday... I think i need a vacation. Building LED fixtures, modifications to the scrubber, going to school, work 40hrs, have a family, and starting a business... and all i can think about is scrubbing the algae. Maybe its theraputic or something.
 
Just a little update for an idea i have to stop the algae from growing up into the pipe. its not the most elegant idea, but it works and its not hideous looking. I happened to have a roll of window tint (20% visible) in my garage, so i figured i would give it a shot. I cut 2 6" strips and taped the corners together and made a slit in the center to go around my string that holds it up.

I'll keep you updated as i find out if 40% visible tint is enough to defend the pipe against algae.

<img src="http://www.aquatic-refuge.com/RandomPics/atstint1.jpg" height="400">
<img src="http://www.aquatic-refuge.com/RandomPics/atstint2.jpg" height="400">
 
I went ahead and scrubbed the screen. There wasnt much to measure as the dark green algae was on there and only a couple mm thick. So i didnt bother measuring.
 
srusso- i have been contemplating an ats system on a clownfish breeding system that i plan to build in the future. I was just wondering if anyone had tried it already. There is a lot of water changes associated with breeding and I am curious to see if the ats system could help lower the frequency of water changes for a breeding system.
 
I don't know what the purpose of frequent water changes is with respect to breeding. Is it to keep the harmful elements to a minimum, ensuring the highest water quality possible? If so, scrubbers do this very well. They also supply a vast quantity of nutrients back into the water. Most of those are of greatest benefit to corals, but some also to fish. Regardless of the purpose of PWCs, I would find it difficult to see how a scrubber would do any harm.
 
I've been studying this for year's and am glad it is getting some recognition. I've even been kicked off sites, for advocating this.

I just wish that the people on this thread would understand that there are people with space restriction's along with already purchase $200 light canopies.

Any hope in accommodating them or are we ignoring them like the ATS vs refuge?

Can I ask some question's and get a honest response in hopes to better this community in regard's to keeping a more natural tank? or are we pushing a product?

I really want to hook up a algae trough and have the confidence that it would work. mirror bottom?egg crate?canvas screen?pump size?angle?lighting?

any help or am I S.O.L

I'm just letting you know that I am here to learn and have no problem changing names and ip address's, to do so. all arrogance aside. same with me.

or am I another santa monica that need's to be ignored from the ats crowd??

remember the laugh's that grafting got regarding slicing a nuclear green into a purple death?

guess what it's possible.

Picture297.jpg


We can work together in small little thing's such as adding 8 cleaner shrimp's in a small 10G plumbed to our system's in order to add a very live natural egg food to our coral's etc with out striping it clean from skimmer's.

why can't we talk about this? o I forgot this is in the advance forum category accept it's labeled basic my apologies.

If I wanted to know the basic's I would go to the marine depot site. please take this thread and but it under just getting started or general reef discussion.
 
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Sorry I meant to edit/delete this^ dam administrator time out.

screw tread of the month, let's make it learn of the decade. screw the popularity contest it's a little stupid. imo I'm not here to sell you any thing or open a website etc I'm being honest.

remember me because I will be back to learn.

please take this off of the popularity contest so we can get back to basic's with some honest question's, that's my opinion. 1000 hours reading/1000 hours practice and counting.

why can't we be honest about hermit crab's and shrimp's and on how they prevent the rest of the smaller clean up crew from spreading and doing their job? our tank's our not the ocean.
 
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o well should have paid every one attention because I would of if I was offering to help.

the serpent star slither's
 
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fppf said:
Just an observation...
There is a lot of turf algae on those rocks in there???
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Yes, its algae... no its not turf, allow me to explain... i will try to keep it short...

For the answer to this lays in my method. Please see my build thread.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1888971

I received my setup from a crashed reefer's tank. An entire can of flake food was dumped into his 7 year old tank, while they were on vacation. No action was taken after food was dumped in... need less to say his reef didn't look the same when he returned home.

srusso said:
Hey all, I have been running fresh water planted tanks for years now, however I do not have any experience doing salt water or a reef. I was given what I believe is the mother load of cool equipment!

70 Gallon Oceanic Tank
Oak Stand and Canopy
two sump pumps
three powerheads
Lighting is two PC and one MH both with ballasts
ETSS Skimmer
Eco-3 Trickle filter
~50lbs of rock which I have in saltwater with pumps running
loads of chems and tests

The person who gave it all to me had a full reef for 7 years then someone put a whole can of food in the tank while he was on vacation. Needles to say his misfortune becomes my fortune.. Everything was taken down and put in away for about a year, now its all mine.
Click to expand...

So you see the skimmer he used on this tank was an ETSS Skimmer
attachment.jpg

I figured maybe there is something better out there...

I found the algae scrubber (better IMHO...)

Mean while dumped the rock in the tank, filled it with tap water and salt, put a pump in and let it go...

attachment1.jpg

if you want to know long version of this story read the thread...

I figured this has happened before in nature (food = pollution), if the algae filter can do it "natural" way then lets give it a shot. I know nature prepares for that, it had been only six months since death of a his reef, there maybe some hope for the micro life of his reef.

IMG_0990.JPG

Any way my believe is, that while other beginner reefers struggle with algae problems from using rock that looks like this... what you see there is not just algae, but 6 month old dead zoas and polyps of some type... never removed.

attachment3.jpg

please click^ for some reason its not thumbnail'ed
 
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