Algae Scrubber Basics

[BluScrnOdeth]

FINALLY MADE IT TO HOBBY LOBBY

Found out today that there was one 30min from me.....

So i bought the screen and will be changing it out today along with measuring how much algae is coming off of my other screen.

Bought it for $1.80 USD. so cheap.

 

[BluScrnOdeth]

here is my simple setup.

<img src="http://www.aquatic-refuge.com/RandonPics/scrubberdesign1.jpg" width="600"> <img src="http://www.aquatic-refuge.com/RandonPics/scrubberdesign2.jpg" width="600">

<img src="http://www.aquatic-refuge.com/RandonPics/scrubberdesign3.jpg" width="600"> <img src="http://www.aquatic-refuge.com/RandonPics/scrubberdesign4.jpg" width="600">

<img src="http://www.aquatic-refuge.com/RandonPics/scrubberdesign5.jpg" width="600">

 

[BluScrnOdeth]

just a little explanation:

The end cap is not glued on, just pushed on. The Slit is cut all the way through one side so the screen can be slid in. What holds the screen in the tube are the zip ties. The coupler on the other end slides onto the pipe that delivers the water to the scrubber for easy removal. Makes the whole process pretty painless.

 

[Dave1NC]

ATS for a 240g with a 75g Sump

ATS for a 240g with a 75g Sump

:thumbdownI am currently runng biopellets and to be honest it has been nothing but a disaster. I either don't know enough about the whole pellet thing, or my equipment isn't powerful enough.

So far I almost lost my 2+ year Idaho grape purple cap (hanging on by a thread), fuzzy bluetip acro, another large acro, orange fungia and now my orange digi is fading quick. My water conditions are as follows: 400 CAL, 9 ALK, PHO 0-0.5, NITRA 0-5, MAG 1350.

Here are some pics of the corals that have RTNed. Some corals seem unaffected by the changes, but the biggest loss has been my purple cap.

Milli

Bluetip acro

Sorry I don't mean to get sidetracked and this post isn't supposed to be the pellets. I know there are people who are having a lot of success with them, I'm just not one of them I just wanted to share where I am at currently and I where I am hoping to go.

Now onto my current setup.

75g with current light over the fuge part of the sump

Here's a pic of the return

I am currently using a Reflo dart plumbed into a 1" SCWD. I have two connections that return water back to the DT.

Based on my calculations I believe I need a 13" x 23" screen with 1-2 lights on each side. I would like to utilize the current SCWD and plumb the ATS back to my sump/fuge.

I have read the ATS doc a few times and feel I have a pretty good feel the setup. I was hoping you guys can offer some suggestions or make some recommendations.

Thanks!
Dave

 

[BluScrnOdeth]

How are your other levels? Amonia, nitrates and nitrites?

 

[Dave1NC]

The tank has been running for over a year. I did not check amonia or nitrite. I don't even think I have those kits anymore. I could go buy them if you think Amonia/Nitrites are my issue. Several other corals and fish have not been affected.

 

[BluScrnOdeth]

Ours aways a good idea to test everything. If you don't know what the issue is. The other readings can get out of wack from anything no matter how long the tank has been running.

 

[bucks448]

I wouldn't hesitate to start your ATS, but it's not a silver bullet and I think that's what BSOD is getting at. Based on the levels you posted, you're running a pretty low nutrient system...are you feeding enough? The ATS is going to drop your nitrates and phosphates to 0 eventually and keep them there, which means you're going to need to feed even more.

As far as your design goes, you'll definitely need two bulbs on each side. Also you can run the screen off one supply line, but I'd suggest dividing the screen in two...it'll make cleaning easier.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

You need to have 1 watt per square inch of screen. For a 240 gallon system, you would want 240 square inches of "active" screen. What that means is you can have a larger screen, but you would want to light it at a minimum of 240w, in this case, 10 23W CFLs to get maximum filtration power. You could light it with just 2 per side, but realize that this will only act as supplemental filtration in this case. If you're going to do that, I would not bother with the larger screen and just size it for 100 square inches and use 4 CFLs. But if you want to try it out and maybe add more lights later, then go with the full size screen and you won't be limited down the line, and you wouldn't have to start your screen over. Just add lights as you go.

EDIT:

As I read that back to myself I just wanted to clarify that I don't want to discourage you from doing what you originally stated (23x13 and 2 lamps/side) I just wanted to make sure you knew what that meant. Something is better than nothing. Sorry to hear about your issues. I've never tried bio-pellets, just read about them, but I wouldn't think they would cause your problems. Are you sure that's what did it, and any idea why?

 

[mrbncal]

:thumbdownI am currently runng biopellets and to be honest it has been nothing but a disaster. I either don't know enough about the whole pellet thing, or my equipment isn't powerful enough. . . . I was hoping you guys can offer some suggestions or make some recommendations.

Thanks!
Dave

Hi Dave,

I have never run my tank on BioPellets, so reading posts on successes and failures is my only experience with this type of filtration.

It looks to me like you are having a battle with bacterial issues. From what I have read, skimming is VERY important, along with water motion and oxygenation in the tank. What size skimmer are you running and is it sized correctly to fit your tank. It might need to be a little bigger? Everything I read talks about proper skimming to remove the bacteria from the water column. If the skimmer is not big enough or dirty a build up of bacteria in your display could very well cause the issues you are experiencing. Just my 2 cents.

Now back to our regularly scheduled ATS programing. . .

 

[srusso]

Dave, for a screen that size I would use T5 bulbs.

 

[Dave1NC]

Replies

Replies

Thank you all for all the great suggestions. Please review my responses below.

Ours aways a good idea to test everything. If you don't know what the issue is. The other readings can get out of wack from anything no matter how long the tank has been running.

I will purchase the ammonia and nitrite test kits tonight and send the results. I honestly don't think that is it though. Read on...

I wouldn't hesitate to start your ATS, but it's not a silver bullet and I think that's what BSOD is getting at. Based on the levels you posted, you're running a pretty low nutrient system...are you feeding enough? The ATS is going to drop your nitrates and phosphates to 0 eventually and keep them there, which means you're going to need to feed even more.

As far as your design goes, you'll definitely need two bulbs on each side. Also you can run the screen off one supply line, but I'd suggest dividing the screen in two...it'll make cleaning easier.

I understand and agree 100%. I'm not looking for a miracle cure I am just trying to stop the bleeding. I feed RN Oyster Feast 3-4 times a week and add Reef Plus about once a week. I also have a pretty decent amount of fish.
Yellow Tang, Fox Face, Purple Tang, Regal Tang (all large), Pair of tomato clowns, pair of true percs, 2 pajama cardinals, 4 red fin cardinals and scooter blenny.

Hi Dave,

I have never run my tank on BioPellets, so reading posts on successes and failures is my only experience with this type of filtration.

It looks to me like you are having a battle with bacterial issues. From what I have read, skimming is VERY important, along with water motion and oxygenation in the tank. What size skimmer are you running and is it sized correctly to fit your tank. It might need to be a little bigger? Everything I read talks about proper skimming to remove the bacteria from the water column. If the skimmer is not big enough or dirty a build up of bacteria in your display could very well cause the issues you are experiencing. Just my 2 cents.

Now back to our regularly scheduled ATS programing. . .

I honestly think the problem is related to the skimmer. I have a Eshopps PSK-300. It does a decent job, but I don't think it's powerful enough to handle my tank. The interesting thing here is I was using well water when I first setup the tank and never had a problem. I dosed MB7 once a week and never did water changes. Everything was flourishing. About a month ago I noticed the filter that removed sediment from our main water supply into the house was totally clogged. Once I discovered this I replaced the filter and started using RO/DI water. I was not filtering my Kalk mixture or the water for the salt at all.

Hi Dave,

I have never run my tank on BioPellets, so reading posts on successes and failures is my only experience with this type of filtration.

It looks to me like you are having a battle with bacterial issues. From what I have read, skimming is VERY important, along with water motion and oxygenation in the tank. What size skimmer are you running and is it sized correctly to fit your tank. It might need to be a little bigger? Everything I read talks about proper skimming to remove the bacteria from the water column. If the skimmer is not big enough or dirty a build up of bacteria in your display could very well cause the issues you are experiencing. Just my 2 cents.

Now back to our regularly scheduled ATS programing. . .

Agreed. I think the ATS will help alleviate the need to purchase another skimmer and hopefully once the algae is more established my tank conditions will begin to improve. BTW, my water is crystal clear right now and with minimal amounts of cyano in the DT. When I first started using the pellets I exp. like many other a bacteria bloom. This did not kill anything. The problems started getting worse when I discovered my ALK was around 11. I have since lowered it, but I am still seeing some corals RTN.

Dave, for a screen that size I would use T5 bulbs.

Would a T5 fixture at Lowes work okay with this setup? How many lamps would you recommend?

I am trying to find the best system that would work for my setup. I am totally new to this so any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Dave1NC]

You need to have 1 watt per square inch of screen. For a 240 gallon system, you would want 240 square inches of "active" screen. What that means is you can have a larger screen, but you would want to light it at a minimum of 240w, in this case, 10 23W CFLs to get maximum filtration power. You could light it with just 2 per side, but realize that this will only act as supplemental filtration in this case. If you're going to do that, I would not bother with the larger screen and just size it for 100 square inches and use 4 CFLs. But if you want to try it out and maybe add more lights later, then go with the full size screen and you won't be limited down the line, and you wouldn't have to start your screen over. Just add lights as you go.

EDIT:

As I read that back to myself I just wanted to clarify that I don't want to discourage you from doing what you originally stated (23x13 and 2 lamps/side) I just wanted to make sure you knew what that meant. Something is better than nothing. Sorry to hear about your issues. I've never tried bio-pellets, just read about them, but I wouldn't think they would cause your problems. Are you sure that's what did it, and any idea why?

Sorry FRT I thought I included my reply to you as well...

That's the direction I wanted to take. Do you think srusso's suggestion about using T5s on both sides would be better? Wouldn't that light the other parts of the sump up a litttle too much? Would you recommend I buy a retro kit and try to enclose it some how?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

For a 200+ gallon system, you would want to go with 2 4-lamp fixtures, and the local HW store ones probably aren't going to carry something that matches your needs. I found this fixture on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290534964089&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

And I'm going to get a couple of them for a build I'm working on for a 180 FOWLR that I maintain. As for the light bleed into the sump, yes you want to try and block that if you can. Usually when you get to this size of system you want some kind of acrylic enclosure and then you just have the bottom piece made of black acrylic and extend out sideways.

About your RO/DI system, I don't know if you caught this but you have to use a specific membrane for your RO filter when you're running off well water. Most membranes are made to operate with chlorinated water. If you're not running on city water (no chlorine or chloramine) I believe you need to have a membrane that prevents bacterial growth, and it is generally not sold on your everyday RODI system. This might be the source of a bacterial contamination. I would look into it.

 

[madean]

for the people that are using t5 set ups- are you using HO bulbs or NO bulbs. I would think there is a difference in price but just curious if anybody is using something other than a fixture that is specifically for an aquarium.

 

[BluScrnOdeth]

The tank has been running for over a year. I did not check amonia or nitrite. I don't even think I have those kits anymore. I could go buy them if you think Amonia/Nitrites are my issue. Several other corals and fish have not been affected.

If i were you, i would check for pests on your coral. But really, this question should prob be asked in the corals section. But ATS will help keep water level in check. But if you have pests in there, they can cause bleaching. PM me about this any further. I would check into seeing if you could freshwater dip any of those without killing them. And remember, corals are tiny animals, not plants, so they may require an acclimation period of a couple hours (i prefer the drip method) and temp acclimation before you enter them into your tank. Odd how they turned out like that, were they completely healthy when you bought them?

 

[Dave1NC]

If i were you, i would check for pests on your coral. But really, this question should prob be asked in the corals section. But ATS will help keep water level in check. But if you have pests in there, they can cause bleaching. PM me about this any further. I would check into seeing if you could freshwater dip any of those without killing them. And remember, corals are tiny animals, not plants, so they may require an acclimation period of a couple hours (i prefer the drip method) and temp acclimation before you enter them into your tank. Odd how they turned out like that, were they completely healthy when you bought them?

I've had the grape for over 2 years. It has been the hardiest coral for me. The only one that bleached came from a friend and I dipped it in Revive.

 

[salty joe]

Has anyone used an algae filter to cure rock yet?

 

[srusso]

Has anyone used an algae filter to cure rock yet?

Yes, I did for the rock in my tank.

 

[acts4me]

WOW is all I can say! I have had my scrubber running since the 25th of Feb. I posted pics of the algae farm I had going on. I have cleaned my scrubber twice and almost all of the algae is gone from my display tank. I thought it would take much longer. I still have a few patches but the bulk is gone. I will post some pics if I get a chance tomorrow. I am going to build scrubbers for the rest of my tanks starting tomorrow.:beer: