Algae Scrubber Basics

[5thChorseman]

Thanks.

Thanks.

Thank you Herring_fish for such an interesting article! It got me thinking about what I can do when I get my next tank.

 

[SantaMonica]

Got any pics ?

If you mean me, no. I'm not trying to feed the tangs, so the holes are just normal size 3/8". But they eat anyway.

 

[Chris Abbott]

I moved light closer to screen and I have an increase in the green growth at the top which is the closet area. Do you all agree that the light just needs to be moved more perpendicular to the screen so that the whole screen sees this increase? Those clumps at top were securely attached and showed no signs of falling off the screen.

 

[Chris Abbott]

Lighting is from a flashlight, the lamp for scrubber is off to allow good coloration of algea growth in picture

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Yes, the GHA is growing best in the "sweet spot". If you adjust the light so it is perpendicular, the distance for this "sweet spot" might change a bit though.

Looks like the clump at the top is about 2" from the lamp. If the lamp is moved to perpendicular, I would venture a guess that between 3-4" would be good.

 

[Brummie]

Algae Scrubber Basics

Lighting is from a flashlight, the lamp for scrubber is off to allow good coloration of algea growth in picture

Have you still got the lenses on that light. If so, I would remove the front lens cover, get it close, and throw a bit of Perspex, plexiglass or glass in front of it, to protect the lamp.

 

[DavidinGA]

Which pump would you guys recommend for a scrubber setup; need about 300gph (actual after head loss - 1ft)?

Looking for something affordable but also reliable. Mag 5 maybe? Looks to be about $50

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Figure 2' head loss for the slot pipe, this is usually a pretty good all-around estimate and will get you in the ballpark. So a total of 3' head.

A mag 5 at 3' of head is about 425 GPH
A mag 3 at 3' of head is about 335 GPH

You can always valve back a mag 5 and then if you need to increase the flow for any reason you have that option.

Similarly a Rio 1400 at 3' is 290 GPH
Rio 1700 at 3' is 442

I've had pretty good luck with rio pumps. mag pumps have very good long term reliability but tend to run hot.

 

[DavidinGA]

Figure 2' head loss for the slot pipe, this is usually a pretty good all-around estimate and will get you in the ballpark. So a total of 3' head.

A mag 5 at 3' of head is about 425 GPH
A mag 3 at 3' of head is about 335 GPH

You can always valve back a mag 5 and then if you need to increase the flow for any reason you have that option.

Similarly a Rio 1400 at 3' is 290 GPH
Rio 1700 at 3' is 442

I've had pretty good luck with rio pumps. mag pumps have very good long term reliability but tend to run hot.

OK thanks.

Between rio and mag which would you give the edge to for quality/reliability?

It seems the Rio's can be had much cheaper than the mag pumps.

Longterm I have heard eheim is the best way to go for a solid reliable pump; thoughts? They seem expensive by comparison, but maybe you get what you pay for....?

 

[Apotack]

Can you T off another pump that's already running? Saves heat, noise, space and $.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

The Eheim Compact 300-1000 pumps have bad head loss characteristics for scrubbers. Trust me on this one. Same goes for Cobalt MJ pumps (original Maxi-jet mfr)

The universal 1200 doesn't look strong enough, and the 2400 is overkill

The Eheim Compact + 2000 has a range from 260-530 GPH so it would do, but also a bit of overkill and $$

Mag for long term reliability
Rio for cost. And they are not bad. They got a bad rap in the past but I've had good luck with the newer ones.

And you can also T off your return pump, if that is oversized, but a scrubber has a high flow demand so you would want powerheads in the DT to compensate, or a bigger return pump

 

[Lavoisier]

Do you have any thoughts on a JEBAO DC WATER PUMP (240g-800g) for about the same price as a Mag3?

 

[DavidinGA]

Can you T off another pump that's already running? Saves heat, noise, space and $.

No I'm just running tiny little mini jet 606 pumps for reactors and my return pump is a meager eheim 1262.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Do you have any thoughts on a JEBAO DC WATER PUMP (240g-800g) for about the same price as a Mag3?

Sure, why not. Jebao products seem to be holding their own. With a DC pump you could do some interesting things like pulse the flow. Never tried that, might be interesting

 

[DavidinGA]

Sure, why not. Jebao products seem to be holding their own. With a DC pump you could do some interesting things like pulse the flow. Never tried that, might be interesting

I own 3 jebao WaveMakers and have had two of those die over the course of a year (they were replaced for the cost of shipping by fish Street but still...) so I can't recommend any of jebao's stuff now.

 

[supra400hptt]

I recently bought mag 3 for a reactor and it was extremely loud. I've got an aquaclear 70 power head that's supplying my current scrubber that's been perfect. However, I'm putting a sicce syncra on my new and improved build. Bottom line, my experience with mag pumps has not been good.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

yes, I don't think I mentioned that - Danner Mag pumps = loud & hot

 

[wildman926]

I recently bought mag 3 for a reactor and it was extremely loud. I've got an aquaclear 70 power head that's supplying my current scrubber that's been perfect. However, I'm putting a sicce syncra on my new and improved build. Bottom line, my experience with mag pumps has not been good.

I use a Sicce 1.0 for my ATS. It is something I already had from the biopellet reactor I used, and works perfect for my setup. Small, quiet, and around 200 gph flow after about 2 feet of head loss -

 

[DavidinGA]

The Eheim Compact 300-1000 pumps have bad head loss characteristics for scrubbers. Trust me on this one. Same goes for Cobalt MJ pumps (original Maxi-jet mfr)

The universal 1200 doesn't look strong enough, and the 2400 is overkill

The Eheim Compact + 2000 has a range from 260-530 GPH so it would do, but also a bit of overkill and $$

Mag for long term reliability
Rio for cost. And they are not bad. They got a bad rap in the past but I've had good luck with the newer ones.

And you can also T off your return pump, if that is oversized, but a scrubber has a high flow demand so you would want powerheads in the DT to compensate, or a bigger return pump

Looks like a rio 1400 or 1700 sounds about perfect and cheap for my setup (once I figure out how many cubes I'm feeding my system).

 

[DavidinGA]

Off the top of my head I'm still surprised that I would need such a small screen based on feedings.

I have a 210gal and 75gal sump and about 20+ fish (some big tangs) but I'm only feeding probably 3-4 cubes a day. That would mean I would only need a tiny 6x6 screen (two sided) at 3 cubes a day. I seem to see a lot of people with much larger screens and much smaller tanks on here... What's the deal with that?