Ok. I'm a believer.
My overflow weir scrubber is going great... Remember, I just put a strip of mesh in my overflow where the water was running down and to the side (end to end box) and getting incidental MH light... Cost was almost nothing and took no space since the water was already moving in that direction... No pipe even.
The growth has been great. I need to remove about an inch thick green hairy growth every weekend. The only trouble is that my surge allows the water level to momentarily rise enough for some herbivores and detrivores to get into the weir through the gaps between the glass and netting.
They must see this as the promised land because they will push against it for days to get in.. Snails, crabs, starfish and even an occasional shrimp. I need to upgrade my defenses.
But the real news is that the tank has never been cleaner. I had some trouble spots and they're all clearing up. That's with my GFO offline too!! Even the cyano that used to hold the ground in the sump seems to be on the downturn... Giving the chaeto there some relief.
The chaeto has even been found better, but to my surprise, a strand of red bubble caulerpa that's been in the refuge for a couple of years is starting to grow out for no apparent reason.
I really haven't changed anything other than adding the plastic mesh and exporting the algae. I've even been feeding more nori as of late.
So, for free, I have an overflow scrubber and my tank is healthier... Even coral polyp expansion is better.
I wonder why we don't all just hang a mesh in our overflow boxes and maybe just add light there. It's prime and unused real estate for a very economical scrubber!
