Algae Scrubber Basics

[jerseypete]

I'm using this same light. Just started mine 5 days ago. Looks good so far. I did keep the screen in my sump for a week before I started

Ok this is 12 days growth. It seems to be going good. Seems to clump up in some areas of the screen. Is this normal or maybe I didn't rough it up in some spots. The one side has more growth. The first side has a 20w red grow led and the other side only has a 10.

 

[wildwilly1]

I actually changed to a begger light last night fits screen size better the 50 watt 600 nm red from amazon posted about earlier

 

[ozzman]

Where does everyone get their acrylic/plexiglass for the box or splash guard?

 

[AZRippster]

If you have access to a bigger city, simply Google acrylic supplier. I have to drive 3 hours, but I stock up on mine in Phoenix from Curbell Plastics. If you don't have access to a supplier, you may have to deal with Home Depot, Lowes, or some other similar store, which normally only stock extruded acrylic. Not the greatest to work with, poorer quality, and they overcharge for it. But hey, if that's all you have local then that may be your best bet. You can always order online from some place like TAP Plastics, EPlastics, or E Street Plastics. E Street is great for acrylic tubing, never ordered sheet from them.

 

[outy]

If you have access to a bigger city, simply Google acrylic supplier. I have to drive 3 hours, but I stock up on mine in Phoenix from Curbell Plastics. If you don't have access to a supplier, you may have to deal with Home Depot, Lowes, or some other similar store, which normally only stock extruded acrylic. Not the greatest to work with, poorer quality, and they overcharge for it. But hey, if that's all you have local then that may be your best bet. You can always order online from some place like TAP Plastics, EPlastics, or E Street Plastics. E Street is great for acrylic tubing, never ordered sheet from them.

Excellent advise.

I also use my local glass shop, they have a scrap and I get more then I need for my custom fabbed stuff

 

[bheron]

I recommend that those who find it so hard to believe: join the dino thread in the chemistry forum. Dinoflagellates are not algae. They create an environment that is toxic to algae. There's no copper, but they do create poisons that kill snails, crabs and fish.

If a scrubber is working at all - dinos can take over - if a chemical is added that rapidly reduces nutrients below where algae needs to survive and dinos can thrive. Please read my full description above and visit the dino thread if you want to recommend other treatments.

If you've never dealt with them, I would advise against jumping to easy remedies prematurely - it's not very kind to those that are on the verge of leaving the hobby because of them.

I personally think a supercharged ATS with a lot of food is one of the answers - but that doesn't preclude an ATS dying and dinos taking over if other chemicals are added.

This is great. I was about to leave the hobby altogether after my most recent bout of Dinos until I found the thread Karimwassef is talking about. Without people like him and others here I would have given up. Instead I beat the dinos -- using the "dirty" method mentioned. Consequently I wound up with a GHA problem,,,which lead me here -- the 2nd most awesome thread I've ever found! Experiments like this are so important so can't wait to see what you find. Thank goodness for smart people!!

 

[karimwassef]

Bryan.. that's what happened to me too...

I went Artificial rock... GHA... LaCl... dinos... UV & feeding... little algae creeping back in... ATS... happy...

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/91B5F77B-239D-4D4D-B31A-36A0B4931C4E_zpsjukpzkue.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/91B5F77B-239D-4D4D-B31A-36A0B4931C4E_zpsjukpzkue.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 91B5F77B-239D-4D4D-B31A-36A0B4931C4E_zpsjukpzkue.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/6B45E405-2D99-4567-BA54-0EB3459E2FBB_zpstqn9z1bq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/6B45E405-2D99-4567-BA54-0EB3459E2FBB_zpstqn9z1bq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 6B45E405-2D99-4567-BA54-0EB3459E2FBB_zpstqn9z1bq.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/C64EE2BF-AD68-4075-B149-3DF317D5E5B1_zpsn8ov3ei5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/C64EE2BF-AD68-4075-B149-3DF317D5E5B1_zpsn8ov3ei5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo C64EE2BF-AD68-4075-B149-3DF317D5E5B1_zpsn8ov3ei5.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/335F96DC-00FD-496B-AE3B-A5DB51231D1A_zpsimidughq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/335F96DC-00FD-496B-AE3B-A5DB51231D1A_zpsimidughq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 335F96DC-00FD-496B-AE3B-A5DB51231D1A_zpsimidughq.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/DE6C37BC-4A40-4DAC-A175-58E28C9336EC_zpswy3qcfgv.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/DE6C37BC-4A40-4DAC-A175-58E28C9336EC_zpswy3qcfgv.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DE6C37BC-4A40-4DAC-A175-58E28C9336EC_zpswy3qcfgv.jpg"/></a>

Just glad my pain (and others') was put to good use helping others.

 

[wildwilly1]

I will be doing my first cleaning tonight what is the proper procedure take the screen to sink and run water over it while gently rubbing with fingers not nails just skin . do I need to let the tap water dry off it completely before I put back in or just put it right back in

 

[outy]

I will be doing my first cleaning tonight what is the proper procedure take the screen to sink and run water over it while gently rubbing with fingers not nails just skin . do I need to let the tap water dry off it completely before I put back in or just put it right back in

No do not dry it off.

Put it right back into use

 

[Spar]

I have now been running my ATS for about 2 months with LED's. The ATS grows fantastic and quick. However, I am noticing two things:
(1) I am still getting GHA in my DT, albeit not much and my CUC mostly takes care of it for me, and
(2) I have chaeto in my sump/fuge that is growing very quickly as well just off stray red light from my ATS. (i.e. light isn't even pointed directly at it)

Does this tell anyone anything about whether my screen is over/under sized or if my photo period is too long?

Facts:
Tank - 450g volume
Screen - 8"x8"
Flow - ~300gph
Lighting - 2 LED units (one on each side...) each with 16 Deep Red & 4 Hyper Violet on a 6" x 12" heatsink
Photoperiod - 18 hours on / 6 hours off
Cleaning - ~every 10 days, mostly bright green algae on it
NO3 - undetectable
PO4 - last check was at .09ppm

 

[wildwilly1]

ok great thank you outy so just run some luke warm tap water over it while gently rubbing with fingers on each side and put it back in easy enough

 

[outy]

ok great thank you outy so just run some luke warm tap water over it while gently rubbing with fingers on each side and put it back in easy enough

Yep I use cold but I'm sure both work just fine.


Your only using water to clean residue from being introduced back into the tank when you reinstall screen.


Do not scrub to much as you want the screen to remain seeded. So don't swamp the screen to long in fresh water. quick rinse

 

[outy]

Does this tell anyone anything about whether my screen is over/under sized or if my photo period is too long?

Facts:
Tank - 450g volume
Screen - 8"x8"
Flow - ~300gph
Lighting - 2 LED units (one on each side...) each with 16 Deep Red & 4 Hyper Violet on a 6" x 12" heatsink
Photoperiod - 18 hours on / 6 hours off
Cleaning - ~every 10 days, mostly bright green algae on it
NO3 - undetectable
PO4 - last check was at .09ppm

Your screen seems small but your data does not help as screen size is dictated by feeding amount IE how many cubes a day.

IT may take a little more time for your system to stabilize as far as amount of P and N it could be slowly lowering yet still having enough nutrients to keep GHA in display and chaeto growing.


Keep an eye a few more months since your on the decline and see if it bottoms out with regular ATS cleanings.

Then if GHA is still present and chaeto still growing you may need to increase screen size.


Large water change would also speed up this as to give you stable foundation to work from

 

[Spar]

Your screen seems small but your data does not help as screen size is dictated by feeding amount IE how many cubes a day.

IT may take a little more time for your system to stabilize as far as amount of P and N it could be slowly lowering yet still having enough nutrients to keep GHA in display and chaeto growing.


Keep an eye a few more months since your on the decline and see if it bottoms out with regular ATS cleanings.

Then if GHA is still present and chaeto still growing you may need to increase screen size.


Large water change would also speed up this as to give you stable foundation to work from

thanks. not sure why I forgot to put the feeding specs.

I have no fish and only feed the coral twice per week. which amounts to maybe 2-3 cubes worth per feeding (mostly powder food). So I have been estimating at 1 cube per day on average across a week.

I do plan on adding fish eventually, so I wouldn't mind increasing the screen size now to account for estimating 5 cubes/day or so instead.

Regardless, I will hold off to see how things go over the next couple months. I am in no rush.

 

[outy]

Regardless, I will hold off to see how things go over the next couple months. I am in no rush.

Makes about he most sense to me



You should see chaeto slowly die off when nutrients are lower. I cant keep it alive.

I ended up getting my GHA under control before starting my ATS, and that's when my chaeto quit growing and yellowed out.

 

[wildwilly1]

I just took it out a gave a quick rinse on each side almost looked like just dust and dirt when washing off a car then just put it right back in

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I have now been running my ATS for about 2 months with LED's. The ATS grows fantastic and quick. However, I am noticing two things:
(1) I am still getting GHA in my DT, albeit not much and my CUC mostly takes care of it for me, and
(2) I have chaeto in my sump/fuge that is growing very quickly as well just off stray red light from my ATS. (i.e. light isn't even pointed directly at it)

Does this tell anyone anything about whether my screen is over/under sized or if my photo period is too long?

Facts:
Tank - 450g volume
Screen - 8"x8"
Flow - ~300gph
Lighting - 2 LED units (one on each side...) each with 16 Deep Red & 4 Hyper Violet on a 6" x 12" heatsink
Photoperiod - 18 hours on / 6 hours off
Cleaning - ~every 10 days, mostly bright green algae on it
NO3 - undetectable
PO4 - last check was at .09ppm

Has the tank only been up and running for 2 months as well? I know you posted that but I don't recall ATM.

If so, then tank algae is a typical phase, could be nutrient/waste rich rock, but it should eventually pass

 

[karimwassef]

Spar- how many tangs do you have?

A real reef has a large population of herbivores.

 

[SantaMonica]

(1) I am still getting GHA in my DT, albeit not much and my CUC mostly takes care of it for me, and (2) I have chaeto in my sump/fuge that is growing very quickly as well just off stray red light from my ATS. (i.e. light isn't even pointed directly at it)

Phosphate probably still coming out of the rocks.

 

[Spar]

Tank has been running for 3 months total. 1 month with coral.

I likely won't add fish for another 6 months. So am leaving it to the CUC to help with algae in the meantime.

Definitely could be the rock leaching. I put in a lot of dead pukani rock.