Algae Scrubber Basics

[hkgar]

Yeh PaulB

 

[SantaMonica]

Ah algae blennies. Figured it might be one animal more than others.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Well I credited Paul B with the mortar screen idea lol...and that was the first time I saw that myself (at least, in use on an algae scrubber - his trough)

 

[AZRippster]

Oh, so maybe it was Dr. Walter Adey who invented the Internet.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

The mesh screen arrived 6 days ago so I cut it to size, roughed it up and got the scrubber up and running!

Took a while to get the box to fit above my sump where I could still access the screen, skimmer and reactor.

Please excuse the massive rats nest of wires. Now the ATS is in skinning the stand and cleaning up the wires is my next task

Top down view under the lid

With the lights on

Growth after a couple of days

 

[Duality]

The mesh screen arrived 6 days ago so I cut it to size, roughed it up and got the scrubber up and running!



Took a while to get the box to fit above my sump where I could still access the screen, skimmer and reactor.

Please excuse the massive rats nest of wires. Now the ATS is in skinning the stand and cleaning up the wires is my next task



Top down view under the lid

With the lights on

Growth after a couple of days

Best bet is to turn off the skimmer till the algae grows. You will get a better and faster growth going skimmer less

 

[MaccaPopEye]

I know you should wait a good 10 days or so for the first cleaning but I am going interstate for a holiday tonight for 7 days and was worried some algae might detach while I was gone and block one a drain. So I cleaned the screen this morning, the screen has been in the ATS for 5 days.

One side. I'm quite happy, it's all green, no yellow or brown growth. It looks a little thicker on the left side but overall it is fairly even with no noticeable hot spots.

Other side.

The slot pipe was nice and clean which is good. A bit was growing on the screen that is in the slot pipe though so I will have to keep an eye on that.

Overall only 6g of algae came off the screen. But the screen looked like there was a good coverage of roots left over to get really good growth for next time.

I have also now increased the photo period from 10 on / 14 off to 18 on 6 off as recommended. I can't believe I am actually happy to come back from holidays in a weeks time and check my algae screen. I certainly don't blame my other half for thinking I'm a bit mad.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

Best bet is to turn off the skimmer till the algae grows. You will get a better and faster growth going skimmer less

Haha thanks, I was actually a bit slow in posting that first update, it's from 5 days ago. The growth in the last 5 days I'm pretty happy with, I had a massive, massive algae bloom in the DT a couple of months ago and haven't been able to get it down, so I'm sure there is plenty for the ATS. I also run a hotter tank than most so oxygenation is really important so I shouldn't turn the skimmer off

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Best bet is to turn off the skimmer till the algae grows. You will get a better and faster growth going skimmer less

I wouldn't do this even if you had no temp issue actually. The scrubber should be able to stand on its own

 

[wildwilly1]

where is everyone getting the black pieces that go around the slot pipe I need this .water is flipping outwards once the algae starts growing need something around the slot pipe to control this asap

 

[MaccaPopEye]

where is everyone getting the black pieces that go around the slot pipe I need this .water is flipping outwards once the algae starts growing need something around the slot pipe to control this asap

PM Floyd R Turbo he's the one that has it.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

I wouldn't do this even if you had no temp issue actually. The scrubber should be able to stand on its own

Cheers, I thought so. How's the growth I posted above looking for 5 days?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Cheers, I thought so. How's the growth I posted above looking for 5 days?

It looks pretty good for 5 days, is that from scratch? I'm guessing no. Not sure I would increase the photoperiod quite yet but it's not going to do any long-term harm, and you never know what is going to happen, it might be fine.

Scrolled back and looked at your build but I didn't see any light fixture pics, they look like LED, after seeing that I would say leave it at 10 or maybe 12 hrs/day for another week or so and see how it goes.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

It looks pretty good for 5 days, is that from scratch? I'm guessing no. Not sure I would increase the photoperiod quite yet but it's not going to do any long-term harm, and you never know what is going to happen, it might be fine.

Scrolled back and looked at your build but I didn't see any light fixture pics, they look like LED, after seeing that I would say leave it at 10 or maybe 12 hrs/day for another week or so and see how it goes.

I did Zip tie the screen to my overflow the day before I put it in the scrubber as the plumbing glue was still drying when I finished roughing it up but it was there for less than 24 hours, it did have one tiny patch of algae attach to it in that time but other than that yep it's from scratch.

I'm thinking the little patch that attached helped seed it?

Woops on the photo period, bit too late to decrease it haha, I did it this morning before I got on a plane and it's probably below my tank sitters level of expertise to mess around in my rats nest of wires to change it, I'll be back in a week. I'm actually interested to see if it's caused any harm and obviously I'll back it off if it has.

There was one photo in the build with a top down of the lights but they are 2x 20W LED grow lights. They look like these: http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/10W-20W-30...3D251261407781&_trksid=p2056116.c100408.m2460

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Leave it, you'll be OK I think.

 

[TONY_C]

OK, so this is my first post on Reef central. I have had SW tanks in the past, but that was years ago when everyone used undergravel filters with power heads, a canister filter and crushed coral beds and some bleached corals. Wow, things have certainly changed. I want to start a reef tank, I'm thinking either 75 or 90 gallons because I have about 4 feet of suitable space in my basement cave. I have been reading this thread about scrubbers and I want to go this way. My intent is to use a 40 gallon sump and house the scrubber above the sump using a separate pump to flow water to the scrubber. I am a mechanical engineer so I have already started building a scrubber and I have an electrical engineer friend helping with the deep red LEDs for it.

I have searched for the answer to my question on this forum but have not found a definitive answer. What is the correct sequence to start the tanks using live rock and how does the tank cycle using a scrubber? can I just add cured rock the the tank and start all the pumps and scrubber? will that work?

 

[salty joe]

Worked for me. I used uncured fresh rock and added a dose of prime and had an ammonia badge just in case. Worked out great.

 

[SantaMonica]

Welcome Tony,

If the live rock is really "live", then a scrubber will keep the ammonia down so that more life lives in the rock. But it still won't grow that much until you start feeding fish and making lots of ammonia.

 

[karimwassef]

When I start my next tank, I'm going to build a turf scrubber from day 1 and only light it! I'll cycle with sand and dead rock in the dark with a protein skimmer and kalk drip to get Ca and Alk right. With only the scrubber getting any light, that should get the bacteria and turf in balance. Then add the CUC and let the light get to the main tank.

Then go for the fresh live rock... At that point, the tank should be able to handle it.

 

[karimwassef]

three weeks and 220g of export! It's getting wild.