Algae Scrubber Basics

In my 600g system I am having cyano problems right now.
P=0.09, N= 8.0
I have 2 ATS installed for a total of 6 cubes.
GHA has been growing well in ATS but the cyano does not seem to mind having the ATS so I placed a GFO reactor with small amount (200g).

any predictions if the GFO will affect the ATS?
I ask because if it affects the health of the algae in teh ATS my N could increase due to lower consumtion of nutrients via the ATS

thanks for your answers
 
35 was just found after building many of them using a single sheet of plastic canvas.

GFO can slow down a scrubber. Better is to just reduce nutrients slowly, and get a sand sifter of some sort. cyano will go away eventually.
 
thanks SM I will test it out and see if it work out I can make it were it only around 6" of head if it cant perform with that lil head back it goes to BRS...
also I might just T off the over flow...
 
Ugh, I don't recall if this was answered earlier in this thread... but are filter socks necessary with an ATS? If so, do they go after or before the ATS?
 
vikinglord13 said:
Ugh, I don't recall if this was answered earlier in this thread... but are filter socks necessary with an ATS? If so, do they go after or before the ATS?
Click to expand...

wow... that's a loaded question...

"necessary" is a big word, but you did ask.

No - they are never necessary - IMHO.

Protein skimmers and socks just remove or trap food and turn it into useless waste. I personally use a sediment filter to reclaim the waste and then grow algae over it in a sediment/ATS combo. The algae is a healthy and natural part of a recycling loop of energy...

and I feed the algae back to the fish to make more poop that gets caught by the sediment filter, etc... etc...

In that loop, pods, worms, bacteria, and many other keys to life are supported.

But if you want ultra-clear water that is totally crystal and artificial, use a filter sock and kill all that good stuff...
 
Just updating pictures from some of the growth I mentioned I was getting that is very thick.. I added a little gfo to clear out my tub (pond), so it has changed a little on the scrubber.. But these are from today and this is the growth from when I cleaned it completely.. And I only began getting this growth after I upped the pump to the 1000gph unit..
8e1594df807a78db91341ce6a587d117.jpg
376289daa0600dd216d5d3febb0d8900.jpg


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karimwassef said:
looks like you got a big hermit crab in your ATS?
Click to expand...
Lol, who me? Yes, that's "nutjob".. The strawberry hermit, about 3.5 to 4".. He's insane, but comical! I also have a spotted eel in that area.. It used to be my fuge, but now, it's my scrubber section, that must happens to house the eel and the crab..



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Ok. My scrubber is in trouble.
Somehow macroalgae and Xenia got a foothold and now they've decimated my turf.

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/068EB74E-0791-46C0-BA1A-E76220EE7FA5_zps208hsibl.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/068EB74E-0791-46C0-BA1A-E76220EE7FA5_zps208hsibl.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 068EB74E-0791-46C0-BA1A-E76220EE7FA5_zps208hsibl.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/E4871824-117B-4DE6-A5FE-97656F999BE3_zpsx7muobgl.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/E4871824-117B-4DE6-A5FE-97656F999BE3_zpsx7muobgl.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo E4871824-117B-4DE6-A5FE-97656F999BE3_zpsx7muobgl.jpg"></a>

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2631042

Why do I care?

Because I believe that turf is a better filter for more elements and creates a healthier environment for life without getting clogged like macro. Macro will eventually become a trap for waste and that's just more pain imo.

I can rip it up and feed it to my fish but it grows back faster than the turf can reestablish itself.

Anyone know what caused the shift? Was it just the macros reaching a critical mass?

My lights are on 23 hours and the flow is very high. I don't know how to reset conditions back to favor my turf.
 
Here's what it looked like when it was healthy

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/9B8AE2DF-0B26-4CF0-BC05-9C7E3C54E2C9_zpszg4ysnfh.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/9B8AE2DF-0B26-4CF0-BC05-9C7E3C54E2C9_zpszg4ysnfh.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 9B8AE2DF-0B26-4CF0-BC05-9C7E3C54E2C9_zpszg4ysnfh.jpg"></a>
 
Why not simply get a few emeralds, depending on your tub size (u cannot remember the size).. But they would take care of the bubble algea quickly..

The xenia is a little more difficult if you wish to keep them in the main system or display tank.. Otherwise, a fluke tab would take care of that in your whole system.. Quickly and Permanently!

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It's grape caulerpa not bubble algae. I can just feed it to my tangs but something has changed in my tank's water chemistry that is stopping the hair from growing and instead prefers the macro algae. Does anyone know what would do that?
 
karimwassef said:
It's grape caulerpa not bubble algae. I can just feed it to my tangs but something has changed in my tank's water chemistry that is stopping the hair from growing and instead prefers the macro algae. Does anyone know what would do that?
Click to expand...
Just trying to help dude.. Grape and most calerpa is like that in my experience.. That and the sexual thing is why I decided to never use it again.. It's very invasive.. Me personally, I don't know why anyone would try to keep it at this point, because sooner or later, either what your experiencing or sexual happens.. It's kinda like drug addicts who say it will never happen to me..

Best of luck with it though because your in for a fight..

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I'm putting my algae scrubber in the mid section of my biocube today. I got a generic grow light I posted a link to a few posts back that is supposed to be 45 watt total and then also the JBJ Nano glo 4x 1w LED fixture. Which of the two do you guys think would grow my algae scrubber better?
135d1482b02181d0eabbd76698eb560a.jpg
 
DamonG said:
Just trying to help dude.. Grape and most calerpa is like that in my experience.. That and the sexual thing is why I decided to never use it again.. It's very invasive.. Me personally, I don't know why anyone would try to keep it at this point, because sooner or later, either what your experiencing or sexual happens.. It's kinda like drug addicts who say it will never happen to me..

Best of luck with it though because your in for a fight..

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Click to expand...

Appreciate it. I didn't even know there was any in my system. I've never seen it anywhere else (not even my sump) before this. I'm struggling with the sudden pivot that crushed all my turf algae. It won't go sexual because my day cycle is 23 hours and macro needs an extended dark cycle to go sexual.

I also see my DT struggling a little with reduced growth rate in these last couple of weeks. I've been fragging a lot so I don't know if it's related, but the coincidence with losing my turf is troubling.

The reason I'm posting in this forum is that it goes back to getting a scrubber to thrive... has anyone else seen this problem where macro (anywhere in the system) limits the growth of turf algae? Is the macro putting out chemicals that kill the turf?

I've started feeding again, but it seems like it just accelerates the macro.

So my turf and corals have less to eat because the macro is soaking it all up.

I'm going to start cutting it out and feeding it to the fish in larger quantities and stop feeding them turf.
 
Hefner413 said:
I'm putting my algae scrubber in the mid section of my biocube today. I got a generic grow light I posted a link to a few posts back that is supposed to be 45 watt total and then also the JBJ Nano glo 4x 1w LED fixture. Which of the two do you guys think would grow my algae scrubber better?
135d1482b02181d0eabbd76698eb560a.jpg
Click to expand...

Depends on the size of your scrubber and how much you feed but I doubt 4W can grow much?
 
Yeah, the bigger seems less intense, but more overall. It's 12x12. My scrubber prob will be 8x8 or so. The smaller JBJ is "designed for a refugium" because it has a magnet on the opposite side to hold it against your sump/refugium wall. Maybe I'll try em both and see how it goes. Thx
 
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