Algae Scrubber Basics

karimwassef said:
Is it really just 4W?
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Yes, I had one of those.. And it's a pretty weak light.. Not too mention, I wouldn't trust the backing on it (is it still just cardboard)?

It didn't have enough power to do anything at all work my cheato, so I'm sure it wouldn't do too much with a scrubber..

And jbj, I no longer trust their products.. But, of the two, the jbj is probably a better bet..

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karimwassef said:
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.
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For me, with turf, you have to shoot for different parameters.. Every time I was able to get turf, the water flow was high, very high and lots of light and oxygen exchange.. It started on the current scrubber at points that tended, at first to spray water.. But once I changed the pump to the larger one, now, it's turf all over the scrubber..

For me at least, and I'm not sure if this helps, but it grows under conditions that the slime and hair type of algae doesn't thrive in.. I in part heavily because of the very much increased flow..

That's just my theory, or hypotheses.. But try increasing your flow a lot, and see what happens.. I've got 1000gph going less than a foot to the screen full blast of that helps any..

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I'm running 6000 gph in a loop in a 50gal container...

Two Jebao DCT12000... full blast. It's like a cyclone and the turf was doing great until this invasion.
 
karimwassef said:
I'm running 6000 gph in a loop in a 50gal container...

Two Jebao DCT12000... full blast. It's like a cyclone and the turf was doing great until this invasion.
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Lol, it might just be that dude.. Just an invasion that like I mentioned was bound to happen.. It's that aggressive of an algea. That's why I don't touch it with a 10 foot pole.. 9 is almost near to impossible to completely get out ,without a complete system breakdown and rock scrub.

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The extra flow is preferential to the macroalgae vs. the turf? I would think turf is better at handling the very high flow and it was thriving before...

Maybe the turf strands just breaks up under the extreme flow when they get too long and I need to harvest more frequently to keep the turf algae healthy enough to thrive.
 
The reason the macros took over was because you don't have a high turbulence air/water interface. Since the nutrients were available to all, macros could get them too.

A a high turbulence air/water interface will consume the most nutrients the fastest, and therefore keep nutrients unavailable to other macros and nuisance algae. It the basics of scrubber function as described in Dynamic Aquaria.
 
I do have very high turbulence.. I'll make a video to show how much surface agitation and air interaction there is.

I'm rotating 6000 gph around an oval shallow 50 gallon tank that's only about 4' long.

I turned off all flow to take those pictures. The surface is completely white otherwise. That's why I didn't see the macro taking over until it peaked up over the foam.
 
Well... Nano algae scrubber running. We'll see...
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karimwassef said:
The extra flow is preferential to the macroalgae vs. the turf? I would think turf is better at handling the very high flow and it was thriving before...

Maybe the turf strands just breaks up under the extreme flow when they get too long and I need to harvest more frequently to keep the turf algae healthy enough to thrive.
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No, I agree completely, the turf prefers higher flow.. Definately,

But.. I think the crux of it is, the macro is just aggressive dude... Extremely aggressive.. Cheato is aggressive too ,but that calerpa ,it's something else when you get it under light and it decides to grow finally...

Lol, I can't lie, what you have in got tub "looks" cool.., but I can see your frustration.. And in the back of my mind, I keep saying "time bomb, time bomb dude"...

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karimwassef said:
I do have very high turbulence.. I'll make a video to show how much surface agitation and air interaction there is.

I'm rotating 6000 gph around an oval shallow 50 gallon tank that's only about 4' long.

I turned off all flow to take those pictures. The surface is completely white otherwise. That's why I didn't see the macro taking over until it peaked up over the foam.
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I think SM may have been emphasizing the air/water part of the high tubulance statement. Because waterfalls have so little water vs a full tub or submerged system (even an upflow probably has a high volume of air around the screen/media) it's likely harder for the macro to take hold. If you had a 1/8 inch sheet of flowing water over rock or screen there are only so many algae types that will be able to take hold.



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Ok. I think the macro hit a critical mass and started absorbing more nutrients than the turf. The fact that it's been hiding in my system for years without even a single grape visible and now this sudden pivot in a couple of weeks says that.

I'm going to feed most of it to my tangs over the next couple of days and see what happens to the turf. I need to cull it back to under critical mass.

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/321859D8-58E9-4671-937C-2955FE3E629C_zpsponblpwd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/321859D8-58E9-4671-937C-2955FE3E629C_zpsponblpwd.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 321859D8-58E9-4671-937C-2955FE3E629C_zpsponblpwd.jpg"></a>

Easier said than done. This is the clump against the tub inlet... I found a lot more growing deeper in the tank... well, it's a start
 
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The turf floats up to the surface and grows large floating mats that can be 2ft long.

This scrubber has been operating very successfully for months... in fact, it grew turf algae better and faster than my monster double sided screen, floating sump, or overflow scrubbers combined.

But something happened when the macro broke through the surface with its exponential growth. Either it outcompeted the turf for nutrients, or it disrupted its ability/zones to grow, or created a chemical environment that hindered its ability to thrive.
 
Hefner413 said:
Hey guys. I'm thinking of putting in an algae scrubber in the middle section of my 29g biocube as this guy did here: https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/to...ae-turf-scrubber-for-biocube-29/?_fromLogin=1. I need to get a light for the back side of my tank. Do you guys think this will work well / strong enough?
https://www.amazon.com/Hoohome-Indo...90800303&sr=1-7&keywords=660+nm+red+led+light

If not, what would you recommend?
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Thank you for this. I was considering using a rain gutter, this looks easier
 
vikinglord13 said:
Thank you for this. I was considering using a rain gutter, this looks easier
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Awesome. Glad I could help. Make sure u post some pics. Any lessons you learn can help others or help me improve mine also! I'm waiting on growth to begin... Not certain if this light will be enough.
 
It was growing fine for months... only 1/4" thick at most.. like flowing green hair.

I'm ripping up the macro now... strangely, my tangs seem to prefer my turf to the macro, but with nothing else to eat- they're eating the macro.

And the turf is starting to come back again... but there's just so much macro. So many awesome nutrients locked away in its tissues... I found a 4" bristle worm in that mess.

Once I rip up all the macro, I should be back in turf mode.. just need to be more vigilant next time.
 
"I found a 4" bristle worm in that mess"

Lol, I'm so sick of seeing them is insane.. In the macro in the tub, in the rocks in the tub, in the rocks in the sump, and the one I will never comprehend: lately, in the turf in my scrubber..

I think to myself, how in the world did these little suckers get in here.. I think the largest I've seen in the scrubber so it's about 2", anywhere else, and they're pretty big( Just like the amphibious that are so big that you can actually see their eyes, and the color to them without even squinting..

Is like a total freak show.. But the mandarin stays fat..

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