Algae Scrubber Basics

[srusso]

User "fishoutawater" build an algae scrubber a few months back. Here is his orginial post.

I just added this very basic ats to an existing 2 tank system 3 weeks ago.

Here are the two tanks, and here is the screen at the two week mark.

I don't have a current pic, but the screen has more green on it this week, and is filling in faster.

 

[srusso]

Wow. . . Srusso I'm ok with you using my images. I'm flattered that you would think its worthy to post here. I have a few more shots for you guys. In teh first one you can see (maybe) the growth on teh slimer acro from the first pics to now.

Always a modest one,
Your tank is a great example, thank you for the additional photos!!!

 

[srusso]

ATS screen size is 8x7
using 23 watts 5000 kelvin (2)
8inch diameter reflector
will take pics soon.

Almost missed your post, I assume your using a scrubber lit on both sides?

If that is the case, an 8"x7" screen will host an 56 gallon tank.

The pictures will help us figure out how we can get a more even flow of water on your screen.

 

[rysher]

Almost missed your post, I assume your using a scrubber lit on both sides?

If that is the case, an 8"x7" screen will host an 56 gallon tank.

The pictures will help us figure out how we can get a more even flow of water on your screen.

yes they are lit on both sides.
K, will get pics tomorrow.
my tank is only a 40B, i made it 8x7 suitable for a 56G so i can overfeed and not worry about having a small scrubber

 

[bucks448]

Below are pictures of my tank and scrubber. I have some cyano going on right now. I've been converting the tank to a reef. I've been working on water params, and now I'm waiting on lighting.

The scrubber's been running for 7 days, and I just added a second 23w light on each side. Previously I was running a single 40w light on each side, so now I have 63w on each side, total 126w. The screen size is 17x9", and another 2" hanging in the water. BTW, the 2" in the water doesn't count towards scrubber size. Oh, my tank is 180g, so screen size and watts are a little under optimal.

One more thing, I really have no idea how much flow is going over the screen. I have about 1500gph returns and the scrubber is plumbed into the full siphon overflow. I have a ball valve at the end of the overflow and another ball valve going to the scrubber, adjusted to keep a full siphon. I could push more water over the scrubber, but right now it's adjusted for minimal noise and max flow. I may have to adjusted it more as it grows.

 

[srusso]

Great job, keep us updated as things progress. Thank you for posting

 

[rysher]

srusso,
can you elaborate on the "slits"???

 

[stormrider27]

I think the idea originally was to provide more surface area for the algae to adhere to. I believe it became problematic when it came to cleaning the screen, because there was no reliable method for adhering the screens together, because during cleaning they would separate and then what do you do. Over time I think it was realized that significantly roughing the screen up allow all the anchoring area needed. I can attest to this, I roughed my screen up to the point where it was almost falling apart (at the edges, it actually did) and I have never had a problem with algae detachment

I took some fishing line and a needle and stiched the two sheet together along the edges. It worked great.....

 

[srusso]

srusso,
can you elaborate on the "slits"???

This should help... it was taken from this document which also explains building an ATS.

www.radio-media.com/fish/AlgaeScrubbers.doc

"Construction:

Pipe: A basic algae scrubber starts out with a ¾" (1.88 cm) pvc pipe, with a 1/8" (3mm) slot cut along the length of it (the slot is only on the bottom side; it does not go through to the top side). Mark the slot with a marker, and cut it with a Dremel or similar power tool:

Cutting this slot is actually the only hard part of building an algae scrubber. If you don't think you can do it, just ask another hobbiest to do it for you; a cabinet maker or model builder could also do it. It will probably take a few tries, so give yourself some time and some extra pipe to get it right. As a last resort, you could try using a drill to make a series of 1/8" holes really close together, and then use a file to open them all up into a slot. "

 

[srusso]

Same document, here is how they explain creating your screen...

Screen: Next, get a piece of "œplastic canvas" (otherwise known as "œknitting screen") at your local sewing or crafts store, or online. Rough it up REALLY good with a "œhole saw" from your hardware store:

If you can't get a hole saw, then scrape a wood-saw blade sideways across the screen in different directions. A rough screen is very important; the amount of filtering a scrubber can do is proportional to how much the screen can hold on to the algae, without the algae being washed away. Spend some time making every part of the screen super rough, like a cactus:

Tilting the hole-saw will help. Make the first pass in one direction, then do another direction. Repeat on the other side. When roughing the edges, go outwards. Be careful on the other side of the screen, since it will rip more easily than the first side. If you do rip a small piece, the screen will still work fine. Do not ever use a non-roughed screen; the algae will fall right off and you will have no filtering. Now slip the screen into the slot, and attach it with zip-ties wrapped around the pipe:

The bottom of the screen should go into the sump water an inch or so, to keep the flow quiet and bubble-free.

 

[srusso]

Again same document, explaining intro growth...

Growth: When new screens start out, they almost always just have a light brown coating of slimy algae (diatoms). After the first cleaning, and into the second week, it usually gets darker, and by the fourth week and forth cleaning it, can get pretty thick. It's important to realize that all algae remove nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) from your tank, so any algae that grows on your screen is algae that can't grow in your tank. As the nutrients in your tank come down, the type of growth on the screen will change. Here are some different types of growth you might experience:

Light Brown Slime: New screens, and sometimes older screens the day after they are cleaned. Perfectly normal.

Black Oil/Tar: Very high nutrients in tank. Screen must be cleaned every 3 days until growth is not so dark. Stronger lights will fix it faster.

Green Spaghetti/Confetti: This is the best type of growth, because the light-green color and open structure allow light and water to penetrate through all parts of the algae.
Also, it is more firm and compact, like a sponge or chaeto, and will not let-go and clog drains easily.

Long Thin Green Hair: This types occurs mostly in freshwater, and filters a lot because the light and flow go throughout the algae. But depending on how you build your scrubber, the strands may get so long they break off or slow down the drain. Adding a bit of Mono Potassium Phosphate to the water, to increase the phosphate, may help fix this and make it growth thicker.

Yellow Rubber or Yellow Slime: Your flow is too low, and is not delivering enough iron to the algae. If you can't increase the flow, then run the bulbs a few hours less each day. You can also try adding iron to the water, such as Kent's Iron + Manganese.

Cyano: Your light is too weak.

Big Bald Spot In Middle: Your flow is too low near the light, or you used spotlights instead of spiral bulbs and big reflectors. If you can't increase the flow, then run the bulbs a few hours less each day. Adding iron may help here too.

Mysteriously Appearing Small Bald Spots: If the growth is thick, but new irregularly shaped bald spots appear each day, then the algae is letting go from the screen. Your screen needs to be rougher. If you can't do this, then either reduce the flow, or clean more often, so it does not get so thick and heavy.

 

[srusso]

This should help... it was taken from this document which also explains building an ATS.

www.radio-media.com/fish/AlgaeScrubbers.doc

I highly recommend reading through this short document on building ATS. It repeats a lot of the same things written here. All the newbies, consider this tonight's brief home work reading. :smokin:

 

[srusso]

If people haven't seen a water treatment facility

This image is from http://www.algalturfscrubber.com/

Also here is a quote from the algal turf scrubber site...

"...the ATS algal product can also be converted to paper and construction materials and can be used to sequester carbon and heavy metals as well as break-down toxic hydrocarbons. ATS-produced algae can be converted to energy products such as biodiesel, gasohol and methane."

 

[srusso]

SantaMonica has recently posted the following quotes from the books Corals of the World. I found them to quite eye opening!

"Where deep lagoons are formed, coral growth, especially of Acropora, can be prolific"

"Contrary to popular belief, species diversity is not at its highest on the scenically attractive reefs found in clear oceanic water. It reaches a peak for any given region on fringing reefs protected from strong wave action, where the water is slightly turbid."

-- Corals of the World, Vol 1 page 27

Why? Because it shows that there is more coral growth in lagoon areas than on reefs. How is this? Since lagoons have more algae, they have less nutrients, and more organics (food), than reef fronts (data easily found in reference studies). And that's what corals, especialy SPS, need to grow. Reef fronts (where mostly Acro's grow) actually have higher nutrients and lower organics (food) than lagoons. Why then are there mostly Acro's on reef fronts? Because Acro's don't break under wave action like other corals, and therefore Acro's have less competition (also taken from Corals of the World, Vol 1 page 27).

 

[Amphiprion]

SantaMonica has recently posted the following quotes from the books Corals of the World. I found them to quite eye opening!

"Where deep lagoons are formed, coral growth, especially of Acropora, can be prolific"

"Contrary to popular belief, species diversity is not at its highest on the scenically attractive reefs found in clear oceanic water. It reaches a peak for any given region on fringing reefs protected from strong wave action, where the water is slightly turbid."

-- Corals of the World, Vol 1 page 27

Why? Because it shows that there is more coral growth in lagoon areas than on reefs. How is this? Since lagoons have more algae, they have less nutrients, and more organics (food), than reef fronts (data easily found in reference studies). And that's what corals, especialy SPS, need to grow. Reef fronts (where mostly Acro's grow) actually have higher nutrients and lower organics (food) than lagoons. Why then are there mostly Acro's on reef fronts? Because Acro's don't break under wave action like other corals, and therefore Acro's have less competition (also taken from Corals of the World, Vol 1 page 27).

This is true. One thing to just keep in mind is that this refers to corals as a whole, not necessarily acroporids (in which case, their peak diversity is highest elsewhere), etc., but diversity as a whole.

 

[BluScrnOdeth]

This should help... it was taken from this document which also explains building an ATS.

www.radio-media.com/fish/AlgaeScrubbers.doc

"Construction:

Pipe: A basic algae scrubber starts out with a ¾” (1.88 cm) pvc pipe, with a 1/8” (3mm) slot cut along the length of it (the slot is only on the bottom side; it does not go through to the top side). Mark the slot with a marker, and cut it with a Dremel or similar power tool:

Cutting this slot is actually the only hard part of building an algae scrubber. If you don’t think you can do it, just ask another hobbiest to do it for you; a cabinet maker or model builder could also do it. It will probably take a few tries, so give yourself some time and some extra pipe to get it right. As a last resort, you could try using a drill to make a series of 1/8” holes really close together, and then use a file to open them all up into a slot. "

To get the 1/8th inch width (if thats what you need) two dremel cutting wheels (black fiber ones) make this gap. Thats how i do it at least. I mark one line and try to make it as straight as i can. If it waves a little, not a big deal, the water will still go straight down the screen without much fuss.

 

[skyshrimp]

Ive been trting to figure out how to post pics from my phone and I think i got it figured out. But anyway here we go, I got a 75g tank with a 20 rubbermaid sump. My ats was set up about a month and a half ago. Few pics but somthing to give you a idea. I dont think I roughed up the screen enough because I started seeing green algae 2 weeks ago instead of brown stuff on my screen. The screen size is 10x13 and I got a maxijet pumping into the ats pipe from one end and the drain from my tank on the other side. Altogether the flow is about 750 gph. The return pump is a wp-500 which is rated 500 gph at 7ft head and I have it at about 4ft. So im guessing it drains alittle more than that rate since its loo wer than 7ft.

Just a little info on my tank and ats. Oh yea my lights are one bulb on each side, 40 watts each bulb. As of now I am getting dark green algae on my screen. Just cleaned it today so I will post pics later befor I clean at the end of this week.

 

[BluScrnOdeth]

LOL, duck tape, love it. And thats a really really thick sand bed, i thought mine was thick at 2-3". Looks good though.

 

[skyshrimp]

As far as my corals go I have noticed increased growth in all but my more difficult to keep sps. Lps are growing, acan went from 3 heads to an extra 2-4 litte heads sprounting. Trumpets have been spiltting at a increased rate. Monti caps that were bleached due to a vinegar accident and one that also lost its color due to being buried for a week by bullet goby have all regained their color. Zoas are growing like crazy as well.

Only reason harder to keep sps havent really grown is due to me only having a 4 bulb oddysea t5 fixture. I got a ati 6 buld 2 days ago so I will keep eveyone updated im sure the results will good. But I will also post pics of my current setup later just to give you a idea.

All in all going ats is a good choice in my opinion. N= 0 and p=0(api, need better kit) are in check and gha in display is dissapearing at a good steady rate. Just what I waiting for.

 

[srusso]

Don't worry about not growing brown algae, the green stuff it what you want. Please post a picture of the display tank. It would be very helpful to show others how it's removing the algae in your tank. Thanks for posting your setup.