Algae Scrubber Basics

[SantaMonica]

I am now using both sides of the screen that measures 5" x 5". That means 50 square inches overall

That means 25 square inches.

Lighting distance to screen is really a function of reflector, watts, number of bulbs, etc. Like what was said above, if you get hot spots, back the lights away and/or use less hours; although preferably you'd want to use better reflectors, increase flow, or even add iron. If growth is black, however, or even dark green, you want the bulbs closer and/or more hours.

 

[Skinnysloth]

Skyreef, I would definitely extend the screen down to the water level. The sound that I imagine your setup makes would drive me mad. Another side effect of all that splashing is all the salt it's going to leave behind when water dries on your splash guard. This will reduce the light penetration through the splash guard unless you clean them regularly.

Another thing I've noticed was my growth was starting to turn more yellow with each weekly harvest. Not just the algae on the scrubber, but the algae growing in the display tank was also more yellow. The amount of algae harvested wasn't changed all that much, maybe 10% less. It was about time for my 20% monthly water change. One week after, the growth was back to being a lot greener. I may have to look into dosing potassium to see if I can sustain greener growth without having to solely rely on water changes. I'm not going to stop doing water changes, but those who have, may want to look into dosing more than just the regular 2 part if they aren't getting the expected growth.

 

[SantaMonica]

It's iron that is needed for yellow growth, not potassium.

 

[SkyReef]

Skyreef, I would definitely extend the screen down to the water level. The sound that I imagine your setup makes would drive me mad. Another side effect of all that splashing is all the salt it's going to leave behind when water dries on your splash guard. This will reduce the light penetration through the splash guard unless you clean them regularly.

Another thing I've noticed was my growth was starting to turn more yellow with each weekly harvest. Not just the algae on the scrubber, but the algae growing in the display tank was also more yellow. The amount of algae harvested wasn't changed all that much, maybe 10% less. It was about time for my 20% monthly water change. One week after, the growth was back to being a lot greener. I may have to look into dosing potassium to see if I can sustain greener growth without having to solely rely on water changes. I'm not going to stop doing water changes, but those who have, may want to look into dosing more than just the regular 2 part if they aren't getting the expected growth.

Thanks, SkinnySloth. I've already snipped my screen. I think I will devise a shelf/extender with a pane of acrylic (acyrlic on acrylic, not acrylic on screen), to extend down to the surface of the water. That should reduce the splashing noise. I'll keep an eye on the color of the algae when it starts to grow. Thx.

It's iron that is needed for yellow growth, not potassium.

Thanks, SantaMonica. I'll keep that in mind, if and when algae starts to grow. Thx.

 

[Skinnysloth]

It's iron that is needed for yellow growth, not potassium.

You are correct.

Might have been linked before, but it's good reading none the less.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/8/chemistry

 

[sail33]

I did my best to follow the guide lines in the build of my turf scrubber. A few problems are obvious and a bit of advice might help.

The screen is 6 inches wide and 18 inches long. I've got both sides lit with one CFL each side in standard aluminum reflector pots. The lights are about 3 inches away from the screen. The water over the screen is sourced from an over flow box with an in line ball valve.

I think I would have been better off using 3/4 inch PVC rather than 1/2 inch as the water pressure is forcing the a larger amount of flow on one side of the screen than the other. This is causing some side spray which I can control with clear spray guards.

Does anyone find that the water flow is uneven ..stronger on one side than the other?

The other question deals with growth. My nitrate level has dropped but I feel it might be even lower if I were growing green algae. I'm getting more of a heavy black slime type algae rather than the green hair type I see in every ones photos.
Question is, Is it inadequate light or am I missing the "right kind " of algae and do I need to seed the system in order to get the right stuff to grow?

It's late and I'm tired so I hope this makes enough sense to interpret what my questions actually are.
Thanks

 

[moatdaddy]

Here is my basic ats. I plumbed a 1/2 PVC line from the sump with a 500 GPh pump from aquatraders. I use a full sheet in a 18g bin. Both bought from Walmart. The return line is 3/4 clear tubing from lowes with a ball valve to control flow, exact same pump. Not a perfect system but it works great.

My tips/ lessons.

Syran wrap the top of the screen and plumbing. This will eliminate crazy splash and even help with pipe drip.

Have your sump overflow before your ats bin. 2 bulbs down already.

Secure your lights a second way. A simple bump and they go in the darn bin.


As far as lights go i have two cf floodlights, most powerful you can buy at lowes. I also have two cf spirals in workshop lights with reflectors. I am going to buy these bulbs.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/E27-8W-110V...875?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5650c1be33

Or

http://www.ebay.com/itm/15W-LED-45W...920?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7d627610

Both are cheap and easy to plug and play. Anyone tried these if not i will put some info in after I give them a try.

 

[Skinnysloth]

I did my best to follow the guide lines in the build of my turf scrubber. A few problems are obvious and a bit of advice might help.

The screen is 6 inches wide and 18 inches long. I've got both sides lit with one CFL each side in standard aluminum reflector pots. The lights are about 3 inches away from the screen. The water over the screen is sourced from an over flow box with an in line ball valve.

I think I would have been better off using 3/4 inch PVC rather than 1/2 inch as the water pressure is forcing the a larger amount of flow on one side of the screen than the other. This is causing some side spray which I can control with clear spray guards.

Does anyone find that the water flow is uneven ..stronger on one side than the other?

The other question deals with growth. My nitrate level has dropped but I feel it might be even lower if I were growing green algae. I'm getting more of a heavy black slime type algae rather than the green hair type I see in every ones photos.
Question is, Is it inadequate light or am I missing the "right kind " of algae and do I need to seed the system in order to get the right stuff to grow?

It's late and I'm tired so I hope this makes enough sense to interpret what my questions actually are.
Thanks

My somewhat uneven flow was influenced by two factors: 1) The imperfection in my slot and the curvature of my screen. Initially I noticed that my sides were getting most of the flow, so I went back with my dremel and widened the center of my slot. That helped, but then the curvature in my screen was the main determining factor. My screen is hung by rings I cut out from pvc couplers. I can rotate the rings backwards if I want more flow on the back side of the screen and vice versa.

As for the desired green hair algae growth, I can't tell you exactly what you need to do to guarantee results, but I can tell you what happened with my ats. Before that, it may help if you tell us what your flow rate along with the type and wattage of the bulbs you are using.

What really changed my growth pattern was when I increased the flow through my ats. Before I was getting less than 300gph from my overflow through my 8 inch wide screen. After upgrading to a more powerful pump, I was able to get around 350-400gph. This was all estimated by counting how long it took my overflow runoff to fill a 32oz cup and converting it to gph. Perhaps the stronger flow sets up a more ideal environment for long stringy hair algae growth. I'm not sure, but that was my experience. Ever since the increased flow, I've been getting long stringy hair algae that grows down my screen into my sump.

You can see the waviness at the top of my screen that I was talking about before. Also see how much of the algae grows down past the bottom of my screen and into the sump. It just floats in the sump and helps dampen the crashing sound of the water.

 

[SkyReef]

My somewhat uneven flow was influenced by two factors: 1) The imperfection in my slot and the curvature of my screen. Initially I noticed that my sides were getting most of the flow, so I went back with my dremel and widened the center of my slot. That helped, but then the curvature in my screen was the main determining factor. My screen is hung by rings I cut out from pvc couplers. I can rotate the rings backwards if I want more flow on the back side of the screen and vice versa.

As for the desired green hair algae growth, I can't tell you exactly what you need to do to guarantee results, but I can tell you what happened with my ats. Before that, it may help if you tell us what your flow rate along with the type and wattage of the bulbs you are using.

What really changed my growth pattern was when I increased the flow through my ats. Before I was getting less than 300gph from my overflow through my 8 inch wide screen. After upgrading to a more powerful pump, I was able to get around 350-400gph. This was all estimated by counting how long it took my overflow runoff to fill a 32oz cup and converting it to gph. Perhaps the stronger flow sets up a more ideal environment for long stringy hair algae growth. I'm not sure, but that was my experience. Ever since the increased flow, I've been getting long stringy hair algae that grows down my screen into my sump.

You can see the waviness at the top of my screen that I was talking about before. Also see how much of the algae grows down past the bottom of my screen and into the sump. It just floats in the sump and helps dampen the crashing sound of the water.

Wow! That is some impressive cultivation!

 

[sail33]

Skinny sloth says "My somewhat uneven flow was influenced by two factors: 1) The imperfection in my slot and the curvature of my screen. Initially I noticed that my sides were getting most of the flow, so I went back with my dremel and widened the center of my slot. That helped, but then the curvature in my screen was the main determining factor. My screen is hung by rings I cut out from pvc couplers. I can rotate the rings backwards if I want more flow on the back side of the screen and vice versa."

Most of the water on my ATS exits on the far side. Away from the input. I think the flow may be too great a volume for 1/2 inch pipe. I've propped up the heavy flow flow side and that helps but does not solve the problem. I've reversed the orientation of the screen and it behaves the same way. Lots of water on one side, very little on the other. I wouldn't mind so much if it was growing green algae like yours.

I'm not getting anything but black slime algae. It's clear to me that your system is taking out a LOT more trash than mine.
Why is it that no one wants to take out the trash in my house? Not even the ATS !

 

[Skinnysloth]

Most of the water on my ATS exits on the far side. Away from the input. I think the flow may be too great a volume for 1/2 inch pipe. I've propped up the heavy flow flow side and that helps but does not solve the problem. I've reversed the orientation of the screen and it behaves the same way. Lots of water on one side, very little on the other. I wouldn't mind so much if it was growing green algae like yours.

I'm not getting anything but black slime algae. It's clear to me that your system is taking out a LOT more trash than mine.
Why is it that no one wants to take out the trash in my house? Not even the ATS !

Mine did that as well and that's why I went back and widen the input side and the middle of the slot. You can try that and see if it helps. Or if you think it's from the 1/2" pipe, you can upsize to 3/4 or 1", but it may be easier to modify the slot first.

 

[SantaMonica]

The screen is 6 inches wide and 18 inches long. I've got both sides lit with one CFL

108 square inches. Unless each CFL is 54 real watts, it under-lit. And if it was a 54 real watt CFL on each side, the reflector would need to be 6 X 18 in order to match the screen.

I'm getting more of a heavy black slime

Due to the low wattage, and no doubt the almost non-lit parts of the screen outside of your round reflector.

Does anyone find that the water flow is uneven

3/4 would be better. Flow always starts off uneven, however, until growth fills in.

I use a full sheet

If this is a full sheet of plastic canvas, that would be very big and need lots of watts.

I am going to buy these bulbs.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/E27-8W-110V-...item5650c1be33
Or
http://www.ebay.com/itm/15W-LED-45W-...item3a7d627610

Some people have used those. Always make it 2-sided. It's all about the distance. The 8w would replace 16 to 32w of CFL. The 15w would replace 30 to 60w CFL.

Perhaps the stronger flow sets up a more ideal environment for long stringy hair algae growth.

Stronger flow:

1. Delivers more nutrients to the algae.
2. Removes the boundary layer from the algae.
3. Move the strands around, allowing even more of (1) and (2), and also allows more light to reach the roots.
4. Washes any light-blocking detritus off the growth.

However stronger flow pulls harder on the roots, and thus needs a very rough attachment surface.

 

[SantaMonica]

I'd say for LEDs to use 1/2 to 1/4 of the CFL wattage guidelines.

 

[salty joe]

SkyReef-I am following to see what ATS does for you. Please keep us updated.

 

[SkyReef]

SkyReef-I am following to see what ATS does for you. Please keep us updated.

Hi, SaltyJoe. Tomorrow will be a week's time since I first installed the algae scrubber. Whenever I get sleepless, I wake up and just stare at the ATS screen. It cures insomnia right quick, and I'm told a watched screen never boils.

I will post a photo of the ATS tomorrow. Right now, stuff is growing for sure on the screen, but, frankly, it just looks like dirt. Dirt growing on a screen. My worry is that I will be one the those unfortunate souls who grows brown algae on my screen, not green. I'll wait and see, but I think an adjustment will be in order. I'll keep you all posted.

 

[sail33]

Thanks santamonica and skinny sloth ,

I'll work on the groove thing tomorrow. I've been planning to switch to LEDS but haven't quite designed the easy removal of screen while keeping LEDs dry problem yet.

 

[SkyReef]

SkyReef's ATS After 7 Days in Operation: Color is Brown

SkyReef's ATS After 7 Days in Operation: Color is Brown

SkyReef-I am following to see what ATS does for you. Please keep us updated.

Thanks for your inquiry, SaltyJoe.

Okay, everyone, here are some pictures of my Algae Turf Scrubber ("ATS"), positioned above the sump that lies below my 14-gallon BioCube. The ATS has been in operation for 1 week exactly. The color seems to be coming in brown, not green. Perhaps you guys can tell me why brown is not good, and what I can be doing to help the algae grow in green. Or maybe you guys think it is too early to tell, or that everything is fine. I welcome your comments and advice.

Thank you.


ATS Specs:

1. Feeding: 1 cube per day;
2. Dual-Sided ATS Screen: 5" x 3" ATS (roughed-up area);
3. ATS Plumbing: 3/4" PVC Pipe with cut water-slot (table-sawed and hand-filed);
4. Water Flow over ATS Screen: 180 gals. per hour; and
5. Light: two, 13-watt CFL bulbs (2700k), positioned ~ 3" away from screen, shining on each side of the screen for 18 hours per day, on a timer switch (6 p.m. to 12:00 noon). This lighting is considered to be "high intensity," and I am exceeding the recommended, daily, exposure period of 9 hours by running these lights for 18 hours each day, to get the screen "up and running." Perhaps this prolonged exposure period is causing my screen color to come in brown, and not green.

Latest Available Water Quality Specs (from 3 days ago, 3/10/13)

1. Ammonia (NH3) - 0.25 ppm;
2. Nitrite (NO2) - 0 ppm;
3. Nitrate (NO3) - 5 ppm;
4. Carbonate Hardness (KH) - 9 dKH;
5. Phosphate (PO3-4) - 0.25 ppm;
6. PH - 8.0;
7. Temperature - 78.6 F;
8. Specific Gravity - 1.0224;
9. Livestock - 2 clown fish and soft corals; and
10. Aquarium Substrate: Bare Bottom.

Pictures of ATS after 7 days in operation:

1. With Plastic Screens in Place

2. With Plastic Screens Removed

3. Extreme Closeup Views

 

[nanomania]

nice...

 

[srusso]

Thanks for your inquiry, SaltyJoe.

Okay, everyone, here are some pictures of my Algae Turf Scrubber ("ATS"), positioned above the sump that lies below my 14-gallon BioCube. The ATS has been in operation for 1 week exactly. The color seems to be coming in brown, not green. Perhaps you guys can tell me why brown is not good, and what I can be doing to help the algae grow in green. Or maybe you guys think it is too early to tell, or that everything is fine. I welcome your comments and advice.

Thank you.


ATS Specs:

1. Feeding: 1 cube per day;
2. Dual-Sided ATS Screen: 5" x 3" ATS (roughed-up area);
3. ATS Plumbing: 3/4" PVC Pipe with cut water-slot (table-sawed and hand-filed);
4. Water Flow over ATS Screen: 180 gals. per hour; and
5. Light: two, 13-watt CFL bulbs (2700k), positioned ~ 3" away from screen, shining on each side of the screen for 18 hours per day, on a timer switch (6 p.m. to 12:00 noon). This lighting is considered to be "high intensity," and I am exceeding the recommended, daily, exposure period of 9 hours by running these lights for 18 hours each day, to get the screen "up and running." Perhaps this prolonged exposure period is causing my screen color to come in brown, and not green.

Latest Available Water Quality Specs (from 3 days ago, 3/10/13)

1. Ammonia (NH3) - 0.25 ppm;
2. Nitrite (NO2) - 0 ppm;
3. Nitrate (NO3) - 5 ppm;
4. Carbonate Hardness (KH) - 9 dKH;
5. Phosphate (PO3-4) - 0.25 ppm;
6. PH - 8.0;
7. Temperature - 78.6 F;
8. Specific Gravity - 1.0224;
9. Livestock - 2 clown fish and soft corals; and
10. Aquarium Substrate: Bare Bottom.

Pictures of ATS after 7 days in operation:

1. With Plastic Screens in Place

2. With Plastic Screens Removed

3. Extreme Closeup Views

Well the good news is the brown growth on a new screen is very normal.

It can take as long as 4-6 weeks for most tanks. Some take off right away, some in 2 weeks have lots of green growth but after 6 weeks, it should be green.

Clean every 7 days regardless, for now just rub the algae off with your fingers under running water. You are looking to clean most of the algae off but not all.

Post some new pic of growth in 2 weeks and report back. Thank you for contributing. Welcome to the scrubber club!

 

[SantaMonica]

Yes let it go another 7 days before cleaning.

Whenever I get sleepless, I wake up and just stare at the ATS screen

Now you know my schedule