Algae trough Update

Paul B

Paul B

Premium Member
I wanted to update a thread I started about a year ago concerning an algae eliminating system using a shallow trough with fast moving water that sits above the water of the main tank just behind and below the MH lights. So far it has been a success. This is the first year in about 25 that this 35 year old tank has not had an algae cycle. It still gets cycles but most of the algae still grows in the trough with very little in the tank. Most of the algae in the tank is a macro that I can't identify, it may be from the local NY water.
As you can see the trough is full of all sorts of algaes, bubble, hair, red, macro etc but the tank has very little.
This tank will always get algae due to it's age and the large moorish Idol which I need to feed three or four times a day.
The trough has a plastic screen bottom which can be easily be rolled up to clean, which I think I will do today.
Have a great day.
Paul
13094Algae_trough_002.jpg

13094Algae_trough_003.jpg
 
Paul B, can you elaborate some more. This is very interesting. So you have in effect a free for all refugium/macro/alage growing area consuming all excess nutrients/Nitrates? Can you release more pictures? Diagrams? This is exciting stuff
 
Fantastic, there was a thread on here about a year ago but I will do it again (I can't find it anwyay)
It is a 4" vinyl fence post slit in half. It runs the length of the tank which is 6' and it is on a slight tilt. The water enters on the higher end and runs to the water level on the oposite end of the tank. Water is fed from the skimmer outflow. There is a plastic screen in the trough (that can be removed for cleaning) which extends out of the trough on the return end onto the water surface. The water flows over the screen and produces no splashing when the water returns to the tank.
Water flows fast through the trough and it is lit brighter than the tank due to the fact that it is only a couple of inches under the main MH lights for the tank. It is at the rear of the tank and shields the back of the tank from light (which I want to do anyway. It is also free to operate since it uses waste light and return water. Most of the algae grows in the trough because of the better growing conditions and very little grows in the reef.
I installed it about a year ago as a test and it seems to be worknin perfectly so far.
The main purpose of this is to keep algae in the system but keep it off the corals and out of the tank. The tank is very old and no matter how much cleaning you do , it will grow algae. I do not believe in a "clean up crew" to eliminate algae. They will help with the short stuff but if you have a full blown algae cycle which happens in older tanks, you would be wasting your time.
Paul
This is the trough from the other end

13094Algae_trough_001.jpg
 
The other half of the vinyl fence post was used to build the PC light which is just above the water and swings back out of the way to access the tank. The trough is behind this light to the rear.
13094DSC01396.JPG
 
Thanks for the update Paul. I remember the post and was intrigued at the time. No dumps, no patented water turbulence design... I love simplicity.

Two questions. Do you have any idea how much water is flowing through the trough? How often do you harvest algae from the screen.

I have often read that the reason we do not see lots of algae on the reef is that it is eaten by the 'cleanup crew' (large herds of 14"+ tangs...)

I toyed with setting something like this up, but never did because I want lots of macro in my refugium and in the main tank for the seahorses to frolick in.

Fred
 
Fred, it is true that the herbifores eat all the algae on a reef but there is a lot of ocean water to dilute the wastes which we do not have in a tank. If 100 -14" tangs decended on your reef like happens in the sea I know they would eat it all.
There ia about 200 gallons/hr going through my trough.
I only have to harvest the algae about twice a year when the tank goes through an algae cycle..
Paul
 
Paul you almost have an ATS. You will find that the algae growth will be even much faster in the trough (and almost none in the tank) if you add to this trough wave action and regular (weekly) harvesting. The algae will grow about 50% faster. This is what I use and Inland Aquatics uses. You can scrub algal nutrients to the point that you have zero visible micro-algae growth in the tank. This is only a few parts per billion ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phophate (measured by mass-spectrometer). However the way you have it is already very good; its one notch better than a macro-algae refugium.

Because you harvest infrequently you will have large populations of pods eating your trough algae. This is good in the sense that it provides a refugium type source of natural food, but this eating effectively undoes most of the the filtration accomplished by the growth of micro-algae in your trough. Also the algae will shade itself out decreasing efficeincy. Hence you will have somewhat higher nutrient levels (50 - 300 parts per billion) That is still undetectable by normal methods, and ok for most coral, but some algae will grow in the tank especially as it swings towards the high end.

I've found that this simple method is acceptable, and I use some modification of it to filter almost every aquarium I have set up in the past ten years. However, I have also found that taking the trouble to set up a true ATS is worth it if you have the time and ability to make it yourself.
 
Galilean, I agree with most of what you said. I don't need a wavemaker because the water flows very fast and there is small obstructions purposely put in there to create turbulence and the plastic screen is infused with cement. Algae grows very fast on cement as I found out with my homemade rock which is where I got the idea to infuse it with cement.
Most of the time there is no algae in the trough, it is only there during a cycle which I have now. I like some algae growing because the corals are visably healthier with algae growing and as you said the nitrate is undetectable.
The screen in my trough is in two parts so I harvest one and leave the other one for a while, this way I don't diminish my chemical removal totally after I harvest algae.
Paul :D
 
I just cleaned the trough and when I rolled up the screen, the tank turned red like the Nile when Moses was there. There was so much coraline algae and red algae that it tinted the water.
Now I can call it a Nile Biotype :lol:
I just hope it doesent start raining locusts with pestilence and all that brimstone with the turning into pillars of salt. If it's Instant Ocean I guess it would be OK though. :eek1:
Paul
:dance:
 
Paul,
When you collected your Macro Algae from the NY waters, did you do anything specific prior to adding it to your tank?

I would like to use some macro from the Maine waters however, I would like to first find out the pro's and con's as well as precautions that should be taken first.

Thanks!
Sissy
 
Sissy, I collected codium seaweed this week. I did nothing to it except put it right from the sea into my reef as I have always done.
Macro from Maine may not do as well because of the cooler temperatures up north.
Paul
 
I had/have codium sitting in a bucket while waiting for your response ~ hmmm to try or not to try? What would be the worst thing that could happen? If the worst thing = tank crash... no way however, if it means the codium dies and I just need to take it out.... no problem. I also have eel grass in the bucket.

What do you think?

Thanks for your help!
Sissy
 
I think I would throw it in there. What could happen? Global warming? :lol:
Why would the tank crash?
 
I know this is a really old thread.....but was wondering if you had any updates on this? Are you still using it? Any modifications, etc?

Thanks! :)
 
Awesome, that's what I wanted to know. Did you have a more in-depth write-up on this somewhere?

I was trying to find it because I swear I remember seeing one...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Algae problem
Replies
1
Views
116
griss
griss
AquaristMechanics
“Aquarists Library Series: The Strange Life of Algae – Your Guide to a Perfect Reef”
Replies
1
Views
142
AquaristMechanics
AquaristMechanics
Q
Which mini snail for artemia tank?
Replies
2
Views
169
griss
griss
S
Nutrient Export
Replies
0
Views
2K
SantaMonica
S
griss
Mystery Solved
Replies
12
Views
513
Sugar Magnolia
Sugar Magnolia
Back
Top