Anyone locally use an algae scrubber?

[jim t]

I am probably building an ATS for my tank. I have been researching a lot online. Just curious if any locals have one. I will gladly take any suggestions. I think I am going to use 2 - 30 watt multi chip leds. Mostly red with a few blue.

 

[installman]

I used one for well over a year. Had a 65 x 2 pc fixture lighting it and had it plumbed straight off my main overflow in the 180. Cleared up a massive hair alga bloom winin a month and a half. Sold my skimmer and was running 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates for about 2 years. I then proved how lazy I actually am because I was tired of scraping the screens every week or 2 and took the scrubber offline and went to running a huge wad of chaeto. I now harvest about 1/2 a five gallon bucket of chaeto every month or two. Been running that way for 3 or 4 months now and everything seems to be fine. That said I do not know if this method played a part in the major issue I had when removing the stupid palys I had or not. I don't think it did but who knows. I did detect some phosphate for the first time in 2 years yesterday so I am thinking it is leaching out of the new rock I put in I will test it again in a week to see if it is getting better or worse.

 

[jim t]

I recently moved and had to downsize. Now I have a baby on the way. I don't have the time or $ that I used too for the tank. From what I have read, these work real well at preventing algae. I have a small fuge now but it's not big enough to soak up the nutrients

 

[installman]

Ats is not for everyone. There is a ton of info in the main forum under advanced topics. How an ats is considered advanced I don't know. I haven't tried using leds to grow algae or chaeto for that matter. I found a source online and bought 10 65 watt straight pin 3000 or 2700k pc bulbs for like $3 each a couple years ago so that is the only thing I have used. I was running a 20" wide x 4" high screen about 1" from the glass with the pc fixture right up against the glass.

 

[CrazyEyes]

Might want to PM Cindy (FraggleRocks). She has done alot with ATS's in the past, I think she even built her own, I also think she is currently running one.

 

[jim t]

Thank you. I will pm her