I've been wanting to build an algae turf scrubber for a while but I'm just not sure how to go about it because I'm not running a sump. I've seen the upflow design and I'm just not crazy about it. The waterfall style seems to perform better on average, plus I hate air pumps and the noise bubbles make when they pop.
I figure I could build one above my tank, but I can't decide what to make it out of. If it's going above my tank it would have to look halfway decent, and I don't have any equipment to work with acrylic. This would probably be the simplest way to do it since gravity could return the way to the tank, and I would not have to worry about it overflowing.
A hang-on design would be nice, but I'm not sure about how to plumb it, I feel like it would be at great risk for overflowing. Unless the pump was used to remove the water from the ATS, and a siphon brings the water in...
An external design would be great, I have a lot of room in my tank's stand, but that becomes complex as well. I guess I could go with an overflow, and essentially make a sump just for it.
What would you do in my situation?
I figure I could build one above my tank, but I can't decide what to make it out of. If it's going above my tank it would have to look halfway decent, and I don't have any equipment to work with acrylic. This would probably be the simplest way to do it since gravity could return the way to the tank, and I would not have to worry about it overflowing.
A hang-on design would be nice, but I'm not sure about how to plumb it, I feel like it would be at great risk for overflowing. Unless the pump was used to remove the water from the ATS, and a siphon brings the water in...
An external design would be great, I have a lot of room in my tank's stand, but that becomes complex as well. I guess I could go with an overflow, and essentially make a sump just for it.
What would you do in my situation?
