Fuge vs Algae Scrubber

[sporazoa]

Anyone tested both of these, which one works best & is more worth your time, effort & resources?

 

[Greybeard]

Not necessarily for the same purpose... Algae scrubbers, which I've never owned, but am looking into, are strictly for nutrient export. The original purpose for a refugeum was as a refuge... a place for small critters to live and breed without pressure from the predators in the display tank. Over the last few years, refugeums have been used more often as a place to grow macro algae, for nutrient export. I still use a refugeum for it's original intent.

Having had Grape Calurpa go nutz in a system I had some time back, I'm afraid of macro algae. I know, there are safer forms, but I'm just done with it.

I'm seriously considering an algae scrubber of some sort... been investigating them for some time, but I have no experience with one yet. Looks promising to me, though.

 

[Spar]

A lot of discussion in the post/link below recently on this topic. You should get all your answers from it as people went quite detailed.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1977420&page=280
^^start around Page 280 and read on; or it is post #6983 if page numbers differ

I am going to just do a scrubber for now and see how it goes and decide later to add Chaeto or not.

I have always done Caulerpa in the past and never had issues with it going asexual, but I understand the risk associated with it. I am redoing my tank right now and am going to pass on Caulerpa this time.

 

[sporazoa]

Here is a cool DIY scrubber from some reefer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAqCZlR_Un8&feature=youtu.be

And how to DIY one from another guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGLnBvDkaO0

Looking forward to finding out just how effective an algae scrubber really is.

I would imagine if the scrubber ends up being about the same as growing chaeto in a fuge, then might as well stick with the additional benefits of a sump/fuge?

 

[theMatrix]

I have a fuge with chaeto...lots of pods daily. I want to start aseparate chamber for red macro algae. And have started making an overflow algae scrubber. Its ready to start draining the water fall. but havent opened up the ball valve.

In all. I want to have all 3 going

 

[sporazoa]

the Matrix, sounds good. So you are saying that even with chaeto in a fuge, you still have nutrient issues & find the need to add a scrubber? Why not just try a bigger fuge & more chaeto?

Please come back & let us know how the scrubber works out.

 

[dfm34]

I recently added an algae scrubber and love it. It was easy to build too. I was battling high PO4 and hair algae PO4 was.12 at its worst. Three week after installing the scrubber PO4 is.05. Look for my build thread and I will try to post a link to it shortly.

 

[dfm34]

Here is the link if your interested.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2458987

 

[DavidinGA]

If nutrient removal is what you are after; hands down the scrubber is better....

 

[ca1ore]

I run a scrubber and dual refugia - one for chaeto and one for dragon's breath.

 

[reefer roman]

I run a turbo L4 scrubber and my system it works great.[This is about a weeks worth of growth.IMG]http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/29/f0b1052693a9c1d2a25f6536cc90c869.jpg[/IMG]

 

[Coral_reefer]

Anybody notice any issues keeping sps w a scrubber? Have heard reports that some people have trouble.

 

[theMatrix]

the Matrix, sounds good. So you are saying that even with chaeto in a fuge, you still have nutrient issues & find the need to add a scrubber? Why not just try a bigger fuge & more chaeto?

Please come back & let us know how the scrubber works out.

No issues.
I want to grow algae on the scrubber to feed the algae afterwords to algae eaters in the tank... rather have it on the sheet then the rocks.

 

[theMatrix]

I run a scrubber and dual refugia - one for chaeto and one for dragon's breath.

Thats my goal...

 

[reefer roman]

I have taken the screen and placed it with my sea hare and it cleans up real nice also it allows the pods to get in the display tank.

 

[ca1ore]

Anybody notice any issues keeping sps w a scrubber? Have heard reports that some people have trouble.

I've kept SPS without issues in a tank with an ATS; however, I always run GAC continuously just in case there are any baddies leaching out of the algae.

 

[sporazoa]

Why does the scrubber have to be suspended in the air & allow for water to flow through it? The damn algae grows on my rocks just a s well, so maybe just get a flat rock or flat plastic plastic board & have water run across it...would that work just as well?

 

[theMatrix]

Why does the scrubber have to be suspended in the air & allow for water to flow through it? The damn algae grows on my rocks just a s well, so maybe just get a flat rock or flat plastic plastic board & have water run across it...would that work just as well?

....needs a waterfall to keep it growing in splace.
This method is upgrade from the drip tray method your getting at with the flat pan

Still a waterfall method

 

[sporazoa]

So is this "special" algae that will only grow via a drip method & not just on rocks or other surfaces if fully submerged?

Have people ID'd these types of scrubber algae?

 

[kinnadian]

So is this "special" algae that will only grow via a drip method & not just on rocks or other surfaces if fully submerged?

Have people ID'd these types of scrubber algae?

It's just green hair algae.

The combination of very high lighting and the air/water interface of the waterfall method making an extreme abundance of CO2 available for the algae greatly promotes its growth.

The screen also allows air to pass through it to keep the base algae alive and maximises available lighting surface area.

The CO2 content under water is much less so the algae will preferentially grow on the screen.