Algae Scrubbers.

quackenbush

quackenbush

Clown Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
#1
Has anyone here run an algae scrubber and been satisfied with the results? I have a JBJ NanoCube 24 which I may upsize to a nanocube 28 or Biocube 29 soon. I run a Tunze 9001 skimmer which I don't think does a whole lot. Part of the issue is that I'm doing manual top-offs, but I hope to install an ATO today...

However, I'm really considering running one of the Santa Monica up-flow scrubbers with a light like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MF7RYNC

It seems that this has more potential for nutrient export than my Tunze skimmer, but I would love to hear others thoughts and experiences...
 
FishTV

FishTV

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#3
#3
I Believe Walter White has run them in the past, he may chime in. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure he had a thread on it. If he doesn't surface, I'll try to dig up the thread tonight.
 
quackenbush

quackenbush

Clown Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#4
#4
Balz3352;n635100 said:
t I can tell you adding cheato to my biocube was night and day.
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Good to hear. I was under the impression that one's refugium needed to nearly the same capacity as the tank for it to effective...
 
R

reef dummy

Blenny
#6
#6
quackenbush;635109 said:
Good to hear. I was under the impression that one's refugium needed to nearly the same capacity as the tank for it to effective...
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I run chaeto in the back chamber of my solana with an underwater bulb and my parameters have been rock steady so far with no algae in display, at least get.
 
T

that0neguy1126

Registered Users
M.A.S.C Club Member
#8
#8
What are you looking to know? They are an effective way to remove nutrients. I would still run a skimmer with it though.

The simple principle is you are providing algae (which consumes NO4 and PO3) and easy place to grow. Then you remove the algae which in affect removes the NO4 and PO3 from your system.
 
T

that0neguy1126

Registered Users
M.A.S.C Club Member
#9
#9
I also wouldnt bother with fancy LED lights or anything for it. There are a lot of DIY tutorials and plans out there for algae turf scrubber's or ATS.
 
quackenbush

quackenbush

Clown Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#10
#10
FishTV;n635108 said:
I Believe Walter White has run them in the past, he may chime in. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure he had a thread on it. If he doesn't surface, I'll try to dig up the thread tonight.
Click to expand...

I found a thread for another member's tank where Walter chimed in about his scrubber on a ~24 cube. He seemed happy with it.

​

that0neguy1126;n635126 said:
What are you looking to know? They are an effective way to remove nutrients. I would still run a skimmer with it though.

The simple principle is you are providing algae (which consumes NO4 and PO3) and easy place to grow. Then you remove the algae which in affect removes the NO4 and PO3 from your system.

I also wouldnt bother with fancy LED lights or anything for it. There are a lot of DIY tutorials and plans out there for algae turf scrubber's or ATS.
Click to expand...
I don't have the space for both a skimmer and a scrubber (NanoCube 24), so it's one or the other. The skimmer does pull some skimmate into the cup, but it's nothing notable, IMO, so I'm thinking of switching to scrubber. I'm mostly curious about other's experiences outside of the "santa monica" ATS thread. The light I found on Amazon is $23 (link in OP) and tuned to the right wavelengths (red and blue) for photosynthesis, so I think it's a slam dunk in terms of lighting. It seemed like a good idea to me months ago, and now I have a small GHA outbreak, so it seems like an ever better idea. I am concerned about the air pump and additional noise, but that's minor.
 
Walter White

Walter White

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#13
#13
Yeah I ran one on my jbj-24 funny you meantion the tunze skimmer I had the same one and switched to the turf scrubber for the same reasons. It did work pretty well. I even still have the light I made for it if you are interested.
 
rjl45

rjl45

Clown Fish
#15
#15
Walter White;635213 said:
Found one of my threads on it. Sorry a few picture links are missing but there are still quite a few.
[video]http://www.marinecolorado.org/forum/reefkeeping/diy-do-it-yourself-projects/17748-updated-mini-ats-light[/video]
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After reading this thread, I think I'm going to give it a try on my 24. Thanks for all the pics. If Quacken doesn't show interest in your light, I am interested and take second. I'll check back.

My Aquapod 24 has very small back compartments, and this might be the solution I have been looking for!
 
S

szavoda

Butterfly Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#17
#17
I went ahead an bought a scrubber from Acrylics (user) from ReefCentral. Not really cheap, but building one myself at that quality level would not have been worth it. It produces a lot and needs to be cleaned at least weekly. Hate to imagine if it was not in the system...
 
L

lee_is_007

Copepod
#18
#18
I would pref algae scrubbers over macro. Back in the day when I used to over feed I would still get hair algae in my tank and I had a huge chamber of chaeto in my sump. I no longer use macro algae at all. Turbo snails and algae scrubber would be the way to go imo.
 
19TheSaint75

19TheSaint75

Blenny
#20
#20
19TheSaint75;635120 said:
I have a surf 2x from Santa Monica. I haven't found it to be worth the money at this point.
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Earlier I said I wasn't impressed with my Santa Monica scrubber. It has been on my system for almost 8 weeks. I cleaned it out two weeks ago and this is my Clea out now. It is getting better.


I am finally seeing results that are worthy. The algae is a very bright green. I should mention that I was using the cheap 20 dollar Air pump they recommended until I had an episode of cranium in Uranus and flooded my sump. The water knocked out the cheap ass pump, so I added a whisper 300. That is when I began to see growth. Light is running 20 hours.
 
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