Algae Scrubber and refugium, same/same or different?
- Thread starter LondonJon
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Agreed. Precisely sized is more than a stretch. While I can see working out a formula for flow vs screen size for optimal growth. Or amount and/or color of light. Sizing is a guide at best. Which you can then dial in with testing and adjusting photo time, as long as it’s not too undersized, and before you strip out to much causing damage to cycle
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I have used both each for many years and I can state that square inch for square inch a scrubber is much more efficent for nuitrent export. My current ATSs sit on top of my sump so takes up no space in it apart from my feed pump, I could have tried . Takes me a few minutes to clean it and is easy to maintain.
That you say it's hard to size. I have never heard that before or experienced it in fact it seems easier to size than a fug and takes up less space IME. However, each to their own.
Same here even my wife doesn't complain of any smell.
Good stuff, thanx for sharing. For me would rather know why macro is not growing. Which is likely something is out of whack. As in your case was iron.
https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/8/chemistry
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Not when he's talking facts.
My post that you quoted says sell, not smell. A much more previous post brought up smell and noise associated with scrubbers. Not sure how one can claim it does not. Not saying it’s as bad as a skimmer cup, but it’s there and it’s real.
Not bashing scrubbers in any way. They are a great tool and certainly have their place. Just sharing info
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BedrockIOMC
Never to salty, Just don't go over 35.
I love my little Scrubber with a smaller tank for sure. WIth 2000 gal tank you would need about 1000 gal refug and will be pretty costly. So for me if you want easy and cheaper scrubber would be for me for sure.
Not sure why anybody would want to compare sizing a scrubber with a return pump but hey oh.
Sizing doesn't need to be an exact science as I have found out. Sizing is more a ball park figure again as I have found out and same for a return pump nothing to be exact for either. At the end of they day you pays your money.
This is my Ulva growth in just 4 days since my last harvest, quite unbelievable growth in fact.
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Fourstars
Valuable Member
I’ve had both, both work great but the refugium is much easier and adds water volume to the DT. Cheato likes high flow and tumbling it works best. once it grows to the point it stops tumbling trim It back. If my space was limited I’d go back to ATS.
Sorry my bad, I obviously misread that about sell.
I say no smell as there is no appreciable smell from the scrubber certainly outside the cabinet and little if any within it. Also no noise, my scrubber water exits below the waterline so no splashing can be heard in fact my sump is really silent and certainly nothing within my cabinet can be heard outside of it, my wife would be the first to complain if it was.
Yeah. The noise I bring up is not the water exiting the scrubber, but noise of water falling off algae once it grows in clumps on screen. Instead of rolling down to bottom as it does when screen is cleaner.
I have more water volume and space now I have a scrubber with my D-D 1500s sump. Granted the water volume taken up b
In fact I have no less water volume but much more space in the sump of my D-D 1500s pro sump that a refuge would take up. I have space for a calcium reactor etc thatvwould have been taken up by a fuge.
I am not against fuge but to be effective they need to be much larger and take up more space than an ATS. On the upside fuge has more places for pods but to me this little advantage over my ATS is the only real advantage and is far outweighed by the advantages of my ATS. I understand why others may prefer a fuge and it's all about choice but when I hear things like ATSs smell or are noisey then I don't see hear or smell mine as others who use them experience.
Early ATS esp some of the more simple designs may have been noisy but I don't get the overly smelly thing.
I have a Bud Carlson Turbo Scrubber that is a good few years old and it does an amazing job with no smell of note dame for noise.
Nope no noise from the water coming off the algae. Good modern designs should not emit much if any noise at all. As said my wife does not notice any noise and she sits about 2 meters from the tank and scrubber. If there was she would certainly let me know about it I can assure you.
They both do the same thing.
ATS takes up way less space, but is the most overpriced piece of equip for what you get imo unless you build your own. ATS is also a decent amount of maintenance involved. Very efficient nutrient control once you get it going.
A chaeto fuge is the lowest maintenance nutrient export I can think of. It does take up a decent amount of space. Not overly huge, but no where near as compact as an ats. The only problem ive had is if I don't use powerful lighting with the right config then a red slime or something takes hold which is a pain to get chaeto back dominate.
ATS takes up way less space, but is the most overpriced piece of equip for what you get imo unless you build your own. ATS is also a decent amount of maintenance involved. Very efficient nutrient control once you get it going.
A chaeto fuge is the lowest maintenance nutrient export I can think of. It does take up a decent amount of space. Not overly huge, but no where near as compact as an ats. The only problem ive had is if I don't use powerful lighting with the right config then a red slime or something takes hold which is a pain to get chaeto back dominate.
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Not sure how design works around the smell or noise. Do you not smell it when cleaning screen? Maybe design helps contain it. Can’t work around gravity. Algae grows, water falls off algae instead of rolling down to bottom. This is my undeniable experience.
At least you can’t say that ats needs less maintenance. Since you already posted 4 days growth
I cant smell mine. Even my wife who has a much sharper sense of smell cant smell it. I can smell if I put my nose right on the screen but it's not a bad smell. Now there are different types of algae that grow on the screen depending on nutrients. High nutrients tend to grow dark (brown/black) algae and that may have a smell to it. @atoll posted his screen that grows ulva. I've never had ulva grown on my screen. I can only wish. Only green hair algae and a little bit of what looks like chaeto on a corner of my screen.
Cleaning the screen maybe gives a little smell but when you take cheato out isn't there also? When people talk about ATSs being smelly I doubt they are referring to when you clean the screen but in general or why mention it.
I show 4 days growth to show how efficent it is at growing algae for this thread. I would normally do it every 7 days and takes me about 5 minutes, no big deal. Turn off pump, remove screen takes 30 seconds, trim the algae back 2 minutes, replace screen 30 seconds. Switch pump back on and check water flowing OK. Takes a minute for the pump to reach full output. All very easy and I can spare 5 mins a week.
With fuge only smell it when harvesting. With ats smell it anytime I open cabinet. Guess it depends on what type of algae is growing, as well as ats design, but that has been my experience. Also my experience that it takes more than 5 minutes to clean them, weekly. Unlike a fuge which is much less often.
think this thread has made it clear how ppl who have ats will stand up for them.
Also think both ats and fuges have pros and cons, that anyone with a brain can read through this thread and make their own decision.
think this thread has made it clear how ppl who have ats will stand up for them.
Also think both ats and fuges have pros and cons, that anyone with a brain can read through this thread and make their own decision.
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