Algae scrubber ideas

italquam · Feb 24, 2020

KleineVampir said:
Anybody think I should turn my skimmer off? It sits in there with the scrubber so the water in there might be getting cleaned by the skimmer too much.

I would leave it on

italquam · Feb 24, 2020

Green hair algae is starting to die off but this will be a long process, I can tell

italquam · Feb 24, 2020

Another shot here

KleineVampir · Feb 25, 2020

Well just a minute ago I opened up the old algae scrubber (yet again) to see what's going on and let me put it this way: It was like opening up a s'more or taking a slice of pizza! There was algae in there that just stretched when I opened the door. Weird but I took a couple seconds longer to take more of a look and then I just put it back. So hopefully we're finally getting somewhere!

Also I have a theory: 24/7 may work better than you'd think because the growth of algae provides shade to the growth of previous algae that maybe needs a break. Or at the very least, 24/7 is a good way to kick-start your growth in your scrubber, especially in a high nutrient system.

italquam · Feb 25, 2020

KleineVampir said:
Well just a minute ago I opened up the old algae scrubber (yet again) to see what's going on and let me put it this way: It was like opening up a s'more or taking a slice of pizza! There was algae in there that just stretched when I opened the door. Weird but I took a couple seconds longer to take more of a look and then I just put it back. So hopefully we're finally getting somewhere!

Also I have a theory: 24/7 may work better than you'd think because the growth of algae provides shade to the growth of previous algae that maybe needs a break. Or at the very least, 24/7 is a good way to kick-start your growth in your scrubber, especially in a high nutrient system.

Scrubber Steve came up with the idea for me and it has worked well

KleineVampir · Feb 28, 2020

Well there's definitely an algae mess in there! Not a nice uniform brick but at least we're cooking.

italquam · Feb 28, 2020

KleineVampir said:
Well there's definitely an algae mess in there! Not a nice uniform brick but at least we're cooking.

Any photos

KleineVampir · Feb 28, 2020

italquam said:
Any photos

I think I'm going to actually make a video of cleaning it out since not many videos like that actually exist. The question is, when is the time right? For now I'm checking it at least once a day to see if I can tell when growth starts dropping off. If I feel like it isn't growing it'll be time to clean it out.

KleineVampir · Mar 1, 2020

Holy crap guys...it's getting nuts in there. Not just some stringy pieces of algae anymore. The growth is quite substantial at this point. That said I don't think it's quite time. There's still at least 50% of the space in there left.

KleineVampir · Mar 2, 2020

Alright. Here's the video of the first harvest. I coulda waited, but...I didn't want to!

Reef of Fillory · Feb 22, 2021

KleineVampir said:
Alright. Here's the video of the first harvest. I coulda waited, but...I didn't want to!

Any updates on how this worked out for you?

1guydude · Feb 22, 2021

I make my own. I am a firm believer in ats. I like do simple waterfall ones that are basically a zip tied mesh with a slot in the pvc and a gate valve. Just T off the return and adjust flow with the gate. I use simple shop lights with the metal reflectors from the hardware store and 40w flourescent bulbs. They grow algae like a mother. Can be made any size for any tank. You can do a stand alone unit from pvc too prob if you have the room in your sump. I can draw one up by hand and take a pic if need be.
D

1guydude · Feb 22, 2021

I believe they can be fully submerged yes if provided with an air pump and airstone for upflow. The more flow over the mesh in the submerged water is more likely to catch and start growth. Not a lot of flow but a nice steady flow or upstream of airbubbles or flow. I think skimmers airate enough.
D