Algae Scrubber

[Terry DeMott]

will have all my stuff on Wed so I hope I can set it up

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I have a 302aquatics.net AS-4 large on my 300 gallon system. I feed a mix of various pellets 4 times a day, sheet of nori every other day, LRS almost every day and other foods. I go about a month between cleanings on the ATS. only other export is skimmer no water changes. Nitrates less than 2 phosphate .033 as I just checked them last night.

 

[Insane320]

I have a 302aquatics.net AS-4 large on my 300 gallon system. I feed a mix of various pellets 4 times a day, sheet of nori every other day, LRS almost every day and other foods. I go about a month between cleanings on the ATS. only other export is skimmer no water changes. Nitrates less than 2 phosphate .033 as I just checked them last night.

Bruce I also have about 320 gallons can I see some pictures of your unit. I am interested in getting one?

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Bruce I also have about 320 gallons can I see some pictures of your unit. I am interested in getting one?

A few things that people don't say much about is the cleaning not just the screen but the entire inside of the scrubber. It is not a big deal as you have to clean an algae reactor also. I have mine remote mounted since I don't have a lot of room under the stand left. About every 3-4 weeks I just take the whole scrubber into kitchen remove lights pull everything apart clean it put it back together and ready to go. There are 4 or 5 brands out there. If you contact 302aquatics Let Joe Olive know that you are interested in the DAS or deluxe algae scrubber it has rounded corners an improved lid and some other changes from when I got mine and only a few bucks more. He is one of the least expensive out there and can custom build. He sell quiet one pumps to go with it if you need and his price on those are the lowest I found. My last cleaning was just the other day and I removed over 1/2 gallon of hair algae.

 

[hubble]

My ATS grows slime algae and its pretty nasty and stinks, also very hard to clean. I only had it up and running for about six weeks before I removed it to clean it up good and do some mods on the spray bar. I was hoping for a more fiberous (if thats a real word) type algae. Any idea's.............

 

[Bruce Burnett]

My ATS grows slime algae and its pretty nasty and stinks, also very hard to clean. I only had it up and running for about six weeks before I removed it to clean it up good and do some mods on the spray bar. I was hoping for a more fiberous (if thats a real word) type algae. Any idea's.............

If it is just growing slime you should be cleaning it every few days no longer than a week or light cycle is not long enough. For cleaning during this time just rub with hand under running water. I run the lights on my scrubber about 18 hours.

 

[Josh@ClearWaterScrubbers]

My ATS grows slime algae and its pretty nasty and stinks, also very hard to clean. I only had it up and running for about six weeks before I removed it to clean it up good and do some mods on the spray bar. I was hoping for a more fiberous (if thats a real word) type algae. Any idea's.............

Increase your flow. That’s normally the cause of slime before anything else.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

My ATS grows slime algae and its pretty nasty and stinks, also very hard to clean. I only had it up and running for about six weeks before I removed it to clean it up good and do some mods on the spray bar. I was hoping for a more fiberous (if thats a real word) type algae. Any idea's.............

I guess we should really ask what Scrubber do you have, how much flow as it should have sheet of water on screen and what is your lighting schedule.

 

[hubble]

It's a AS-04 from 302 Aquatics. The lights run 24hrs as was recommended by Joe. Don't remember what size pump but it was included with the ATS. I do have a valve inline so I can adjust the water flow so I'll see about increasing flow. This slime algae is some nasty smelly stuff. I took the screen outside and blasted it with the garden hose and it took some work to get it clean.

 

[BoomCorals]

I wouldn't run it 24 hours. The kinds of algaes we want to grow on our scrubbers need a "no light" period I think?

 

[Bruce Burnett]

It's a AS-04 from 302 Aquatics. The lights run 24hrs as was recommended by Joe. Don't remember what size pump but it was included with the ATS. I do have a valve inline so I can adjust the water flow so I'll see about increasing flow. This slime algae is some nasty smelly stuff. I took the screen outside and blasted it with the garden hose and it took some work to get it clean.

I would not run 24 hours and if he supplied pump run it full blast. You don't normally want to clean screen spotless. Scrape heavy stuff off and only brush top one inch or so. I took about 2 pounds offalgae off mine the other day.

 

[Josh@ClearWaterScrubbers]

I would not run 24 hours and if he supplied pump run it full blast. You don't normally want to clean screen spotless. Scrape heavy stuff off and only brush top one inch or so. I took about 2 pounds offalgae off mine the other day.

You will never get the flow you need with his design. Take a dremel and cut the holes into a slot. That’s why Bud, Brian and I all use a slot design.

 

[BoomCorals]

For what it's worth, having done my own DIY turf scrubber, the slot does work WAY better. The holes don't give you the proper flow. I tried to make the holes work, and eventually broke down and went with the slot.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

You will never get the flow you need with his design. Take a dremel and cut the holes into a slot. That’s why Bud, Brian and I all use a slot design.

Slot or hole design they all get clogged up. I have no problem using the holes as I get full sheet of water across both sides of screens. I get algae over entire screen and when flow is not good time to clean anyway. I run a brush through the tube and just pull algae off screens by hand. Maybe the slot is better but since mine has been working fine have not bothered to try the slot design. Phosphates .03 nitrates, less than 2, just using ATS and skimmer feeding 6 times a day.

 

[Josh@ClearWaterScrubbers]

Slot or hole design they all get clogged up. I have no problem using the holes as I get full sheet of water across both sides of screens. I get algae over entire screen and when flow is not good time to clean anyway. I run a brush through the tube and just pull algae off screens by hand. Maybe the slot is better but since mine has been working fine have not bothered to try the slot design. Phosphates .03 nitrates, less than 2, just using ATS and skimmer feeding 6 times a day.

I’ve never had a slot get clogged. It’s always going to have water flowing out of it because the screen is inside the pipe. Zip tying a screen to some holes drilled into the pipe doesn’t allow that and also there is only so much flow that can come out of a tiny hole. Plus there is less chance of spray coming out of the unit with the slot as it is pointing down, not sideways with the holes.
If you have a small screen, it’s not a problem as they usually don’t require a higher flow. If you are building a scrubber for a 200g+ system, then it needs more flow to do the job correctly.

 

[dansreef]

Hi Josh. I have read your posts with interest. To be transparent, I have a 302Aquatics Scrubber. I am a huge believer in scrubbers. I would much rather use a scrubber over dosing, using GFO....etc...

Your mention of using a slot vs small holes is interesting. As my scrubber operates, the holes get clogged and are a real pia to clean. You suggest cutting a slot using a rotary tool. I like the idea as I will be able to significantly increase flow... and coverage on the screen. With the holes, the screens will have spots that don't get as much water coverage.

Can you help me understand how your design works? Does the screen somehow sit within the slot? Also, what is your take on light cycle? I have heard from a few (302 Aquatics is one) that the light should be run 24 hours a day. I have heard from others that you should have a dark period. I run mine 24hours.... and I get a combo of slime a filamentous algae in it. I also saw another mention in another post of yours that limiting the light period would some how limit the nutrient uptake preventing an oversized scrubber from stripping the tank too much. My scrubber is oversized for my tank.... they gave me a pretty good deal when I bought it.

If you could provide some detail, I would very much appreciate it. I am really liking the slot idea... and may incorporate that into my scrubber. I am also seriously thinking about going to a 18hr on and 6 hr dark cycle.

Thoughts?

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I’ve never had a slot get clogged. It’s always going to have water flowing out of it because the screen is inside the pipe. Zip tying a screen to some holes drilled into the pipe doesn’t allow that and also there is only so much flow that can come out of a tiny hole. Plus there is less chance of spray coming out of the unit with the slot as it is pointing down, not sideways with the holes.
If you have a small screen, it’s not a problem as they usually don’t require a higher flow. If you are building a scrubber for a 200g+ system, then it needs more flow to do the job correctly.

not to argue the point but turbo and channel island both say that the slots will get clogged over time and need to be cleaned even with light blocker. I don't have the holes pointed sideways only slight angle and I get lots of algae growth on both sides of screen. I have two good sized screens and clean them when the mats are around a inch thick on each side. I have not owned any others to compare but I am happy with what I have. My system is 300 gallon and it is doing well. I can make a slotted tub easy enough just as an experiment but if it is working fine not sure when I might do that. Kind of like with lights people decide the leds are the cause of their coral problems and change light fixtures when most of the time that is not the problem. The desire is to have a flow of water down both sides of the screen with no dry spots if you are getting that then holes or slots are both going to work. Now if someone that owns a 302 scrubber that converted to a slot tube wants to chime in would be better than their competition.

 

[Josh@ClearWaterScrubbers]

Hi Josh. I have read your posts with interest. To be transparent, I have a 302Aquatics Scrubber. I am a huge believer in scrubbers. I would much rather use a scrubber over dosing, using GFO....etc...

Your mention of using a slot vs small holes is interesting. As my scrubber operates, the holes get clogged and are a real pia to clean. You suggest cutting a slot using a rotary tool. I like the idea as I will be able to significantly increase flow... and coverage on the screen. With the holes, the screens will have spots that don't get as much water coverage.

Can you help me understand how your design works? Does the screen somehow sit within the slot? Also, what is your take on light cycle? I have heard from a few (302 Aquatics is one) that the light should be run 24 hours a day. I have heard from others that you should have a dark period. I run mine 24hours.... and I get a combo of slime a filamentous algae in it. I also saw another mention in another post of yours that limiting the light period would some how limit the nutrient uptake preventing an oversized scrubber from stripping the tank too much. My scrubber is oversized for my tank.... they gave me a pretty good deal when I bought it.

If you could provide some detail, I would very much appreciate it. I am really liking the slot idea... and may incorporate that into my scrubber. I am also seriously thinking about going to a 18hr on and 6 hr dark cycle.

Thoughts?

Ours work as a high flow, high efficiency ATS. Our slot is cut into the pipe and then the screen is inserted into the slot as far as it can go, not much with a 1/2” pipe. It is then zip tied to the pipe thru the holes in the screen.
As far as light cycle, I run mine 24/7. It never shuts off unless I am cleaning it. Since 302 doesn’t use the correct light spectrum, I cannot advise on what to do with theirs. We use a combination of 660nm red with 450nm blue. I only recommend cutting the light cycle if the scrubber is over cleaning the water. That slows the nutrient uptake into the algae.

 

[Josh@ClearWaterScrubbers]

And the slime you are getting is most likely caused by lack of flow. Unless the screen is new, that is usually the only cause of it.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

remember I did not say a slot is not better it is harder to do by hand to keep straight and the right width. What is the recommend slot width. If I am going to experiment what is the width.