Anyone used Santa Monica algae scrubbers?

[Cbones1979]

Picked up a hog1x any suggestions?

 

[Cbones1979]

I have had both a HOG and a surf ATS from SM. I experienced a number of issues with both but esp the HOG. It was noisy, the airline constantly blocked with calc but worst of all the magnets on the wet side holding it together rusted badly. Lots of people had the same issue and it was clearly a manufacturing/design issue. The company didn't want to know and offered nothing.
The surf also suffered from calc buildup in the airline and reduced bubbling in it. Not as noisy as the HOG apart from the air pump which was my own but few air pumps if any are quiet. I got shut of both and replaced with waterfall ATSs which are far far better esp as they are lit from both sides and grow so much more algae on the screen.
A friend of mine also has a surf and after 18 months the LEDs are very faint. He contacted the company but he says they are so expensive as not worth buying and being sealed in resin he can't even replace them himself so in the bin it went.

Great to read this after I got the hog. Almost at 2 weeks and no growth even with their help.

 

[Cbones1979]

Agreed, however to be working well I would suggest it's doing what it's supposed to do, grow GHA. Simply being lit and bubbling isnt really working as yet. I am sure it will however in time. Mine did but as said in my previous post I had issues with it. Keep an eye on those magnets and check it's bubbling across the whole screen as with mine the airline and outlets tended to clog with salt, crud and calc. Good luck with it I hope it serves you well and you don't experience the issues I and others had. Perhaps newer models are better, I hope so.

I may have a dud with mine....hate this part of the hobby. Really hope the magnet issues isn’t there either....

 

[atoll]

I may have a dud with mine....hate this part of the hobby. Really hope the magnet issues isn’t there either....

SM say they have improved magnet sealing, how well remains to be seen.

 

[Cbones1979]

SM say they have improved magnet sealing, how well remains to be seen.

they really added alot of silicone to it. it's pretty sleek looking.

 

[atoll]

they really added alot of silicone to it. it's pretty sleek looking.

The silicone parted and allowed water contact to happen. Far from.sure adding more will make much different. As long as it gets past 12 months they won't care, they certainly didn't before. It was an expensive piece of kit that only lasted just over a year.

 

[DxMarinefish]

If you are going to get as ATS, don’t skimp on cost. Spend as much as you would on a high quality skimmer.
Most people see them as an afterthought, a mere addition. See it as a main part of your filtration.

waterfall ATS are the best.

also go for one slightly more that the capacity of your system.

 

[Cbones1979]

The silicone parted and allowed water contact to happen. Far from.sure adding more will make much different. As long as it gets past 12 months they won't care, they certainly didn't before. It was an expensive piece of kit that only lasted just over a year.

Hoping that’s not the case or I’ll be posting everywhere about it lol

 

[Cbones1979]

If you are going to get as ATS, don’t skimp on cost. Spend as much as you would on a high quality skimmer.
Most people see them as an afterthought, a mere addition. See it as a main part of your filtration.

waterfall ATS are the best.

also go for one slightly more that the capacity of your system.

Didn’t have the space in my setup or I would have. Would have grabbed the skimz algae reactor but alas it was too big

 

[atoll]

Hoping that’s not the case or I’ll be posting everywhere about it lol

Everytime you remove it for cleaning inspect the silicone over the magnets and check for any signs of rust. Good luck you might just need it.

 

[cwjjets]

Any updates from those who purchased SM ATS? I also am considering a SM DROP or SURF.

 

[Cbones1979]

Any updates from those who purchased SM ATS? I also am considering a SM DROP or SURF.

Yes. Works great now. Took awhile to get going but now I’m pulling algae out weekly and only running it for 12 hours a day

 

[cwjjets]

Yes. Works great now. Took awhile to get going but now I’m pulling algae out weekly and only running it for 12 hours a day

Excellent to hear. On my fish and invert only tank, I plan to have this as my main source of filtration (along side with bio filter from bacteria within the tank via sand and rocks), with the no intention of having mechanical filtration system and no sump (awkward and limited spacing for sump under a 90gal cube).

@Anyone have any arguments against this method when relying mostly on algae scrubbers for filtration?

 

[cwjjets]

If you are going to get as ATS, don’t skimp on cost. Spend as much as you would on a high quality skimmer.
Most people see them as an afterthought, a mere addition. See it as a main part of your filtration.

waterfall ATS are the best.

also go for one slightly more that the capacity of your system.

I am curious on the claim that waterfall ATS are better than the Santa Monica in water bubbler ATS approach. Could you provide reasons on why waterfalls are superior to bubblers? I am currently considering Santa Monica bubbler ATS, so any profound reasoning to go waterfall ATS may change my filtration approach.

 

[atoll]

I am curious on the claim that waterfall ATS are better than the Santa Monica in water bubbler ATS approach. Could you provide reasons on why waterfalls are superior to bubblers? I am currently considering Santa Monica bubbler ATS, so any profound reasoning to go waterfall ATS may change my filtration approach.

Hope you don't mind me adding my 2cents worth to your question.

With the SM surf for instance which utilises the bubble up principle waterfall ATS have approximately twice the surface area as the screen grows algae on 2 sides not just the one.
The rate of water flow is considerably more and faster with a waterfall ATS which in most cases encourages the algae to grow faster. Lighting is also more powerful with more LEDs per surface again speeding up growth rate of algae.
I have had a SM HOG 2 and a Surf 2 in the past and IME my waterfall ATSs have out performed and in the case of the HOG outlived it.
Other issues to consider is that the HOH and Surf both suffered from calcium buildup in the airline with the holes blocking regular. Both of these are powered by powerful airpimps which many find far to noisy.
Finally I can clean my scrubber in 4 minutes and yes I have timed it.

 

[cwjjets]

Lol on timing it. Thanks for the reply, atoll. I'll take the outperformance into consideration.

Regarding the calcium buildup, could you elaborate where the buildup occurred in relation to the hose? Was within the hose? Near the hose head/water interface? I am wondering if some routine maintenance could mitigate calcium buildup. Not sure how easy it is to remove hoses for potential maintenance.

As far as air pump noise, I wonder if enclosing the pumps in some foam housing will lower the noise levels.

Hope you don't mind me adding my 2cents worth to your question.

With the SM surf for instance which utilises the bubble up principle waterfall ATS have approximately twice the surface area as the screen grows algae on 2 sides not just the one.
The rate of water flow is considerably more and faster with a waterfall ATS which in most cases encourages the algae to grow faster. Lighting is also more powerful with more LEDs per surface again speeding up growth rate of algae.
I have had a SM HOG 2 and a Surf 2 in the past and IME my waterfall ATSs have out performed and in the case of the HOG outlived it.
Other issues to consider is that the HOH and Surf both suffered from calcium buildup in the airline with the holes blocking regular. Both of these are powered by powerful airpimps which many find far to noisy.
Finally I can clean my scrubber in 4 minutes and yes I have timed it.

 

[atoll]

Lol on timing it. Thanks for the reply, atoll. I'll take the outperformance into consideration.

Regarding the calcium buildup, could you elaborate where the buildup occurred in relation to the hose? Was within the hose? Near the hose head/water interface? I am wondering if some routine maintenance could mitigate calcium buildup. Not sure how easy it is to remove hoses for potential maintenance.

As far as air pump noise, I wonder if enclosing the pumps in some foam housing will lower the noise levels.

Regarding calcium build up. This was in the hoses submerged in the tank water. It was a pain and I removed some by squeezing the hose to brake it up. I also ran some white vinegar through the hose to dissolve the residue calc.

With regards to the surf. Some of the leds failed and as they are sealed in some clear resin/plastic you have to buy a whole new light unit which isn't cheap at all in fact after postage from the US is hardly worth buying.

With my HOG the magnets rusted due to what I believe is a design failure. SM refused to acknowledge this even though later models had improved sealing but am not sure how much that helped.

After have issues with both the SM HOG and Surf no more SM products for me. Looking at both I wondered where the money was in them.

My Turbo Aquatics ATS on the other hand has been faultless and did a brilliant job so much so I now have the next size up on my new larger tank.
I also have an Atlantis 3 waterfall scrubber which I know have for sale in the sales section due to the fact I imported a Turbo Scrubber L4 which I consider the best ATS out there but expensive.

 

[EliteSocial]

I recently put a drop 1.4 in my reefer 170. Looking forward to getting growth. The bubbles are loud, but IMO, its a bit more pleasing than the monotonous drive of a pump or fan.

How did it work out for you?

 

[ReefHog]

So I’ve had my Surf4 on line for two months. The air pump is not quiet but not noisy. Two of the air lines have clogged in two months. One after first month. Can’t believe it’s calcium build up already. Was fairly easy to clear with a syringe but shouldn’t have to. As far as performance it is growing algae.

Three weeks

Six weeks

Eight weeks

 

[EliteSocial]

So I’ve had my Surf4 on line for two months. The air pump is not quiet but not noisy. Two of the air lines have clogged in two months. One after first month. Can’t believe it’s calcium build up already. Was fairly easy to clear with a syringe but shouldn’t have to. As far as performance it is growing algae.

Three weeks

Six weeks

Eight weeks

Not sure this is something I want to drop the bread on then