I agree completely with all, and d2 mini is using the same approach and type of light source(a sodium) as me. And this can be applied to just about any size tank(i would say a nano, no). I had the same light growing on my 50 in a small sump(the tank was a 18 gallon). So it's very scalable.
And actually, the filament algea "is" slower growing than the cheato. But, and here's the thing, if you want a "pretty" sump, then, it's not the option for you.. It's strictly, and honestly for growing and life..
And your(at least I am) pulling out a good 5 gallon bucket at least every two weeks(this is not a small increase in growth, it's pretty massive).. I can't remember if it's 10 fold, simply because I've been running it since December. the ulns status, simply allows you the headroom, if you wish to feed more, do more as far as your animals.. And that's with a low nutrient system. This honestly defies the limiting factor thinking process on a very large scale. Ids something I learned when doing hydro plants. The theory is basically fueling the plants with the energy they need to seek out small amounts of nutrient. These are the small amounts that test kits will not pick up(and the typical, I'm reading zero, but still have some form of algea growing scenario). It is, a sound, widely accepted and known principle, but just not in the aquarium circles..
That's the thing, your going to grow algea at some point.. It's the nature of the beast. What your doing is controlling where and how much. It's just like a turf scrubber without the additional equipment. But it depends on what the person wants to do. But it does the exact same thing as a scrubber. But, to me, it's not as messy and clunky looking(this comes from using and building scrubbers)..
