I built me an Algae Scrubber

sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
First off I want to thank Seth (Snakeblitz33) for helping me out with a plan and helping to answer some questions. Thanks Seth!!
So, I have a 125g tank with a decent size sump (67g) that I started a few months ago. I started it out with a lot of base rock (about 75-80%). I have my own RO/DI unit so I knew my water would be good but I am learning that adding more then 50% base rock can lead to some algae problems. Well it did not get too bad, some hair algae in the overflow at first. Then I started getting some cyano in the sand after I added another piece of LR. The LR changed the flow pattern and the cyano looked bad.
I have been kicking around the idea of a scrubber for a while now and I slowly started picking up extra things here and there to make one. Well I finally had the time and with Seth's advice I was able to get it done. Here is a pic or two. I have had it running for the last couple of days so not much progress to report.
I will try to get a DT shot to post so I can track the progress of getting the tank clean.
Comments welcome!!




w
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
Looks great nice and clean (for now) it won't be long before it becomes a beautiful green.

That a boy Seth you have converted another one.
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
LOL... when I saw the title of the thread and clicked on it, I was surprised to see that the first post wasn't Seth's. But, of course, the first sentence is about him.... LOL...
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
No No Traveler the first sentence was telling Sweatervest that she or he did a good job? LOL Snake get second billing on this one.
I stand corrected the first line of Sweatervest is thanking Seth.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Lol. You guys are funny. Op- make sure those lights get close to the screen. Can't wait to see some progress! Remember, it will take a good two weeks to get well seeded.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member

Looks great nice and clean (for now) it won't be long before it becomes a beautiful green. :t^:
That a boy Seth you have converted another one. :))):
Thanks Jack. I am super excited about it. I had a couple members help me with the plumbing when I first set up the tank in my fish room. I had no experience with PVC but Corey and Shawn hooked me up. Doing the scrubber was actually easy once I understood the basic principles.
Can't wait to fill the screen with green.
Ryan.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member

nice scrubber you got there!
:t^:
Thanks man!! Now I gotta build me one of those fancy auto top off/ water change gizmo things that u made.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member

Ok I'm almost convinced
Come on, you know you wanna do it. All the cool kids are doing it.
But honestly I don't see a draw back to at least not try.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member

Lol. You guys are funny. Op- make sure those lights get close to the screen. Can't wait to see some progress!  Remember, it will take a good two weeks to get well seeded. 
I have the lights about 4 inches from the screen. I can see some very small little buds of algae starting to take hold. You mentioned doubling my feedings. Right now I over feed a bit anyways because I am prepping the tank for more fish. Still feed more?
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Naa, just keep doing what you are doing. You know you could always rough up that bottom screen and add two more lights to get two times the filtration!!!
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member

Naa, just keep doing what you are doing. You know you could always rough up that bottom screen and add two more lights to get two times the filtration!!!
I was thinking the same thing. Lol. Just might. I will keep you posted.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
What is the horizontal slot length of the scrubber again? How tall is it from the pump? How many GPH is your pump? What I'm getting at is you might have to upgrade your pump if it doesn't provide enough flow... Just keep that in mind, if the scrubber isn't working as well as you hoped.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member

What is the horizontal slot length of the scrubber again? How tall is it from the pump? How many GPH is your pump? What I'm getting at is you might have to upgrade your pump if it doesn't provide enough flow... Just keep that in mind, if the scrubber isn't working as well as you hoped.
The slot length is the full length of the screen. Which is 10.5". The vertical height from the pump is about 30". The pump is 395 g/hr. I think that the pump is a bit under powered. I don't mind if I have to upgrade. I figured I would have to. The price for the next higher pump at the lfs was double ($50.00). I wanted to get it going ASAP so I cheaped out a bit. I used PVC fittings instead of a barbed connection so it should not be a problem to switch it out ( used a threaded adapter to a 3/4 slip ).
I do think that I will have to make some adjustments to the top slot and where the screens are connected. I have the bottom screen in the water about a 1/2". No problem with bubbles. I have a bit of an unconventional sump. If you notice I do not have any 3 baffle bubble traps. But I have not had any micro bubble issues.
I wanna give it a couple of weeks to see how it is performing. The I will make the changes. I noticed some more stuff on the screen within the last couple of hours. Fun stuff.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Yeah. It's going to go from a pretty white to brown/green to covered. Stick with the pump you got and upgrade only if your not seeing the results you want.
 
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