Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everything

spanko

spanko

Active Member
Hee Hee just using the paint program in Windows.
so what do you think, am I getting better nutrient export with the existing harvest of the Chaetomorpha, about 1/2 the ball per month, or will I be better served with the turf scrubber the way I have it envisioned? Oh and by the way I may just take the Oceanic skimmer out of chamber #1 and put the Chaetomorpha in there too.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
It is tuff to say, I don't know your avarage levels (paramiters)that your tank runs. I also don't know your feeding, cleaning, ect...
Are you having any problems in the tank now?
I grew chaeto in mine and it didn't work for me. I have also done all the other treatments ie. big water changes, taking out the rock and scrubbing, countless hours of manual removal, ect..... The scrubber actualy seems to be working. I am also giving this thing a run for its money too. Santa Monica talks this thing up so good I am making it work hard and I have to say it is starting to turn around for me. I can't wait to see what changes are comming.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
My inhabitants are
Mystery Wrasse Pseudocheilinus ocellatus
Foxface Lo Siganus vulpinus This is my fourth one, I buy them at about 2-2.5" and trade them in at about 3.5". They are used for Caulerpa control
2 Black Ocellaris Amphiprion ocellaris var.
Tailspot Blenny Ecsenius stigmatura
My nitrates and phosphates are undetectable. My goal is to control the amount of green algae on the glass, and the Caulerpa as noted above with the use of the Foxface. I would like to get rid of the need to have the small Foxface in tank to control the nastiness of the Caulerpa if left unchecked.
Feeding is every other day with about 1/4 cube of mysis and a like amount of frozen Cyclopeeze. I would also like to get rid of the skimmer.
Tank pic
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
That's one nice tank! Very well done.
If you are harvesting the chaeto then you have nutrients in the water. Even tho it is undetectable, I would think the chaeto is using up the nutrients so you can't measure them. You have a very nice tank to not go all the way on the scrubber and do it to its fullest. If you are willing to give it a shot and roll the dice on your design then......
I would not after what I have seen with mine. If it were me and going to be your design of the scrubber or leaving it the way it is.....I would leave it the way it is untill it failed me. If you are willing to go full scrubber I would go scrubber and like you say ditch the rest.
I am sure, if I am wrong I will be corrected.
Oh, what color are your daisy polyps? I would love to get some and blue ones at that.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Thanx for all your help Posiden. It may just be one of those "if it ain't broke don't fix it" type things. Think I'll just finish my 12 year Canadian Club, sleep on it some and see what myself says to me in the morning. I do want to continue to feed at the rate I am which I consider fairly heavy. And like you said the Chaetomorpha via its harvest is absorbing nutrient.
So many possibilities, so many decisions..............
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
Ha, Ha,
I am sipping on the same.
Just don't loose touch with this thread. It's been nice chatting with you. Scrubbers are great and very powerfull and I believe it could rid you of your problems but they do follow some rules.
A side note here how are you handling your top offs? Any chance you might add a sump?
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
As you can see from the artistic Windows Paint drawings the ATO float valves are in the chamber with the return pump. The water is in a 5 gallon water jug located behind the tank stand. Stand and tank are in a corner of the room on an angle so there is plenty of space behind it. Tank is in the living room, not ready to add an additional amount of wate to the tank system in case of overflows and such. Just keeping it kind of simple right now. Had the tank two years now, like the size and the amount of water changes per week (5 gallons, 20 %). Too easy right now to go messing with it if you know what I mean.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
Yes I do. That is pretty sweet you have an ato top off on your tank.
Mine is also in a corner of my living room so that I can do the light from the back. I have to do manual top offs on my tank. As for the flow on the scrubber I cut down the center on the back wall and blocked off the factory water flow channel. I get an even flow over a wier and onto the scrubber. Which I used a piece of tile. I added another pump for the first chamber to house the heater and not get nasty water. If you check out the scrubber web site you can view it there. It is under the thread "I had to do it". I can't post the link it is not allowed. I don't know if you wanted to know any of that, Sorry if no.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Hee Hee got it. Are you Zoa?
And I don't see anything there that violates SWF rules except maybe it has forums. Oh well.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
Here is some current pics of my crapy tank.
The piece on top is a piece of mirror I cut to help put light back on the scrubber and to keep the light out of my tank.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
HA! WTF! Rotating screen on the 10 gallon!!!!!!!
Looks like you are in the experimental phase too. will follow along and keep you updated on what happens over here. Good stuff! God I love this hobby!!!
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
Here is a shot inside the scrubber. Inside my second chamber.
And finally how it looks as of 5 mins. ago.
That is my current growth. like I said I am just getting out of the browns.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Not too shabby, that is still the tile? In your opinion does it need to be cleaned now? The reason I ask is that one of the posts talked about having the black, dark colored alge and the need to "harvest" it right away.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
You gotta have a certain number of posts, or be a member for a certain number of days. Can't remember which.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
Yes, that is the tile. I my self don't think it needs cleaning but to be a good boy I will follow the rules and clean it tomorrow. I am how ever going to stop using a tooth brush to clean it for now. I think I am not leaving enough behind to regrow.?
Plus I am fighting the HA in the display.
 
santamonica

santamonica

Member
About chaeto, etc: Any type of flow blocker like chaeto, foam pads, cannisters, etc, will only catch floating food and cause it to rot. With a scrubber, you don't need these other items, and thus you can remove them and open up the water flow so all food in the water flows to the corals/fish to be eaten. Fortunately, the scrubber itself will not catch food in the same manner.
 
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