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

[santamonica]

pissant: How long has it been growing? Did you rough up the screen?
I've had trouble in the past growing coralline algae.
Because of excess phosphate in the water.
My corals are looking a little better, and I'm getting some decent coralline algae growth. I think some of this might be attibutable to the fact that the skimmer is no longer pulling out all the food. The scrubber might also be drawing some phosphates, and other bad stuff out of my tap water.
Corals are getting more food, and less phosphate. Scrubbers remove phosphate.
I should probably go to RODI water, but have resisted thus far. What are people's thoughts on that?
Some people have experimented with just RO, and even with tap water, for a reef. But no results have been reported. Theoretically a scrubber should remove what needs to be removed, but then it becomes a matter of speed.
And I think you can let it go for more than one week if it's just lightly grown, let it get about 1/2 inch thick
No, every week even if it is thin.

 

[en_pissant]

Thanks for getting back to me guys.
- DDawg -
My overflow tube is kid of acting almost like a protein skimmer. It's bubbling a little at the bottom, and a tiny little bit of scum intermittently appears at the top.
I don't have a fuge, but I have 492 watts of PC and MH light for my tank.
- SantaMonica -
I've had the scrubber going about three months, an yes I rouged up the screen a bunch.
You say that the scrubber should remove what needs to be removed, but what about things like mercury, heavy metals, copper etc? Why would the scrubber pull out those substances?
I'll make sure I clean once a week.
Also. I've since added another sheet of plastic. I just am running them side by side, touching. I'm hoping the extra surface area will provide for better growth.
As you can see from my picture, I put a larger diameter pipe around the scurbber pipe, and that seems to keep the algae out of the flow area. Not sure if anyone else has incorporated that, but it works well for me.

 

[beaslbob]

Originally Posted by en_pissant
http:///forum/post/3184641
...
You say that the scrubber should remove what needs to be removed, but what about things like mercury, heavy metals, copper etc? Why would the scrubber pull out those substances?
...
.
FWIW enviromental engineers clean up toxic dump sites using fast growing plant life. On land agent orange is removed from the ground using poplar trees. At industrial sites dead sea weeds remove cadmium from industrial waste water in one pass.
The only experiemental data I have found reported that one live macro algae (when exposed to 250ppm copper for two weeks) bio accumulated (filtered out and contained) copper such that the copper rose from 30ppm to 1045ppm or so in that macro.
IMHO as the algae "sucks in" and recycles nitrates at over 1ppm per day, they also suck in other nasties. Therefore, they can (will) lower those nasties to very low values. The nasties are then exported from the tank by harvesting the algae.
my .02

 

[en_pissant]

Interesting points beaslbob. Especially the copper observation. I have personally witnessed algae being used to consume petroleum at a refinery. And I guess since I worry about algae getting in the tank of my diesel boat (and living), it can certainly consume something in there.
It will be interesting to see if the quality of the life in my tank improves siginificantly over time. Like I said, some things do look a little better already, and the coralline algae growth is a good barometer.

 

[santamonica]

You say that the scrubber should remove what needs to be removed, but what about things like mercury, heavy metals, copper etc? Why would the scrubber pull out those substances?
Because that's what algae eats, metals. How do you think they get into your tank in the first place? By feeding Nori, for one. And think about all the iron in spinach.

 

[desertdawg]

My algae scrubber.
I get about a handful of algae off of it every week, so far the water levels are staying almost perfect with just this scrubber and no other filtration or a skimmer running!!!
Front and back pics!

 

[en_pissant]

Interesting. That's a very different algae than what I am getting. I'm seeing more of a brown algae.
Levels in the tank all look good, except for I am getting kind of a detritusy type algae on the sides of my tank. Easy to scrape off with just my hand, but unsightly. It has to be cleaned off about every four or five days.

 

[desertdawg]

Mine has been running since the tank was put together, so about 5 months now, it started with some black and brown stuff but lately all I get is the bright rich green algae you see.
It's hard to tell but the whole thing is covered in the bright green algae, the light is decieving.
You will just have to learn to love cleaning the glass, it's part of the hobby!

 

[en_pissant]

Oh, I've had this tank up for about three years now, so I'm used to cleaning the sides. I've just never seen this type of stuff before setting up the scrubber. It's not hard to get off, but it's different than the standard algae.
I'm going to go against Santa Monica's advice and leave the algae on the screen a little longer. I'll monitor the levels, I just want to see if I can get some thicker growth.
Coralline algae is starting to grow pretty well, although my starburst polyps, acropora, and torch are still just not as open, bright, and green as I would like.

 

[jshepherd]

I am now on week 2 and will be cleaning the screen tomorrow for the 2nd time.
There is so much algae that it is growing off the screen and into the water. Is this algae bad to have floating around? I have never had hair algae on my rock and am afraid this will seed the rock?
YES the screen is very rough with a holesaw

 

[kraylen]

Wow you people are actually doing this crap? This had to have been the most laughed at thread on every forum I've seen it on. It's a waste of time I'm telling you.

 

[tank a holic]

funny
reading through it seems like alot of people are having success with it.....
I dont have one but ........
just sayin

 

[beaslbob]

IMHO what we have here is the rediscovery of a method that has been around for years. Once you have had tanks for more then 4-5 years you will see new methods come into fashion and then previous methods being rediscovered.
my .02

 

[kraylen]

Originally Posted by tank a holic
http:///forum/post/3187662
funny
reading through it seems like alot of people are having success with it.....
I dont have one but ........
just sayin %%
hahahah I'm not even gonna get into this thread. Just go look at nano-reef or any of the other sites where SantaMonica gets shut down by real reefers.

 

[santamonica]

Shephard the reason for a rough screen is to keep algae from letting go in a strong flow. If you see open empty spots that were not there the day before, algae is letting go... not good because it's like feeding a handful of Nori all at once. If it happens, you can reduce flow a bit, or rough the screen more, or clean more often.

 

[jshepherd]

Originally Posted by SantaMonica
http:///forum/post/3187710
Shephard the reason for a rough screen is to keep algae from letting go in a strong flow. If you see open empty spots that were not there the day before, algae is letting go... not good because it's like feeding a handful of Nori all at once. If it happens, you can reduce flow a bit, or rough the screen more, or clean more often.
I don't believe it is falling off but maybe just growing all the way at the bottom. Maybe aim the light up higher or reduce flow like you mentioned. I put filter floss in the bubble trap when pulling the screen out so the excess doesnt feed back into the tank.

 

[jshepherd]

Originally Posted by Kraylen
http:///forum/post/3187680
hahahah I'm not even gonna get into this thread. Just go look at nano-reef or any of the other sites where SantaMonica gets shut down by real reefers.
Thanks for the positive feedback. Some of us "fake" reefers will try this almost free mod and see how it works. I really didnt know that "real" reefers had every answer and were so close minded

 

[desertdawg]

Originally Posted by Kraylen
http:///forum/post/3187428
Wow you people are actually doing this crap? This had to have been the most laughed at thread on every forum I've seen it on. It's a waste of time I'm telling you.
Show us your failed attempt at an algae scrubber and maybe we'll listen to what you have to say!
Thanks for the support!

 

[ibew41]

Originally Posted by beaslbob
http:///forum/post/3187676
IMHO what we have here is the rediscovery of a method that has been around for years. Once you have had tanks for more then 4-5 years you will see new methods come into fashion and then previous methods being rediscovered.
my .02
+1 I took mine down because of mine in a cabinet under the tank created to much heat from the lamps my temps where in the mid 80's and elec usage with the floods and fans where not worth the price for me

 

[desertdawg]

I'm using floresecent bulbs and gain no heat from them, I can touch the bulb with my hand after it's been on for a couple of hours. I set mine up when the outside temps were still over 110 here and with no chiller I was seeing tank temps between 78 and 80.
I plan on adding a small fan this summer if needed to try to avoid having to use a chiller in the Arizona desert!