My Algae Scrubber Experience

[pterfloth]

Originally Posted by lastlight

I'm sure many are skeptical due to how 'santamonica' force-fed this to the web on 80 different forums and his subsequent banning on some of them. I'll admit I am still intrigued. I run gfo and could make it last longer with one of these in operation. I recently added chaeto to my sump but my instincts tell me this will grow algae faster. Unlike bio pellets there's no way this can be limited or messed up by running the gfo... it can only allow the media to last me longer.

I'm curious which algaes in general remove more nutrients by mass.

Any shots of the components apart?

I remember the 'santamonica' banning etc as well. The reason I chose to go with the scrubber vs chaeto was the space I had available. I couldn't figure out how to incorporate a chaeto fuge.

I don't have any pictures of components apart. My acrylic box is 24" long, 12" high and 3" wide. I cut two 1" bulkhead drain holes in the bottom and a semi-circle groove in each end to support the supply tube. The lights are 4-24" dual T8 fixtures from Home Depot.

[kole]

I have been running a scrubber for month now and it works really well. My phosphate and nitrate are at 0 consistently for the first time in 6 years. My fish and corals like the extra food they are getting as well.So easy to build and effective.

[Money pit]

Ive run a scrubber since spring, or may be early summer. I have the top of my mesh up inside the slotted pipe and attached with fishing line. To clean it I just remove the pipe with the mesh still attached. We all know how fast GHA can grow, but its amazing how much you can grow in 2 weeks on one of these things. I also run carbon and rowa with no problems. I do get alot of particulate in my water. The waters clear , but always with little bits of stuff floating around. Ive been running skimmer less since I set this up, but lately Ive been thinking of adding a skimmer to remove this stuff. I know alot of it can be eaten by the corals , plus my euro reef bit the dust, so I would have to by a new pump, or a new skimmer. I'm kind of on the fence here, but I wouldn't mind seeing how both together would work.