Algae Scrubber Questions?!?!?!?!?

[bluedevils38]

okay so i just built a ATS to help with my algae and i read somewhere that you need a pump around 35gph for every inch of screen width. i have a 12 inch screen so i got a 420 gallon pump. i hooked it all up and i just think that the flow is to much i dont know it it is or not! i have the pump turned all the way down now so if its to much ill just get a ball valve or something but any suggestions will help please and thankyou! and i will post a link here to youtube to a video im uploading to see the water flow! you may not be able to see it the best but you can somewhat see it. i just think the flow is too much for the algae to grow but who knows ive been wrong before! thanks in advance.

 

[bluedevils38]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQi7ukEZHu0

heres the link to the video thanks guys

 

[bluedevils38]

anyone?

 

[el_ote]

I haven't successfully built one, yet, but in my readings ive picked up that too little flow is a problem. I would dial it down until there is a "good" flow over the screen and try it there. id look up on YouTube to see sone running ones.

 

[bluedevils38]

Ok yeah sounds good! Anyone else wanna chime in

 

[tigerdragon]

Been looking at building my own to. Havent fig it all out yet

 

[bluedevils38]

I just hooked mine up last night and I already see where algae has started to attach to the screen! And that's without the led grow bulbs that are in the mail here

 

[tigerdragon]

Was reading one article says flow should be 35gph per inch of slot.http://www.aquariumdomain.com/viewArticle.php?article_id=19

 

[tigerdragon]

Check this article out

 

[bluedevils38]

I know I read that too I have 420 gph pump for a 12 inch screen. It just seems way to much

 

[reefer54]

that's 35 gph per square inch. so, if your screen is 12 x 12 that's 144 square inchs divided by 420 . your screen looks bigger than that on your youtube video. do yourself a favor, let that screen go a month before doing any cleaning.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

okay so i just built a ATS to help with my algae and i read somewhere that you need a pump around 35gph for every inch of screen width. i have a 12 inch screen so i got a 420 gallon pump. i hooked it all up and i just think that the flow is to much i dont know it it is or not! i have the pump turned all the way down now so if its to much ill just get a ball valve or something but any suggestions will help please and thankyou! and i will post a link here to youtube to a video im uploading to see the water flow! you may not be able to see it the best but you can somewhat see it. i just think the flow is too much for the algae to grow but who knows ive been wrong before! thanks in advance.

You have the flow rate calculation correct, but you need 35GPH per inch of width actual flow, not pump rating flow. Figure your vertical rise (from top of water to centerline of pipe, in your case, probably about 12") and then add 24" loss for the slot pipe, and find the point on your pump's head loss chart that corresponds with that, and you will have a rough approximation of your actual flow.

Pump brand can make a huge difference here. A maxi-jet will have horrible head loss properties, especially after you get growth. So will a small eheim pump. Rio pumps and magdrive pumps fare much better. For a 12" wide screen and 12" of vertical head, I would use a Rio 1700 or equivalent at a minimum.

I know I read that too I have 420 gph pump for a 12 inch screen. It just seems way to much

It might seem like too much at first, but once you get growth you need to keep it covered with flow or else you can get air exposure, which could make it stink.

that's 35 gph per square inch. so, if your screen is 12 x 12 that's 144 square inchs divided by 420 . your screen looks bigger than that on your youtube video. do yourself a favor, let that screen go a month before doing any cleaning.

That is not correct. There is no flow relationship with area, is it related strictly to the width of the screen. You can get away with lower flow rates, say 20 or 25 GPH/in, and higher flow rates, up to 50 GPH/in or more.

I started this thread a while back and it might answer a lot of questions

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/do-yourself-diy/63113-algae-scrubber-basics.html

 

[SantaMonica]

Here are some updated guidelines which might help...
New sizing guidelines

 

[Fieryfrog]

I have been thinking about doing a scrubber. But I have a completely stupid question. I know my tanks love to pick at the rocks and eat algae. Will over cleaning the algae be an issue. I am doing Nori every couple days besides two time a day feeding.

 

[SantaMonica]

Well the first thing to consider is if you would want to feed the tangs from your scrubber

My SURF4 floats on the "display", and when it's full the algae flows out the bottom holes and the big hippo chases everyone away so he can eat it all. Basically any scrubber in the display will feed the tangs once it's full.

 

[rocknut]

After doing some reading about these, I have a few questions for you: I have a 150 gallon display tank, that has been running for one year, and I am currently using EcoBAK biopellets, and a fairly large skimmer as my main means of nutrient export. For the past three months I have been battling Dinoflagellates (I believe, could possibly be Cyano, but I think it is most likely that they are dinos). Anyway, because of the way I designed my system, and specifically my sump, I don't have room to run a macro algae refugium that might help to outcompete the dinoflagellates in my tank. I'm wondering if using one of these algae scrubbers, in addition to the export that I already have might help push these dinoflagellates out? Assuming that eventually these dinos DO in fact go away (doesn't seem certain right now), I would eventually like to bump up the nutrient import into my tank, which is primarily SPS, to better feed the tank as a whole. Would my assumption that I could continue to run the algae scrubber along side my skimmer and biopellets be correct? Worst case I wouldn't have enough nutrients left to grow in the scrubber? Thanks - Rocky.

 

[rocknut]

Sorry, thought I was on a sponsor forum when I posted above. However, I guess the question really applies to all ATS systems?

 

[SantaMonica]

The new size guidelines here should help:

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/do...updated-algae-scrubber-sizing-guidelines.html

Dino's are the easiest and first to go. After them will go gha, and then (if your scrubber is strong enough) cyano and bubble algae.