Algae scrubber when space is limited

[jattinella]

My under-cabinet space was limited and didn't have room for an algae scrubber situated above my sump. I made a scrubber that mounts in the pump and uses an air pump to carry water across it. It has been working well. I 3D printed the enclosure, used some strong magnets to hold it to the sump glass, some silicone air tubing, and plastic mesh to hold the growing algae. This takes up minimal space in my sump and is easy to clean. I do have a spash guard on top of the sump in that area since there is some salt creep due to the air bubbles breaking the surface of the sump water.

 

[Fish Fan]

Nice build!

 

[SantaMonica]

Good DIY. The purpose of the bubbles is not really to move water though, it's to give a turbulent air/water interface on the screen. You can test this by using a water pump instead of bubbles, and the growth will be very slow.

 

[jattinella]

Good DIY. The purpose of the bubbles is not really to move water though, it's to give a turbulent air/water interface on the screen. You can test this by using a water pump instead of bubbles, and the growth will be very slow.

Thanks for the additional info. I will not bother testing it; I will take you word for it. :)