Algae Scrubbers?
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Paul B
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I have been using a DIY one for about 10 years. I can't tell if it is a gimmick but I do remove a lot of seaweed from it.
iannarelli
Active Member
Is he back to taking orders?!!?!?
If nothing else my Santa Monica surf scrubbers provide a nice supply of tang food. I haven't bought nori since adding mine.
My nutrients are high but I have 24 fish included 9 tangs and I feed multiples times a day. I have never had nuisance algae in the display. I can't prove the scrubber is the reason but I'm not pulling it to find out. I run a cryptic zone so having a ATS without a lot of light spill was a requirement and the surf fit the bill. It also floats so it leaves more room for rock on the sump. I also like that its driven by an Air pump so no additional pump or plumbing is needed.
My nutrients are high but I have 24 fish included 9 tangs and I feed multiples times a day. I have never had nuisance algae in the display. I can't prove the scrubber is the reason but I'm not pulling it to find out. I run a cryptic zone so having a ATS without a lot of light spill was a requirement and the surf fit the bill. It also floats so it leaves more room for rock on the sump. I also like that its driven by an Air pump so no additional pump or plumbing is needed.
No I'm pretty much out of the hobby and business entirely at this point. Not making new units, barely able to do customer support. After the cancer, life priorities had a major shift.
BryanM
7500 Club Member
Santa Monica ATSes work quite well, and they have a lot of information on their website.
BryanM
7500 Club Member
If I hazard a guess, supply and demand and the cost of keeping a business running.
if the price is too high you can always go down the DIY road.
if the price is too high you can always go down the DIY road.
I thought the same thing when unboxed mine. Then I thought about it and decided I lack the knowledge of leds etc and skill to build one so I figured I was paying for that knowledge and skills. I made a living for 35 years getting paid for my knowledge and skills so I used that to justify it to myself.
BriansBrain
Well-Known Member
jackintheboxfish
Active Member
Yeah that’s actually what I 'm experimenting.
For my IM 25 I designed & 3D printed:
I put it in the back chamber a few days ago and waiting to see if turf algae will actually grow on it.
BryanM
7500 Club Member
with new scrubbers it can take quite some time (4-6 weeks) for it to grow.Yeah that’s actually what I 'm experimenting.
For my IM 25 I designed & 3D printed:
I put it in the back chamber a few days ago and waiting to see if turf algae will actually grow on it.
jackintheboxfish
Active Member
Yeah that's a fair point. It seems to me this hobby there are no limits in terms of DIY. But the time and effort needed to learn what to do, try things out, fail and learn, and eventually get it working sometimes makes me feel like maybe it's better to buy something that's is more guaranteed to get the job done.
That being said I feel like ATS's pricing was still a little hard to swallow... which is why I'm trying the DIY option
jackintheboxfish
Active Member
Yeah and it's not guaranteed to grow the turf algae I want. Last iterations it grew brown slime (some kind of cyano?). It was probably not enough flow and the screen wasn't getting enough light. Hopefully 3rd time's the charm
PPBlimpy
Valuable Member
I have used them and just about finished my newest one that will go on my 10G sump. picked up plumbing pieces today and printing the top tonight. I prefer a ATS over a macro algae (wannabe refugium) chamber.
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