Algae Turf Scrubbers
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1fishkeeper
Active Member
I just picked up the parts to build mine this weekend. I cant wait to see what it does.
OP
OP
did you get a chance to build your scrubber yet. Things have been hectic around here and it is on my to-do list
bob
Hey that's me! I wonder how many other sites that summary thread got ported over to. Found this site and I'm here for anyone who has any questions on how to DIY an Algae Scrubber.
I saw this thread is pretty new so just a few comments
I never heard anything about the plastic screen leeching into the tank in the big scrubber in Australia. If memory serves me correctly (could be wrong - let me know) that one was designed by Adey and they never added calcium so after several years it was fully depleted out and someone pointed the finger at the scrubber with no proof so they replaced it. Duh.
If it wasn't that, could have been inferior material that was affected by long-term water exposure and it deteriorated. Honestly I don't know, I'd have to read something on it.
As for the glass screen, never seen that done before. I have a hard time envisioning how you would ever be able to get glass rough enough to hold onto the algae. I suppose that once a layer builds up it would hold, but how do you clean it without pulling off layers of algae?
Weekly cleanings are a must, with the exception of a high-nutrient system producing black slime, which must be cleaned off every 3 days until brown and/or green starts growing. The black blocks the light and the brown/green will never grab a hold
Feel free to ask any questions!
xxbrianxx
Active Member
I'm making plans for an ats, but I won't have enough vertical space. So if I want 100 sq. in. total lit from both sides...would just placing two 5 x 10's lit from both sides be the same thing as a single 10 x 10? Technically the water only runs through half as much algae, but I'm not really sure if that makes too big of a difference. any thoughts?
Nate82
Paitence Sucks...
You could have a glass blower put frit all over it.. It feels just like sand paper. I'm not sure where one would find a glass screen though..
The general rule of thumb for a 100 gallon system is 100 square inches lit from both sides. So if you're doing 2 separate screens each lit from both sides that would be the same as one twice as big also lit from both sides. Is that what you meant?
The reason the roughed-up plastic canvas works is that it is prickly and gives the algae a lot of area to start growing on when initially starting a screen. These prickly shards of plastic easily will hold long strands of algae from day one and give great support to the mat that eventually grows, especially if you are running an enclosed box that promotes 3D growth. The holes in the canvas eventually fill in with algae that doesn't get removed when you clean it so you always have a good strong base from which the algae can start growing after a cleaning. It also allows good flow through the screen from one side to the other so that the base of the algae mat will stay attached.
The way I see it, a glass screen, no matter how rough you make it, will still be relatively smooth on a microscopic level. When you clean it, you basically end up peeling off a majority of the algae and the screen will have a longer lag time for filtering to ramp up between cleaning. If you go longer between cleanings to get thicker algae growth and better filtration, the risk of detachment increases, and when you get detachment, you will get large sections peeling away and potentially clogging drains or getting into the return pump, neither of which you want.
The roughed-up plastic canvas as stood the test of time and it by far the best and least expensive option IMO. I don't see any added benefit to a glass screen.
Updated ATS
I posted this over in the DIY thread before I realized this was the more active thread, so I am moving it over here.
I saw several areas that I could improve on my first ATS, so I re-built it last week. Here are some shots showing a much neater package with the spray bar and the union connection contained inside the tub. I drilled ten 1" holes in the lid to let the heat escape. The lid keeps the noise down from the water running down the screen.
I put in a picture of my hand with this week's crop of algae . The re-designed unit with the lights closer to the screen seem to really step up the production. I found a 3" wide plastic putty knife with a sharp edge just peels the algae off the screen with little effort. I had a serious HA problem in all three tanks attached to a common 75 gal sump. About a month after installing the ATS I have seen a gradual decline where today I do not have any noticeable HA in any of the three display tanks.
One other side benefit is these ATS are a pod producing machine. When I tore down the old unit, the bottom of the tub was covered in pods. I did some research and found the algae provides a great enviornment for the pods and they multiple like crazy. My wrasse's and mandrin will appreciate the meal.
I posted this over in the DIY thread before I realized this was the more active thread, so I am moving it over here.
I saw several areas that I could improve on my first ATS, so I re-built it last week. Here are some shots showing a much neater package with the spray bar and the union connection contained inside the tub. I drilled ten 1" holes in the lid to let the heat escape. The lid keeps the noise down from the water running down the screen.
I put in a picture of my hand with this week's crop of algae . The re-designed unit with the lights closer to the screen seem to really step up the production. I found a 3" wide plastic putty knife with a sharp edge just peels the algae off the screen with little effort. I had a serious HA problem in all three tanks attached to a common 75 gal sump. About a month after installing the ATS I have seen a gradual decline where today I do not have any noticeable HA in any of the three display tanks.
One other side benefit is these ATS are a pod producing machine. When I tore down the old unit, the bottom of the tub was covered in pods. I did some research and found the algae provides a great enviornment for the pods and they multiple like crazy. My wrasse's and mandrin will appreciate the meal.
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xxbrianxx
Active Member
Well yea but if you think about it, with a 5 x 10, each ....particle of water for lack of a better term only travels through 5" of algae while on a 10 x 10 that same particle would travel through 10" of algae, doubling the filtration..theoretically. Or am I wrong?
If this is true though, then a 5 x 10 would not be the same as a 10 x 5.
edit: nvm I just realized the increased flow reqs for a longer shorter screens corrects that.
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It doesn't matter how you orient the screen. The water will require several passes to have nutrients removed regardless. The width dimension of the screen is driven by the flow available, 35 GPH/in of screen width. To take it to an extreme, if you built a scrubber 3" wide and 20" tall, the water would come out cleaner than if you built one that was 20" wide and 3" tall. However, you can only pass 75 GPH through a 3" wide screen and 700 GPH through a 20" screen. It really makes no difference.
That's not the maximum, but that's the ideal flow rate to shoot for. I've read people going as high as 70 GPH/in and that's fine, you just have to widen your slot to get that high of flow. However most people are flow-limited (but don't know it) due to the inherent nature of reef-ready tanks. Most pumps require larger than 3/4" piping for ideal flow. Danner Mag Drive is one example, they suggest 1.5" ID for 9.5, 12, and 18, yet the RR bulkheads are 1" drain and 3/4" return hmmmm. So usually the issue is not enough flow. Also the amount of filtration power is not necessarily directly proportional to the flow rate. Doubling the flow will not necessarily double the filtering power. You can only grow so much algae on a given area of screen which is provided with a given amount of light; those are the primary design factors. Excess flow is a great bonus, but not required for adequate filtration. That's probably more than you were asking for but I just spent 5 hours on 3-story roofs so I'm in a mood to ramble.
xxbrianxx
Active Member
lol well always in the mood to learn, I'm actually reading through some pretty extensive threads on the algae scrubber site. I was thinking is it possible to use phytoplankton for an algae scrubber instead? It's probably a stupid idea but it just popped into my head :xd:
I don't think so
srusso
Active Member
Anything is possible, however things like... How do you harvest it without removing water? How do you get it to stay in the growing location? How effective is it compared to hair algae, etc... It seem like a reasonable question but the more research you do, the more you will understand the requirements of algae scrubbers and how plankton doesn't fit the bill...
IIRC they grow in open water, not on a screen. That is why you hear people talking about growing a 'culture', and IIRC this is what Green Water is (dead phytoplankton)
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