DIY Algae Scrubber or Market ?

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

Unfortunately had to take down this beauty last year due to some unavoidable situations.

Yes ATS is good. Fuge you need to have a separate tank or space in the sump. ATS that way needs just water supply. light ofcourse applicable for both.

With fuge, my glass/sand used to be clean. Once a week cleaning. What i noticed at times is, if i delay the harvest beyond certain period my parameters used to go bit up especially po4 and sand used to start getting brownish. This could be due to top layer dying off as chaeto movement not happening once the space is full and things getting released back .

Thanks

To be quite honest I’ve been in the same spot currently. I’m 19 and as you know life is unstable around this age haha.

been thinking about giving this hobby a break but I look at my corals and fish and I just can’t let that happen as I’ve grown a love for these amazing creatures.

currently going to save up the $$ for my build and test out a diy scrubber on my holding tank. I hope I can show you guys a nice build sometime next year !

i really like the benefits a fuge brings, but I really like the ability of an algae scrubber to not be as ‘space consuming’ and bring the same benefit !

also, I’ve heard that for a fuge, you should never let the algae grow too much as it will slow down growth, not sure why but is this a correct statement?

 

[oldmonk]

Getting into this hobby at 19 on yr own is a feat in itself!!. Kudos to you. You have a long way to go buddy. And the way this hobby is developed in yr part of the world, resources , knowledge and experiences are in abundance. Make proper and informed use of all that.

IMO, cheato needs a slight tumbling in the fuge all the time , that's how it grows. So moment the space is full and we get lazy to harvest, the top layer exposed to light starts dying and releases all that it has absorbed back in the water.

Looking forward to yr build.

All i can say is 'Go Slow and be Patient'. Regarding the parameter check, 'Dose only what you can Test'.

Thanks

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

Getting into this hobby at 19 on yr own is a feat in itself!!. Kudos to you. You have a long way to go buddy. And the way this hobby is developed in yr part of the world, resources , knowledge and experiences are in abundance. Make proper and informed use of all that.

IMO, cheato needs a slight tumbling in the fuge all the time , that's how it grows. So moment the space is full and we get lazy to harvest, the top layer exposed to light starts dying and releases all that it has absorbed back in the water.

Looking forward to yr build.

All i can say is 'Go Slow and be Patient'. Regarding the parameter check, 'Dose only what you can Test'.

Thanks

Definitely! I had my nuvo running great until bryopsis took over. At the point in time I wasn’t testing for phosphates reliably as I do now. Ever since I moved my surviving corals into QT and kept my po4 >.07 and nitrates below 25 ppm (they’re still on the high end but algae scrubber should help) my corals began to look better again !

i try not to lose faith as to what I have always dreamed in this hobby. It’s hard at times but I am deciding to be patient with my hobby spendings and wait for the appropriate time to buy !

makes sense how the light could burn off the chaeto. Personally this doesn’t seem like a too common problem, however I have missed days with switching out filter floss that only takes a minute lol.

i Definitely only test what i can dose. Have never tested trace as I don’t dose specific elements , minor that is.

 

[oldmonk]

Good that you have started testing more frequently. Keep it up!!.

Rather than adding an equipment to battle No3, i would suggest find out the cause first.

Thanks.

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

Good that you have started testing more frequently. Keep it up!!.

Rather than adding an equipment to battle No3, i would suggest find out the cause first.

Thanks.

I agree ! I believe the cause are my clowns and not enough bio media. I only have a bag of matrix running in the filter. I have added more however and might add some dry rock to help with the surface area !

 

[PeterEde]

Refugium
I started one a couple months ago after struggling with high Nitrate at 40ppm -50ppm (off scale)Now down to 20ish ppm. Dosing NOPOX as well which I should stop and see how numbers go

 

[G Santana]

Nothing wrong with a DIY, a scrubber is nothing more than a screen, water source and a light source.
I have a DIY that ran me under $20 and that thing rakes algae. Why would I need to spend hundreds of bucks so it looks cool. I find that cleaning that screen every two weeks or so is rewarding on it's own

My little scrubber helper

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

Refugium
I started one a couple months ago after struggling with high Nitrate at 40ppm -50ppm (off scale)Now down to 20ish ppm. Dosing NOPOX as well which I should stop and see how numbers go

I don’t have a protein skimmer and plan on going skimmerless in this build !

i currently run a holding tank that will soon turn into a Coral QT tank to prevent mainly nuisance algae and pests from entering my tank.

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

Nothing wrong with a DIY, a scrubber is nothing more than a screen, water source and a light source.
I have a DIY that ran me under $20 and that thing rakes algae. Why would I need to spend hundreds of bucks so it looks cool. I find that cleaning that screen every two weeks or so is rewarding on it's own

My little scrubber helper

Definitely ! I believe they look nice ! But the cheapest ATS I’ve found is Ice Cap. Their cheapest runs at about $189 for a HOB style ATS that I don’t believe realistically can be efficient enough. For a cheaper price, I could buy some strong lights, plumb the ATS myself, and get the same, if not better results !

i hope to start this ATS build soon, mid June. I will plan out a sketch and let you guys see the plan.

 

[oldmonk]

I don’t have a protein skimmer and plan on going skimmerless in this build !

i currently run a holding tank that will soon turn into a Coral QT tank to prevent mainly nuisance algae and pests from entering my tank.

Apart from removing impurities, I would look at protein skimmer as a medium aiding in oxygenating water, via gas exchange.

Thanks

 

[PeterEde]

Apart from removing impurities, I would look at protein skimmer as a medium aiding in oxygenating water, via gas exchange.

Thanks

Also increases clarity of water

 

[oldmonk]

@Angel_V_the_reefer , going skimmerless would be a bit over ambitious thing. IMO

Instead you can opt for putting it on a timer if you do not want it to be running 24 x 7.

Thanks

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

@Angel_V_the_reefer , going skimmerless would be a bit over ambitious thing. IMO

Instead you can opt for putting it on a timer if you do not want it to be running 24 x 7.

Thanks

Yes this is another topic I would like to discuss. Would you opt for a skimmer rather than an ATS, or use both as compliment?

to be quite honest I never struggle with pH, as I have my tank in my room and usually like to prop the window open !

 

[oldmonk]

Ideally if you have space use both . Two are meant to compliment each other in certain situations and not as substitutes.

See if this helps


Thanks

 

[Charley75]

Nothing wrong with a DIY, a scrubber is nothing more than a screen, water source and a light source.
I have a DIY that ran me under $20 and that thing rakes algae. Why would I need to spend hundreds of bucks so it looks cool. I find that cleaning that screen every two weeks or so is rewarding on it's own

My little scrubber helper

Holy crap that’s some growth!!! How far do you have your lights mounted to the screen?

 

[G Santana]

Holy crap that’s some growth!!! How far do you have your lights mounted to the screen?

8 inches or so, but to be honest I don't get that type of growth since about the 1 year mark of my tank. Once I got my numbers of the big 3 under control I get about a quarter of that amount every two weeks where that picture was after 2 weeks but my P04 and N03 were out of control on a new tank.

 

[mikeyboy1]

I would look at your nutrient levels to begin with. Get them under control then get the fuge to keep them under control. I just went through this myself. It was all 100% my own fault. I was letting the filter socks go to point they were completely clogged up and my nitrates were almost 50 and my phosphates were over .3. My chaeto would not grow at all. I have since cut back on the amount I was feeding and changing the filter socks every other day regardless how they look. After 2 weeks and a couple large water changes my nitrates are 8.2 and phosphates are 0.04 and my chaeto went from a racket ball size piece that would tumble nicely to the size of a melon that is too large to spin! I also added a sea hare 2 days ago, he hasn’t done much as far as I can see but hopefully he will start making a dent in the hair algae soon. You can do it, just takes diligent staying on top of!

Agree 100% with your synopsis! If you don’t pay attention weeks or months it can suddenly get out of control, then your playing catch up. My 120 I have had good growth with everything especially the blue clove polyps that spread and grow on all the live rock which is good because it prevents the nuisance algae from growing.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I haven't read everyone's comments but I would not do an ATS in an AIO. Asking for a PITA. Lol.
Forgive my acronyms
D

 

[laverda]

An ATS is very inexpensive and easy to build. Here is my thread which might give you some ideas. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-anyone-can-build-an-ats-for-under-30-00.518209/
In my experience an ATS is much more effective at nutrient control than a much larger refugium is.