Waterfall algae scrubber pictures

[SantaMonica]

Customer's RAIN2 waterfall algae scrubber (patent 10,655,095) in saltwater shows "growth ring" which looks like a donut. Growth rings require strong lights, like our GEM5 lights, and allow thick deep growth with less detachment in the middle:

Growth Rings

Growth Rings The usefulness of "growth rings" (which are sometimes called bald spots) was not fully understood until recently, and in the past were avoided. But it turns out they can be a beneficial tool especially for waterfall scrubbers. Growth rings have algae growth on the outside of...

algaescrubber.net

 

[plexx]

I just started using their 1.4x drop in and it works great. Dropped my phosphates and nitrates quickly once the algae started growing. Great company and great proven products.

 

[SantaMonica]

Example of good amount of water flow coming off the Green Grabber® screen on a RAIN2 scrubber® waterfall. Flow this strong is not essential, but you do want the water flowing off of the whole screen from end to end.

 

[SantaMonica]

New photo of the RAIN4 (tm). Inside the black dome lid are 6 of our GEM5® waterproof submersible lights.
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[SantaMonica]

Another new photo of the RAIN4 in position on the adjustable pole mount. Water is fed into the gray 3/4 inch hose barb at the bottom, or, the barb can be removed and a 3/4 inch hard pipe used instead. Also included is a 3/4 to 1 inch adapter for 1 inch hard pipe.

 

[SantaMonica]

Here is a look inside the RAIN4 dome lid, with all 6 of the GEM5® lights plugged in. The photo had to be dimmed (edited) because the lights are blinding bright 660nm deep reds, and put out 5 watts each (30 watts total), which is almost all illumination because the power supply boxes are safely a far distance away (see www.LEDsafety.org) and do not add any extra heat at all to the scrubber.

Other people's lights, such as the common bolt-on ones from China, have the power supply inside the light, and this makes the lights 60 or 80 watts of heat each, but this is just power supply heat and not illumination, and so the scrubber gets very hot (120 to 300 watts of heat) which makes your sump area a warm swamp.

When a RAIN2 or RAIN4 is new, you only plug in 1 light because they are so bright...

 

[SantaMonica]

Dark growth like this means it could be cleaned sooner, and, the lights can be kept on for more hours each day.

Nice flow of water across the bottom of the screen:





The RAIN2 is available here:

RAIN2 Pole Mountable Waterfall Algae Scrubber ATS with Green Grabber screen - 2 cubes a day feeding

www.Santa-Monica.cc

Algae scrubbers, otherwise known as "chaeto killers" because of the high filtering capacity compared to chaeto reactors, have the fastest and strongest rate of removal of nutrients from aquarium water of any type of natural algal filtration. All natural reefs, lakes and rivers are naturally filtered by algae.

The RAIN2 is the smaller RAIN, available with 1, 2 or 4 of our GEM5 (tm) lights.

The RAIN (tm) waterfall algae scrubber is the first new design from anyone anywhere since we introduced the first waterfall design in the year 2008. Back then it was simply designed to fit under the tank that we had at the time. It took a lot of time to remove and clean, and had other issues, but it was not for sale so it did not matter.

Since then all waterfall designs for sale by anyone have copied that design. That original design was ok at the time (you can find it posted on forums by searching "waterfall turf algae filter cheap and easy to build santamonica forum"

Well, now it is 2020 and almost all the shortcomings of that original waterfall design have been overcome with our new patented (10,655,095) RAIN designs. From the Green Grabber® 3D printed screen, to the underwater submersible and safe low-voltage (but high wattage) UL listed GEM5® lights, to the pole mount super low space requirement mounting system, we really hope you like the RAIN2.

Some RAIN videos:

RAIN one-handed screen removal and replacement (47 seconds)


RAIN2 with one GEM5 light, first scraping:


RAIN tray:


RAIN2 water pipe and screen:


RAIN2 dome lid cover and lights:


RAIN2 mounting:


RAIN2 unboxing:


RAIN2 first view:




Other videos of interest:

SURF8 harvest with one strong light, and one regular light:


SURF8 light-comparison harvesting test:


SURF8 Unboxing and Installation:


SURF8 overview:


SURF8 sound, and stability:


SURF4 first 17 days of growth:
http://youtu.be/sFtQXIlM8h8

SURF4 overview:
http://youtu.be/fLTtOQUzmxY

SURF2 many harvests:
http://youtu.be/miWb4R8ajXw

DROP1.4 installed on a saltwater pond:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGxK28lUq4I

HOG1.3 from New to Green, in 3 Cleanings:
http://youtu.be/utu2SADmj2g

HOG1.3 unboxing and installation:
http://youtu.be/IWX6UGmSyV0

SURF2
http://youtu.be/LlL1xvll1r0

HOG1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8ed-RD8S6U

HOG.5:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o14culabk7k


More info, instructions, and purchases are available at:
www.Santa-Monica.cc

 

[SantaMonica]

Customer's RAIN2 (tm) scrubber with the LED dome lid taken off, and installed at the sump waterline of a saltwater tank. This installation is dead silent since the water has zero drop out of the drain, and it leaves lots of room above it. Can't tell how it's mounted, but looks like it might be on the optional pole mount, and some rocks are set on the white pole mount bottom plate.

Nice flow of water across the bottom of the screen; maybe too much flow, since you can see some spraying out of the red cap (and this is right after a cleaning, where the slot should have the easiest flow). Water cannot hurt the GEM5® lights, however.

 

[AviR]

What’s your cheapest scrubber? I have a 29g with a skimmer, and filter sock. (The filter sock isn’t in yet as the Fiji cube aio drop in kit I ordered is arriving soon.) I just want something to clear up algae and keep phosphates to a minimum.

 

[SantaMonica]

Cheapest would be a DROP.6x in a compartment, or a HOG.5 on the compartment glass.

 

[SantaMonica]

RAIN2 next to a SURF4

 

[SantaMonica]

Ring!

Growth Rings

Growth Rings The usefulness of "growth rings" (which are sometimes called bald spots) was not fully understood until recently, and in the past were avoided. But it turns out they can be a beneficial tool especially for waterfall scrubbers. Growth rings have algae growth on the outside of...

algaescrubber.net

 

[SantaMonica]

Customer's RAIN4 waterfall scrubber, set way down in a saltwater sump, almost touching the waterline. Since the six GEM5 lights inside the dome lid can operate submerged, any water spray or water level increases (like turning the return pump off), no harm is done to the lights. And if the RAIN tray touches the waterline, it is dead silent with no water drain sound at all.

 

[SantaMonica]

RAIN4 in sump of 20000 Leagues Under The Sea Tank

 

[SantaMonica]

This customer mounted his RAIN2 (tm) scrubber on a 1" grey pvc pipe on the right side, into which he added a 1" bulkhead to attach to the RAIN2 drain. The bottom of the grey pipe has holes for water to go out. You can't see what is holding the pipe up, but it is probably an end cap cemented to a plate.

The RAIN2 is fed water by flexible tubing attached to some pvc fittings, which feed into the 1" black waterfall pipe which you can't see inside the dome lid.

 

[SantaMonica]

Green Grabber® screen removed from a RAIN2 waterfall algae scrubber in saltwater. It takes about 3 seconds to pull the red cap off and slide the screen out (once the dome lid is removed)..

 

[SantaMonica]

 

[SantaMonica]

Nice clean installation in a new sump

 

[SantaMonica]

One-handed removal of a Green-Grabber® screen from the RAIN2 and RAIN4 (tm) scrubber.