What does a spoon a hose and a rubber band have in common with reefing?

Have you ever used a spoon, hose and rubber band together to remove algae?

  • YES

    Votes: 31 6.7%
  • NO

    Votes: 230 49.6%
  • What the heck? (see the thread)

    Votes: 203 43.8%

  • Total voters
    464

BigSkyRich

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What does a spoon a hose and a rubber band have in common with reefing?

IT'S THE GREATEST ALGAE FIGHTING TOOL IN THE HISTORY OF ALGAE FIGHTING!

Ok maybe not but you got to admit that it's pretty ingenious! I ran across a story where a reefer was talking about this contraption he made where he would scrape algae off the rock, with a spoon, while sucking it out all at the same time. I thought it was a pretty cool idea so I made one.

**This is not for your glass but for areas of the rock where algae embeds itself**

1. What are some "outside the box" types of tools that you use to fight algae or for any other use in reefing?

2. Have you ever used a spoon, hose and rubber band to suck out algae and if not will you try it now?



sppon algae.png
Algae? What algae? :)
 

McPuff

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Replace spoon with toothbrush and replace rubber band with duct tape and I would have answered yes. The below is similar to what I called the "scrub sucker." It wasn't as useful as I would have hoped. Brush first, then siphon out seemed to work a lot better. :0)

Not a spoon but a tooth brush, I call it the brushinator!
391185FA-934E-4F6C-9834-6A6CEE8E04F0.jpeg
 

Biokabe

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Honestly, might be better with a dental pick, especially for digging in to those tight crevices in the rock. Back when I had terrible algae issues, a dental pick was far more useful in getting that nuisance algae dislodged than anything else, even my fingers.

Now that I just have bad algae issues, my tang keeps things pretty well under control. There are a couple strands poking up in odd places (usually around corals), but they haven't spread so I'm leaving them be for now.
 

Calm Blue Ocean

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At first I was "what the heck?" As discussed above, I've seen the idea of having a brush of some sort on a hose but never a spoon. But the more I think about it, it makes sense! I've brushed my rocks. The algae always comes right back. But my urchin? He goes over the same rocks and nothing grows back! He scrapes the rocks! I might just try this on a few of the stubborn areas during my next water change.
 

KorD

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1. What are some "outside the box" types of tools that you use to fight algae or for any other use in reefing?
Toothpicks and a pencil. Take the tooth picks and push through the eraser, use 3toothpicks to make a wheel like figure,
Hold pencil and twirl between fingers to snag the algae onto the toothpicks.
It's a pain, but it works.

2. Have you ever used a spoon, hose and rubber band to suck out algae and if not will you try it now?
Have in the past, will never again!
 

spectreknight

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That is neat, I use this for cleaning my rocks and other stuff I want to get into and give a good cleaning. It is just the small detail brush from a shop vac kit on a hose. I then run the hose through a filter sock and pump the water back into the tank so I can go at it for however long I need to without needing to add water. I do AWC so this is my once a quarter maintenance task.

20201022_115602.jpg
 

KWT

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I have used a tooth brush with a plastic spoon, no not the one you get in a package for take out. LoL
 

Uncle Bob

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I have also done it with a tooth brush and with a plastic scraper. Both worked fairly well as long as you don't mind putting your arm into the tank. Nice little addition if you are doing a water change anyway.
 

TN_Huskymama

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I would have never thought of hooking the brush or spoon up to a siphon hose :oops:
If only i had known this a couple months back when I had a bad algae problem!
My lawnmower blenny takes care of it all for me now. Sucker is a bit overweight too from all that good eating lol
 

Chasenm

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Tooth brushes with a tube and a bit of reeflux knocks most stuff off. Although it’s more of a bandaid over more significant nutrient issues.
 

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