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Unread 07/05/2008, 11:21 AM   #7
bergzy
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: OC CA USA
Posts: 5,299
hello and thanks for the pm to take a look at your turf scrubber...

when i first started reefing in the early 90's, there was no such thing as a refugium (to my knowledge anyway). there was a constant struggle with nitrate build up and the only solution was water changes (which, imo, should still be done on a regular basis to this day).

along comes loveland and adey and show that a system could be kept in balance with growing turf algae with an alternating wet and dry current.all the maintenance that was required was the harvest of the turf algae.

sounds great and yes, it does work...but as you have already noted, that you would expect a tint to the water where you would need to use carbon. i am trying to recall this from almost 20 years without the luxury of having loveland and adey's literature in front of me...so if i am wrong in certain areas...please forgive me.

if you are truly gung ho on wanting to use a turf scrubber, if you will allow me to...i will point out the things that could be changed for it to function more effectively and efficiently.

the vertical screen: try...really try and get 'some' angle to it. i know what you are wanting to do (turf algae on both sides) but the large issue you may have is inconsistent water flow down the screen. this 'may' cause dead spots, bald spots etc on the screen as flow patterns change with turf algae growth.

if you really want to grow turf algae on both sides of the vertical screen, then:

you may have a hard time with one spray bar spraying on two sides of the screen. the angles of the holes need to pointing directly to the screen. perhaps i can suggest two spray bars as opposed to one. each spray bar spraying on the side of the screen it is suppose to. you can still use one pump but make sure that when you split the water flow for the two spraybars that you are able to regulate the flow of each spraybar (each with a ball valve or something) to achieve optimal even flow.

make sure that your container is wide enough so that you can easily and regularly clean the acrylic for optimal light transmission.

overall, i dont see why the design shouldnt work as a turf scrubber. you can get turf algae seed from:
http://www.inlandaquatics.com/prod/tr_algae.html

NOW!!!

let's fast forward to 2008...

i will say that i have never used a turf scrubber. i love the concept and i love that mother nature does so much of the nutrient removal...

BUT!!!

there are presently, again imo and experience, better alternatives that are less maintenance intensive now.

while i have no idea how fast turf algae grows, from what i have read, it grows pretty quick for rapid nutrient reduction. this is great because i 'think' loveland and adey didnt use a protein skimmer and said that with the turf scrubber a skimmer would not be needed anymore. now, back to the early 90's...skimmers of that day were horrible in what they could remove. most of us were still using finicky counter current air driven skimmers. the wealthier reefers were able to purchase 'venturi skimmers' (i wasnt one of them). most of us did not have the space nor a properly designed air driven skimmers of today for them to be effective. thus, loveland and adey's use of a turf scrubber was considered a revolutionary thought.

i am not saying that i am a genius by far...but at the time, there was no such word as a refugium. a remote container to grow algae? what? so, i introduced intentionally, caulerpa (not banned at the time) into my display tank for it to grow and soak up nutrients. results were great (water clarity, etc). i did not know of anyone doing this but again, never thought anything of it as special.

i would never ever do that to this day. most species of caulerpa are banned here in southern california (but i didnt live in SoCal the time anyway) and most caulerpa is aggressive, invasive and can choke a display with rampant growth in no time.

thus, to my next point. turf algae grows ON a screen. it is kind of a slimy goo when exposed in the air. what i wouldnt want to do is to remove that icky screen and scrape that algae off as maintenance. call me sissy'ish but i think i deal with enough icky goo from skimmers already.

thus, there have been much easier to handle macro algaes since the notion of turf scrubbers have erupted onto the reef scene.

my favorite is chaetomorpha. the benefits are decent rapid growth for nutrient reduction, easily harvested due to non hold fast development into rocks etc, non invasive to the display and i havent heard of it going sexual and releasing gametes into the water...thus possibly nuking your entire system.

as you have mentioned that the compact size of your scrubber is a bonus...refugiums for macro growth can be very small (imo and experience) also. my 180g with a 100g sump and 65 cryptic zone utilizes a 5g refugium in the form of a white hdpe bucket...that's it. that's all i need for a 250g NET volume sps system.

what is different about my 5g bucket refugium is that it receives a 120x per hour turnover. rapid flow, lots of light directed into the bucket (over the chaeto) for incredible growth and nutrient reduction. couple a rapid growth mechanism with an effective skimmer....and you have the makings of a great nutrient export system.

i have stopped my skimmer on my 110g mixed reef. in it i have 5 clams to rapidly use ammonia in which the nitrite is quickly broken down to nitrate via my live rock. in the sump, i have a 2g bucket fuge receiving 150x turnover per hour with incredible chaeto growth. there is no sps in the 110g. just some softies, clams, anemones and lps (acans, scolys and frogspawn). tank heath is amazing and growth is fantastic. i just add cacl and buffer...that's about it.

turf algae scrubbers never took off (maybe) for a couple of reasons...one was loveland and adey patented the concept or design...thus whatever turf scrubber was out there...was very expensive. second, even as you have found out how inventive and diy reefers are...turf scrubbers never really became popular. reasons? i dont know...but i never used one for the reasons i listed above. the eco-wheel has been around for some time. it uses the turf scrubber concept and i know of only one reefer on rc that has used it.

http://www.aquaticengineers.com/index.htm



personally, i think the appearance of the health of the display tank...looks terrible...and this is what they put on their website to show off the results of what their eco-wheel does.

i am by no means saying that you should not set up your turf algae. on the contrary, i would actually be interested in seeing how it would work.

hth's a little.


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Current Tank Info: 180g sps, 90g cube clam biotope.
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