Quote:
Originally Posted by vikinglord13
Is it possible to "farm" a scrubber by putting algae onto it? What I mean is, rather than hoping a good photoperiod strategy will initiate algae growth, is it possible to just put a few strands of algae on the screen and allow them to take off?
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That is exactly what is recommended according to what I have read (Priming the screen). What I did to get my scrubber startred..
Otherwise you just have to wait longer for floating aglae to attach to rough screen. You can actually choose the type of Algae that will grow on your screen. Some are better than others. Hair Algae grows faster, but it's messier to clean. Success varies with the scrubber design. My algae eventually was Thicker Macro, and I loved how easy it was to peel off the screen. (Macro worked in my Upflow scrubber, not sure if it's as good in a suspended Water Fall screen)
As I mention above, my scrubber shut down not too long ago. I wish I kept some of the previous Algae harvests in the refuge or sump so I could use a bit to restart the screens, by making a paste and painting it on screen to prime it.
The photo period is still probably important, to get the primed screen going.