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Unread 05/27/2018, 01:48 PM   #10001
SantaMonica
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Answer to both... stronger scrubbing.

The pods are eating your filter, so I'd scrape weekly in freshwater. Also maximize your lighting and bubbles, and add another scrubber if possible so you can alternate cleanings.

Caulerpa cannot beat strong gha growth because the caulerpa has no turbulent air/water interface to maximize nutrient transfer. The fact you have caulerpa growing, especially with pods, says the scrubbing is weak.

Scrape the growth and pods into your garden.


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Unread 05/28/2018, 11:34 AM   #10002
Floyd R Turbo
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Over 10,000 posts in this thread! Dang, I totally wanted to be 10,000 and I missed my opportunity. I totally had it the other day too.


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Algae Scrubber Basics!!! GOOGLE "algaescrubber zoho"
General Interest Forums --> Advanced Topics --> Algae Scrubber Basics (sticky)
--> POSTS #3251-64 (Basics), #5206 (Cleaning), #6884 (LEDs), #729
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Unread 05/28/2018, 03:49 PM   #10003
aiber
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Originally Posted by Floyd R Turbo View Post
Over 10,000 posts in this thread! Dang, I totally wanted to be 10,000 and I missed my opportunity. I totally had it the other day too.
LOL. I want to thank you. You helped me so much.


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Unread 05/28/2018, 07:44 PM   #10004
LeJeune981
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Woot woot I was lucky 10,000

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Unread 06/01/2018, 10:47 AM   #10005
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Bought my own house! Finally not a renter anymore! Still have my tank, cant wait to get back into the hobby!! Hello all my friends!! Looks like everyone has been super busy! 2 Millions views, woot!! 10K posts!


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70 Gallon Oceanic | Coral Reef | Apex Controller | Algae Scrubber |Started 8/14/2010
General Interest Forums > Advanced Topics > Algae Scrubber Basics Thread
Basics Write Up - Post #1 | Quick Troubleshooting - Post #1902 | Alternate/Updated Sizing - Post #2723 | Latest Summary - Post #3251 - #3264
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Unread 06/01/2018, 07:11 PM   #10006
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Bought my own house! Finally not a renter anymore! Still have my tank, cant wait to get back into the hobby!! Hello all my friends!! Looks like everyone has been super busy! 2 Millions views, woot!! 10K posts!
Congratulations; and welcome to the world of the weekend renovator.


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Unread 06/02/2018, 04:23 AM   #10007
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Congratulations; and welcome to the world of the weekend renovator.
Thank you, too funny~! Neck deep in it, bathroom is already ripped out.


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70 Gallon Oceanic | Coral Reef | Apex Controller | Algae Scrubber |Started 8/14/2010
General Interest Forums > Advanced Topics > Algae Scrubber Basics Thread
Basics Write Up - Post #1 | Quick Troubleshooting - Post #1902 | Alternate/Updated Sizing - Post #2723 | Latest Summary - Post #3251 - #3264
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Unread 06/04/2018, 09:03 PM   #10008
SantaMonica
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Fun growth pic, to celebrate 2 mil views with a blob


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Unread 06/17/2018, 09:42 PM   #10009
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Another fun growth pic, and no this is not painted or edited. The growth on the right side is about 2" deep.


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Unread 06/26/2018, 09:18 PM   #10010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by srusso View Post
Bought my own house! Finally not a renter anymore! Still have my tank, cant wait to get back into the hobby!! Hello all my friends!! Looks like everyone has been super busy! 2 Millions views, woot!! 10K posts!
'sup Steven!!


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Algae Scrubber Basics!!! GOOGLE "algaescrubber zoho"
General Interest Forums --> Advanced Topics --> Algae Scrubber Basics (sticky)
--> POSTS #3251-64 (Basics), #5206 (Cleaning), #6884 (LEDs), #729
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Unread 07/06/2018, 03:20 PM   #10011
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I try to clean my scrubber on the 15th and 1st. Ran a few days behind but here is the work is putting in!



Corey


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Unread 07/06/2018, 08:25 PM   #10012
Scrubber_steve
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Originally Posted by biecacka View Post
I try to clean my scrubber on the 15th and 1st. Ran a few days behind but here is the work is putting in!



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Excellent, nice & green & thick


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Unread 07/22/2018, 12:48 PM   #10013
SantaMonica
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Fun growth pic, small batch.


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http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843
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Unread 07/27/2018, 06:46 PM   #10014
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Oh man. Tangs would love that!!


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Unread 07/28/2018, 01:28 PM   #10015
hkgar
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HI all

Sorry to do this and not search, but I have had to replace ny ATS screen. After many years of surface it just began falling apart.

The screen is 9x9.5 inches and flow about 330 gph. The lights are deep red LEDs 21 each side and 3 watts each.

How many hours of light is recommended to get a new screen off to a good start. I am think 18 hrs?


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels
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Unread 07/28/2018, 06:37 PM   #10016
LeJeune981
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Fun growth pic.. some type of cheato formed on my screen.. looks like cheato.. but super thin...got about 5 lbs of it off the screen the other day!!!!

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Unread 07/28/2018, 09:26 PM   #10017
SantaMonica
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Quote:
looks like cheato.. but super thin
Cladophora ("angel hair")

Quote:
How many hours of light is recommended to get a new screen off
More important is the strength. If you have highly-reflective white surfaces, you want very reduced strength until the screen fills in.


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http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843
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Unread 07/29/2018, 06:54 AM   #10018
Fishbulb2
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Hi everyone,

I need a little help getting my scrubber going. It's a SM Drop 1.4x. I got it last Christmas, but it's just never taken off. It get's a thin film of a slimy jelly-like algae, but never anything that looks green. Right now the light is on from 6am to 9pm. It is on a 75g tank that I feed with 1 -2 cubes a day of frozen food. The tank has a very heavy bubble algae infestation and some hair algae. Not sure why this tank has given me so much trouble.

I used a pretty weak air pump when I set up the scrubber because noise is a big concern (with the wife). I'm looking to try the Fusion 700 pump but I'm wondering if people think it will solve my problem or if they can recommend a quieter pump. Thank guys.

FB


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Unread 07/30/2018, 02:26 PM   #10019
SantaMonica
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With all the nuisance algae, the nutrients in the water will be low. So you'll need the low power (2 LEDs) to start, and, with the black shade screen in place.

Once the white surfaces are covered with brown or green, then the reflection of the light will be less, and you can remove the black screen. Then after growth gets thicker, you can plug in the high power.


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Unread 07/30/2018, 08:13 PM   #10020
Floyd R Turbo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hkgar View Post
HI all

Sorry to do this and not search, but I have had to replace ny ATS screen. After many years of surface it just began falling apart.

The screen is 9x9.5 inches and flow about 330 gph. The lights are deep red LEDs 21 each side and 3 watts each.

How many hours of light is recommended to get a new screen off to a good start. I am think 18 hrs?
With that many LEDs and a fresh screen, I would recommend that you start off with half-power for 9 hrs/day. I'm assuming that you have your LEDs about 2" or so from the screen, but with 21 per side, that's a pretty decent sized array. If you don't have the ability to dim them, use a diffuser. If you don't have that ability, then I would cycle them on/off throughout the day; something like 1 hr on, 1 hr off, for a sum total of 9 hrs/day photoperiod.

As you start to get growth kicking in, you can add hours. The rate at which you do so is largely dependent on how much growth you get and how well it attaches. For your first few harvests, keep it minimal. You won't be scraping the screen for months, just rub/rinse and maybe pick away at growth to thin it out, but you want to leave a lot behind each time.

If you get slime, which is typical for a new screen over the first few weeks, just rinse that off after swiping with the palm of your hand. You can do this several times a week if needed, the slime tends to inhibit GHA attachment early on so that's good to keep an eye on.

Also you might consider adding a mortar coating like this

https://youtu.be/gxlWkBf_oUA




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Algae Scrubber Basics!!! GOOGLE "algaescrubber zoho"
General Interest Forums --> Advanced Topics --> Algae Scrubber Basics (sticky)
--> POSTS #3251-64 (Basics), #5206 (Cleaning), #6884 (LEDs), #729
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Unread 07/31/2018, 11:40 AM   #10021
hkgar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Floyd R Turbo View Post
With that many LEDs and a fresh screen, I would recommend that you start off with half-power for 9 hrs/day. I'm assuming that you have your LEDs about 2" or so from the screen, but with 21 per side, that's a pretty decent sized array. If you don't have the ability to dim them, use a diffuser. If you don't have that ability, then I would cycle them on/off throughout the day; something like 1 hr on, 1 hr off, for a sum total of 9 hrs/day photoperiod.

As you start to get growth kicking in, you can add hours. The rate at which you do so is largely dependent on how much growth you get and how well it attaches. For your first few harvests, keep it minimal. You won't be scraping the screen for months, just rub/rinse and maybe pick away at growth to thin it out, but you want to leave a lot behind each time.

If you get slime, which is typical for a new screen over the first few weeks, just rinse that off after swiping with the palm of your hand. You can do this several times a week if needed, the slime tends to inhibit GHA attachment early on so that's good to keep an eye on.

Also you might consider adding a mortar coating like this

https://youtu.be/gxlWkBf_oUA

Thank you

I am using 3 pairs 7 LED strips from Steves LED's and using a basic driver (1 for each pair of strips) and cannot control the intensity. What would you suggest as a diffuser? I have changed the cycle to 60 on and 100 off.
I will check Steve's for a controllable driver.


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180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx

Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

Last edited by hkgar; 07/31/2018 at 12:09 PM.
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Unread 07/31/2018, 07:44 PM   #10022
Fishbulb2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SantaMonica View Post
With all the nuisance algae, the nutrients in the water will be low. So you'll need the low power (2 LEDs) to start, and, with the black shade screen in place.

Once the white surfaces are covered with brown or green, then the reflection of the light will be less, and you can remove the black screen. Then after growth gets thicker, you can plug in the high power.
Thanks Santa Monica. I try that for sure. But so you don't think it's time to up the air pump quite yet?

FB


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Unread 08/01/2018, 05:11 AM   #10023
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It is good idea to use a wooden airstone (micro bubbles), or better to use a normal airstone with bigger bubbles?

Thanks


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Unread 08/01/2018, 05:57 AM   #10024
homer1475
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I don't use an upflow scrubber but have read quite a bit about them. I would think larger bubbles would be better. Most designs for an up flow just punch holes in regular airline tubing to feed the scrubber.


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Unread 08/01/2018, 07:36 AM   #10025
MuscleFish
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I don't use an upflow scrubber but have read quite a bit about them. I would think larger bubbles would be better. Most designs for an up flow just punch holes in regular airline tubing to feed the scrubber.
I did that and all air out from the first hole


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