Lowest Cost And Easiest Way To Eliminate Green Hair, Bubble, Turf And Slime Algae From Your Aquarium (Hopefully Permanently).

[Alexpsycho]

Νομίζω οτι θα δικαιωθείς...κάνει θαύματα αυτό...αρχίζουν να πετάνε και τα σκίμμερ στην άρκη..

[FotisGt]

Πριν λίγο καιρό έκανα ένα πείραμα. Σε εξωτερικό φίλτρο (Hydor prime 20 με διάφανο - φιμέ κάδο ) έβαλα λίγη chaeto και το τύλιξα με μια ταινία led 14Watt.

Το άνοιξα πριν λίγες ημέρες για καθαρισμό. H chaeto δεν πήγε καλά.Το καλάθι υλικών έκοβε πολύ το φωτισμό. Γύρω από το καλάθι όμως στα σημεία που φώτιζε η ταινία είχε αναπτυχθεί τριχοειδής άλγη και red slime. Red slime στο ενυδρείο δεν έχω σταγόνα. Σίγουρα δουλεύει, οπότε με το φωτισμό που θα δώσω χωρίς κάτι να τον κόβει θα έχω καλό αποτέλεσμα.Ελπίζω τουλάχιστον.

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Good evening and thanks for your help!

I just ordered some stuff to start my project.

As soon as they arrive, I will add photos of the manufacturing process.

I hope it will work fine.

Καλησπέρα και ευχαριστούμε για τη βοήθεια!

Μόλις παράγγειλα κάποια υλικά για να ξεκινήσω το project μου.

Μόλις τα παραλάβω, θα ανεβάσω φωτογραφίες της διαδικασίας κατασκευής.

Ελπίζω να δουλέψει.

καλή τύχη

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Πριν λίγο καιρό έκανα ένα πείραμα. Σε εξωτερικό φίλτρο (Hydor prime 20 με διάφανο - φιμέ κάδο ) έβαλα λίγη chaeto και το τύλιξα με μια ταινία led 14Watt.

Το άνοιξα πριν λίγες ημέρες για καθαρισμό. H chaeto δεν πήγε καλά.Το καλάθι υλικών έκοβε πολύ το φωτισμό. Γύρω από το καλάθι όμως στα σημεία που φώτιζε η ταινία είχε αναπτυχθεί τριχοειδής άλγη και red slime. Red slime στο ενυδρείο δεν έχω σταγόνα. Σίγουρα δουλεύει, οπότε με το φωτισμό που θα δώσω χωρίς κάτι να τον κόβει θα έχω καλό αποτέλεσμα.Ελπίζω τουλάχιστον.

μεγάλος

[kalmichalis]

Δηλαδη είχες τριχοειδή άλγη και red slime πριν το βαλεις και μετα δεν είχες;;;

[FotisGt]

I'm sorry for not translating, it was just a conversation.

Do you think that my project will work, with the equipment I mentioned above ? (post #54)

The dimensions of the plastic sheet will be 15 X 15 cm (6 X 6 "). My reef tank is 400Lt ( 100 gal ).

Με συγχωρείτε που δε μετέφρασα,ήταν απλά μια συζήτηση.

Πιστεύετε οτι το project θα δουλέψει, με τον εξοπλισμό που ανέφερα στο ποστ #54 ;

Οι διαστάσεις της οθόνης θα είναι 15 Χ 15 cm. Το ενυδρείο υφάλου μου είναι 400 Lt.

[FotisGt]

Τριχοειδή είχα και στο ενυδρείο.Red slime όχι. Εννοείται οτι ήταν πολύ μικρή η ένταση σε σχέση με αυτό που θα φτιάξω.Για άλλο ξεκίνησα και άλλο μου βγήκε.

Τη chaeto δοκίμαζα...

[SantaMonicaHelp]

I'm sorry for not translating, it was just a conversation.

Do you think that my project will work, with the equipment I mentioned above ? (post #54)

The dimensions of the plastic sheet will be 15 X 15 cm (6 X 6 "). My reef tank is 400Lt ( 100 gal ).

The screen size really depend on how much you feed each day. Also only red LED light is needed for UAS.

Το μέγεθος οθόνης εξαρτάται από την ποσότητα που ταΐζεις.Επίσης, μόνο κόκκινα led απαιτούνται για το UAS.

Έγινε επεξεργασία 22 Αυγούστου 2012 - FotisGt

[FotisGt]

Ι decided to start with this screen size experimentally. I can make changes if needed.

If I used sump tank things would be easier, but I don't. So I have to save room.

I saw projects where blue led were used, combined with red. I decided to make a "mix" with colors to cover full light spectrum.

There can be changes too. For the moment I'm just waiting to receive my order. Thank's again for your time!!!

Αποφάσισα να ξεκινήσω πειραματικά με αυτό το μέγεθος οθόνης.Μπορώ να κάνω αλλαγές αν χρειαστεί.

Αν χρησιμοποιούσα sump τα πράγματα θα ήταν ευκολότερα, αλλά χρειάζεται να κερδίσω χώρο.

Είδα σε κάποια project οτι χρησιμοποιήθηκαν μπλε led, σε συνδυασμό με κόκκινα.Αποφάσισα να κάνω μίξη χρωμάτων ώστε να καλύψω ευρύτερο φάσμα.

Κι εκεί μπορώ να κάνω αλλαγές. Προς το παρόν περιμένω την παραγγελία μου. Ευχαριστώ για το χρόνο σας!

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Ι decided to start with this screen size experimentally. I can make changes if needed.

If I used sump tank things would be easier, but I don't. So I have to save room.

I saw projects where blue led were used, combined with red. I decided to make a "mix" with colors to cover full light spectrum.

There can be changes too. For the moment I'm just waiting to receive my order. Thank's again for your time!!!

Αποφάσισα να ξεκινήσω πειραματικά με αυτό το μέγεθος οθόνης.Μπορώ να κάνω αλλαγές αν χρειαστεί.

Αν χρησιμοποιούσα sump τα πράγματα θα ήταν ευκολότερα, αλλά χρειάζεται να κερδίσω χώρο.

Είδα σε κάποια project οτι χρησιμοποιήθηκαν μπλε led, σε συνδυασμό με κόκκινα.Αποφάσισα να κάνω μίξη χρωμάτων ώστε να καλύψω ευρύτερο φάσμα.

Κι εκεί μπορώ να κάνω αλλαγές. Προς το παρόν περιμένω την παραγγελία μου. Ευχαριστώ για το χρόνο σας!

Δεν μπορείτε να περιμένετε για τις εικόνες σας. Καλή τύχη

[SantaMonicaHelp]

New update:

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Some more successes from waterfall scrubbers:

Damon on the IM site: "I have been completely skimmer less for over a month now, and my ats has brought my nitrates from off the chart above 50ppm and with yesterday's test it has come down to 5 on the high end with color choosing(can't wait for a Hanna to make a nitrate). I am extremely happy with my ats as it is now, but I do believe I'm going to build a second one next to it. I built this size for a small (75-90g heavy bioload), but I'm going to add a second one that will be a more professional build quality now that I have figured out how I want it to run. I still love the fact that I have dropped $25 a month in electricity, haven't done a water change in a month while still dropping nitrates and getting amazing coral growth. The best part is I am making these to utilize my overflow drains, so in essence I adding a more efficient form of filtration without adding any heat or extra electricity. I can't report on long term results as I've only been running an ats since last fall. But from where my tank was to where it is now is enough for me to jump ship, lol."

Kerry on the scrubber site: "I was hard for me to believe that this device worked. It took about a year before I built one and now I wish I knew about this years ago. Who would have thought algae would provide so much success? I even have one on my 150G FW Jack Dempsey tank as well. And yes, its so nice not to have a skimmer anymore!!!!"

Reefkeeper2 on the RC site: "I run a skimmer, biopellets and an ATS. The skimmer and the pellets worked well keeping nitrates at 0, but there was room for improvement with phosphate control. I tried GFO, and lanthanum. My sps do not like the GFO. I got STN often when I changed it out. The lanthanum worked, but was very labor intensive and so unpractical. The ATS did the trick nicely. I have been a reefer for a very long time. I think I have tried every method of nutrient control thought up by anyone. I really enjoy trying out new ideas and trying to improve on old ones. I have to say that this combination has worked the best of all I have tried over the years."

N728NY on the RC site: "Just chiming in to say I really hope this thread keeps going! Lots of good info. I'm still pretty new to keeping a reef tank. I have been running a scrubber with my skimmer for the past three months. Before then I could never get my nitrates below 15, and since I added my scrubber I never been able to detect any nitrates, even after feeding twice as much. I know with my 75 gallon set up, I made my scrubber slightly over sized (sized for 100 gallons) and I dump huge amounts of pellets and frozen shrimp in my tank on top of spot feeding my corals on a regular basis and I still have yet to register any nitrates on my test kit. Being that I'm still new I still haven't built up the courage to unplug the skimmer yet. I may try it once I know for sure my scrubber is fully matured, got plenty of ro water made up and salt ready just in case I need to do an emergency water change lol. I still have a clump of cheato left that I suppose would be good back up if the scrubber couldn't keep up. The cheato doesn't really grow very much right now because of the scrubber. I love these scrubbers, I'm so glad I took the time to read "both sides" of the arguments on them to find out the facts about them."

Kentth on the scrubber site: "overall the tank is much healthier, a lot of feather dusters, coming out of the rocks, yellow sponges, other opaque sponges. big thing is no water changes for over 8 months, almost no silt, it has really cut my maintenance"

Langtudatinh01 on the RC site: "i completely redo my 40B with the ATS from beginning, i barely see much algae on my display tank but i now have a mature ATS. i relocated all my fish and add another one without any issue. the dead rocks i use bleach quite a lot of phosphate back into the water, but the ATS has handle the issue like a cham. i do not see much algae on my display. everything is green like grass down at the ATS. i am very happy so far.'

Bicolour on the MFUK site: "quick update, so my ats has been running since [6 weeks ago] and i gotta say all the algea in my tank and on the sand has gone, wow. gotta say it was well worth doing. i dont monitor growth at the moment but this is something i will be doing in the future, my set up was basic costing very little as i wanted to try this before i really looked into the idea. very impressed and can only say if you got space look into it"

Rysher on the RC site: "i have a 6x9 screen, 1 inch is submerged so only 6x8 is really used, i also have a 40b. it has been my only form of filtration ever since i started the tank [months ago], i feed almost 2 cubes a day, only have 2 fishes but u cant see any algae on my DT, almost non existent film algae too, i clean my DT glass maybe once a week."

Packman90 on the RC site: "I have a 72 Gallon bow front and until a couple of months ago I was going to throw my tank away and give up on saltwater tanks all together. I was brand new, took a lot of advice, started my system and watched as it became more and more green, until i found out about scrubbers. I lost all of the coral frags I bought, about $400.00 worth, and just felt that I would never get it. I have it now, and just bought my first new frags in over 8 months. Thanks to all of you scrubbers out there who showed me the way. Here is the tank after the scrubber did it's magic. this took a total of 1 month for it to clear up, and I did not remove any of the algae, it just melted a way. Only problem I have is that i have some sea grass that is melting away as well and cheto in my sump is also slowly dieing."

[Road Tail]

Και εδώ η αγγελία που έχει καταχωρήσει στο e-bay. Δεν είναι και λίγα τα λεφτά μαζί με το κόστος αποστολής .....

[FotisGt]

In this topic you can see some photos of my project.

http://www.aquazone.gr/forums/index.php?showtopic=78371&pid=697672&st=0entry697672

[SantaMonicaHelp]

In this topic you can see some photos of my project.

http://www.aquazone....=0

Looks great.

[Ventouras]

πόλι καλώ και πόλι καλά αναλυτικά τα σχεδία εύχρηστο

[SantaMonica]

Πώς να οικοδομήσουμε ένα πλωτό φίλτρο

[SantaMonica]

Πρώτη αύξηση 16 ημέρες

[Aiolos]

Ο φίλος μας από το Αμέρικα "χτύπησε" πάλι... όσοι πιστοί προσέλθετε !!!

[kostaskappa]

Ότι πρέπει για μικρά sump!

[SantaMonica]

Ή κορυφή του ενυδρείου

[SantaMonica]

Από το νέο σε πράσινο, σε 3 καθαρισμούς

------------English-----------------

From new to green, in 3 cleanings and 2 LEDs...

[SantaMonica]

Πολύ ωραίο ενυδρείο:

Very nice scrubber-only tank:

http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?2702-180g-Show-Tank&p=35853&viewfull=1#post35853

Ιστοσελίδα του:

His personal page:

http://home.comcast.net/~dgrigor/

[SantaMonica]

What is Periphyton?

Periphyton is what turns your rocks different colors. You know... the white rocks you started with in SW, or the grey rocks (or brown wood) you started with in FW. After several months or years, the rocks become a variety of different colors and textures. Why? Because the periphyton that has grown on it is a mix of different living things, of different colors, and thicknesses. And the important part is: It is LIVING.

That's right: The colored stuff that has coated your rocks is all living organisms. Sponges, microbes, algae, cyano, biofilms, and of course coralline. After all, "peri" means "around the outside", and "phyto" means "plant". Ever slipped in a slippery puddle? That's probably periphyton that made it slippery. It's a very thin coating on the rocks, sometimes paper thin.

There is a lot of photosynthetic organisms in periphyton, and this of course means that they need light; but they need nutrients too (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate). And as you might figure, they will be on the lighted portions of the rocks. And they will grow to intercept food particles in the water, based on the water flow. Just think about how sponges orient their holes for water flow; the micro sponges in periphyton do it too but on a tiny scale.

What about under the rocks, in the dark areas? Well these periphyton don't get light, so they are primarily filter feeders. So they REALLY grow and position themselves to be able to intercept food particles. And they don't really need to fight off algae, because algae does not grow in the dark, so they have no need for anti-algae tactics like plants in the light have.

Reef studies have show that at certain depths, more of the filtering of the water comes from periphyton and benthic algae than comes from the phytoplankton which filters the deeper water. And in streams, almost all the filtering is done by periphyton. So, what you have on rocks that are "mature" or "established" is a well-developed layer of periphyton; and all the things that comes from it.

This is why mandarin fish can eat directly off the rocks of an "established" tank (tons of pods grow in the periphyton), but not on the rocks of a new tank. Or why some animals can lay their eggs on established rocks, but not new ones. Or why established tanks seem to "yo-yo" less than new ones. Even tangs can eat periphyton directly when it's thick enough. Yes periphyton can also develop on the sand, but since the sand is moved around so much, the periphyton does not get visible like it does on rocks. So thick periphyton on established rocks is your friend. And totally natural too. Keep in mind though I'm not referring to nuisance algae on rocks; I'm only referring to the very-thin layer of coloring that coats the rocks.

But what happens when you "scrape the stuff off your rocks"? Well you remove some of the periphyton, which means you remove some of your natural filter and food producer. What if you take the rocks out and scrub them? Well now you not only remove more of your natural filter and food producer, but the air is going to kill even more of the microscopic sponges in it. And what if you bleach the rocks? Well, goodbye all filtering and food producing for another year. It's an instant reduction of the natural filtering that the periphyton was providing.

However, what if you just re-arrange the rocks? Well, some of the periphyton that was in the light, now will be in the dark; so this part will die. And some of the periphyton that was in the dark will now be in the light, so it will not be able to out-compete photosynthetic growth and thus will be covered and die too. And even if the light stays the same, the direction and amount of water flow (and food particles) will change; sponges that were oriented to get food particles from one direction will now starve. So since the light and food supply is cut off, the filtering that the periphyton was providing stops almost immediately from just re-arranging.

Starvation takes a little longer. The periphyton organisms won't die immediately, since they have some energy saved up; but instead, they will wither away over several weeks. So on top of the instant reduction in filtering that you get my just moving the rocks, you get a somewhat stretched-out period of nutrients going back into the water. And after all this, it takes another long period of time for the periphyton to build up to the levels it was at before. Even changing the direction of a powerhead will affect the food particle supply in the area it used to be pointed at.

So a good idea is to try to keep everything the same. Pick your lighting, flow, layout, and try to never move or change anything. It's a different way of thinking, but you should have a stronger natural filter and food producer because of it.

[gregkn73]

What is Periphyton?

Periphyton is what turns your rocks different colors. You know... the white rocks you started with in SW, or the grey rocks (or brown wood) you started with in FW. After several months or years, the rocks become a variety of different colors and textures. Why? Because the periphyton that has grown on it is a mix of different living things, of different colors, and thicknesses. And the important part is: It is LIVING.

That's right: The colored stuff that has coated your rocks is all living organisms. Sponges, microbes, algae, cyano, biofilms, and of course coralline. After all, "peri" means "around the outside", and "phyto" means "plant". Ever slipped in a slippery puddle? That's probably periphyton that made it slippery. It's a very thin coating on the rocks, sometimes paper thin.

There is a lot of photosynthetic organisms in periphyton, and this of course means that they need light; but they need nutrients too (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate). And as you might figure, they will be on the lighted portions of the rocks. And they will grow to intercept food particles in the water, based on the water flow. Just think about how sponges orient their holes for water flow; the micro sponges in periphyton do it too but on a tiny scale.

What about under the rocks, in the dark areas? Well these periphyton don't get light, so they are primarily filter feeders. So they REALLY grow and position themselves to be able to intercept food particles. And they don't really need to fight off algae, because algae does not grow in the dark, so they have no need for anti-algae tactics like plants in the light have.

Reef studies have show that at certain depths, more of the filtering of the water comes from periphyton and benthic algae than comes from the phytoplankton which filters the deeper water. And in streams, almost all the filtering is done by periphyton. So, what you have on rocks that are "mature" or "established" is a well-developed layer of periphyton; and all the things that comes from it.

This is why mandarin fish can eat directly off the rocks of an "established" tank (tons of pods grow in the periphyton), but not on the rocks of a new tank. Or why some animals can lay their eggs on established rocks, but not new ones. Or why established tanks seem to "yo-yo" less than new ones. Even tangs can eat periphyton directly when it's thick enough. Yes periphyton can also develop on the sand, but since the sand is moved around so much, the periphyton does not get visible like it does on rocks. So thick periphyton on established rocks is your friend. And totally natural too. Keep in mind though I'm not referring to nuisance algae on rocks; I'm only referring to the very-thin layer of coloring that coats the rocks.

But what happens when you "scrape the stuff off your rocks"? Well you remove some of the periphyton, which means you remove some of your natural filter and food producer. What if you take the rocks out and scrub them? Well now you not only remove more of your natural filter and food producer, but the air is going to kill even more of the microscopic sponges in it. And what if you bleach the rocks? Well, goodbye all filtering and food producing for another year. It's an instant reduction of the natural filtering that the periphyton was providing.

However, what if you just re-arrange the rocks? Well, some of the periphyton that was in the light, now will be in the dark; so this part will die. And some of the periphyton that was in the dark will now be in the light, so it will not be able to out-compete photosynthetic growth and thus will be covered and die too. And even if the light stays the same, the direction and amount of water flow (and food particles) will change; sponges that were oriented to get food particles from one direction will now starve. So since the light and food supply is cut off, the filtering that the periphyton was providing stops almost immediately from just re-arranging.

Starvation takes a little longer. The periphyton organisms won't die immediately, since they have some energy saved up; but instead, they will wither away over several weeks. So on top of the instant reduction in filtering that you get my just moving the rocks, you get a somewhat stretched-out period of nutrients going back into the water. And after all this, it takes another long period of time for the periphyton to build up to the levels it was at before. Even changing the direction of a powerhead will affect the food particle supply in the area it used to be pointed at.

So a good idea is to try to keep everything the same. Pick your lighting, flow, layout, and try to never move or change anything. It's a different way of thinking, but you should have a stronger natural filter and food producer because of it.

Tahnk you, very interesting,and a good explanation why the slightest rearranege of rocks, cause a small tank cycle