Algae Turf Scrubber - anyone?

I started off with an ATS by default in my overflow when I kicked off my 155 this winter. I rather let it grow there for a bit and I didn't have any hair algae in my display at all. I've since taken it all out and cleaned my overflow - now I'm getting HA in spots here and there (nothing my snails don't get or when I'm ready to put fish back in a tang/blenny won't handle so far).

That really seemed to do what folks say they do - give a space for HA to grow on your terms and you can control it while it soaks up nutrients etc.

Anyone else using one around here?

 

If the new compact versions were cheaper I would try one. Clearly they work, that's basically a refugium, which I do use. I would love to not need a skimmer!

 

Yeah I also don't have space with my setup.

 

Well if I can make some time ima do one.

 

I'll put up some pics soon, but basically all I did was put some plastic screen in the fuge/grow out/whazzupwidat tank that I have hanging off my system. Just ran a slit on some schedule 40 pvc with the table saw, cut some small pieces for "clips". Put it on the overflow section of the fuge/grow out/whazzupwidat tank with a pice of screen roughed up. I'll see where this goes. Single light fixture with 10k and maybe 6500 k T5's in there (24") so not a whole lot of light. Set photo period for like, 18 hrs.

Might have better luck using some of the spillover light from the Mh on the main tank. Dunno. Got more screen to put somewhere if I need it!

 

Return. Still not really sure what to do with that little tank. Was going to do a fuge. Not enough flow for grow out/frag tank - it seems to collect detritus. So as of now it's a water change tank. I had my little pistol shrimp in there but he's in the main tank now.

No pics still. Photobucket is acting like a big bucket of ....

 

Here is fuge/grow-out/whazzupwidat tank:

I might wind up putting some screen on the other side of the baffle (waterfall side). Seems that already has some algae on it or else the snail hasn't gotten to that yet.

 

I'm thinking I'll throw in maybe some Xenia. I've read about folks trying to grow macro in there, and although I like the idea somehow the little red stuff John fragged and was kind enough to give away is "eaten" it seems (SNAILS?). Don't think I have a crab in there, but I might...

 

So the idea for turf scrubber is screen not submerged, think waterfall. Why? No idea!!

 

Submerged

Like just about most stuff, you can do it any way you like. Having the screen with a waterfall type is rumored to help with oxygenation etc. but with the net effect of encouraging the algae. But it seems that it pushes it down in a mat. And when it gets into a mat it doesn't grow as the lower levels are blocked from light.

I've read (and in my experience earlier) that it grows just fine submerged - doesn't it? And if you have the water moving it around it makes sense that you'd have more GHA per square inch. Anyway...not that big of a deal.

And Santa Monica has turf scrubbers that just float on the water (run by air pumps and such) but still...it isn't like you HAVE to have it in a water fall or it will fail.

I already have some red rusty stuff on the screen which I think is the beginning stage of GHA - we'll see!

And if it doesn't grow...all the more the better for the tank. I just wonder if the light is enough in the fuge/grow out/whazzupwidat tank to matter. It's growing in my overflow now but the snails keep it at bay.

 

Lol! Yeah, algae will grow submerged or waterfall style. What's optimal, IDK, and don't care. Either way it's effective nutrient export.
If your growing algae submerged why bother with any additional equipment? Just throw it in. My sump fuge is full of Cheato and hair algae. I get that it's an attempt to keep it in one place, but that place could just as easy be a rock, or left over egg crate. I will say though, I bet it has a cleaner appearance with the screen, may even be easier to harvest.

 

Yup. I figure the screen would make it easy to harvest. Wasn't bad in the overflow but kinda messy and I worried about bits and pieces breaking off and making their way around the system. Not sure if that worry is warranted. Nonetheless I'll give it a go and see.

I haven't tried chaeto as I'm not sure how to keep it contained in that tank. I was thinking I'd have macro in there but the little pieces I had have broken off or been eaten or.....

 

I've now taken this little experiment offline. I didn't get a pic of the tank, but the screen never really grew much GHA (SOME at first). The rocks and bottom of tank wound up being covered in black goo. Cyano covered the glass on all sides. When the screen didn't have any more GHA on it and was covered in gooey bacteria/cyano and the glass was covered I took it offline and cleaned it out. I don't know if the flow was TOO slow or not (it for sure wasn't too fast...rather lazy flow actually). I had it on an 20 hr light cycle and the flow was rather slow in there as well. Seemed when I let the detritus stay in there it turned into a cyano farm. I also suppose the vinegar/vodka dosing prevented the GHA from growing as well but allowed cyano. Not really sure.

Nonetheless I have no cyano in the display and no GHA anywhere (coralline is growing, though). Corals are not growing very fast so I think everything might be too clean. Not sure. N and P are 0 so I've reduced the VV dose as well.