Algae Scrubber. Reduce number of water changes while improving water quality.

[JRunyon21]

This topic may have been covered b4 but I just wanted to make sure the idea was out to everyone.

I know it seems a little sketchy but it actually works. The link I provided is one that directs you to a site that shows you how to make an "algae scrubber". The link explains everything you need to know on what they do/how they are made/benefits etc etc.

In basic, you grow A LOT of algae in a SUMP/Bucket to remove nitrates from your water thus reducing if not elminating the need for water changes. It seemed like it would not be feasable for me at first but then I decided to try it. I have a 75g tank with a 29g SUMP. In the sump I have an "algae scrubber" and when it is producing the max amount of algae I record 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and 0 Nitrates week after week. These things work just like the link describes.

Again, sorry if these "algae scrubbers" were discussed b4.

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/di...mover-diy.html

-Jason

[Jason]

great read thanks, there is also a book on the subject called "dynamic aquaria" if you can find it, buy it.

[yim11]

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...light=scrubber

HTHs,
-jim

[Chad Hughes]

I've read a lot about these over the years and find that planted tanks work exactly the same. I guess if you can't have a planted tank, the scrubber is the way to go!

Best wishes!

[ChloroPhil]

Floating plants such as Watersprite (Ceratopteris sp.), Water Lettuce (Pistia sp.), and Frogbit (Limnobium sp.) work very well to remove excess nitrogen and phosphorous from the water. If you don't want them in your tank or if you have a large number of tanks set on a central system a remote tub/sump with some light over it will work just as well. If you want to get really fancy you can make a trickle wall with tropical vines or a runway with tropical plants growing hydroponically in it.

Cheers,
Phil

[zamboniMan]

For my 75 gallon tank I've been thinking about getting a 20 long and cramming it full of plants. I then want to have the over flow go through it first then to my wet/dry/sump. Then maybe adding another 20 long with plants before returning it to the main tank.Think it would work in a similar manner?

[JRunyon21]

Seems like it would work fine as long as you had adequate light for the plants. If you had enough plants being provided enough light you would have nearly the same result as an algae scrubber. A better description(maybe a pic) would help us understand what you are going for.

Today I am upgrading my Algae Scrubber. I currently use only one side of the screen b/c I only had one light. I am purchasing another clamp lamp from lowes and a 26W CFL to start growing algae on the other side. I am doing this b/c I just recently started seeing algae growth in the main tank. Obviously my current algae scrubber is getting behind.

[ChloroPhil]

For my 75 gallon tank I've been thinking about getting a 20 long and cramming it full of plants. I then want to have the over flow go through it first then to my wet/dry/sump. Then maybe adding another 20 long with plants before returning it to the main tank.Think it would work in a similar manner?

That would work just fine as long as you have the light. I'd still recommend using floating plants and letting their roots get really thick. Seeing as you're your club's HAP chair I won't say any more about plants.

[zamboniMan]

Only thing makes me hesitate to do it is wondering how it'll look to have light coming out of the stand.

[JRunyon21]

Only thing makes me hesitate to do it is wondering how it'll look to have light coming out of the stand.

No light comes through the front of my stand(doors) but there is light coming out of the back. It is not a lot but I also have nothing blocking the back. One extra piece of wood and practically no light would be shining through.

[wanderingfish]

I know that algae can reduce nitrates ,could they reduce nitrite too?

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Still working on your scrubbers. It has been a while. We have some new DIY options to build.

[doivuthe]

Still working on your scrubbers. It has been a while. We have some new DIY options to build.

Hi SM
Is UAS truly work for freshwater tank?
I read that it only work for salt water
How big the system I must do for 75g freshwater?

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Hi SM
Is UAS truly work for freshwater tank?
I read that it only work for salt water
How big the system I must do for 75g freshwater?

UAS works for both fresh and salt water.
For the size of the UAS, it depends on how much you are feeding.

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Lowest cost and easiest way to eliminate green hair, bubble, turf and slime algae from your aquarium (hopefully permanently).

This new test version of the algae scrubber is much easier to build than the waterfall version (the Mega Powerful one), and is perfect for nano's. This new scrubber has never been posted before May 2012. It works in both freshwater and saltwater.

If you are like most aquatic hobbyists, nuisance algae is an ongoing problem. You try to feed your livestock, and the next thing you know, you get algae. You've already tried many fixes; some work but are expensive; some kind of work but you're not sure; and some just don't work at all.

Think about what is happening: Your aquarium is accumulating nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) because of the food you feed. Algae eat nitrate and phosphate to grow, so the algae are having a great time growing in your water because they are eating all your nutrients! What to do?

Well think about this: In order to grow, algae must be provided with nitrate and phosphate. So why can't you just use the algae to consume all the nitrate and phosphate? The answer: You can! How? With a simple device you build called an Upflow Algae Scrubber. It's simple, cheap, and you can make a small one in just a few minutes with parts you probably already have. I'll be posting more complex versions later, but here are some pics of the most basic design that you can use for testing:

(will be updated periodically)



An "algae scrubber" is a simple filter that actually grows algae in the filter, so that the algae do not grow in other parts of your aquarium. Simply put, the conditions for algae growth inside the filter are better than the conditions in the rest of your aquarium; thus the algae grow in the filter instead of your aquarium, and then you just remove the algae from the filter and throw the algae away. But in order for the algae to grow in the filter, the algae need to consume nitrate and phosphate; so guess where the nitrate and phosphate come from? Your water!

If you stop and think about it, algae always grow in certain spots, and not in others. This is because some of the three growing conditions (light, flow, nutrients) are better in some parts of your water than they are in others. An "upflow algae scrubber" simply optimizes these conditions, and does so at a place where the algae can be easily removed and thrown away. And once the nitrate and phosphate have been removed from your water, all other nuisance algae such as green hair, bubble, turf and slime, will have a hard time staying alive.

So where have these filters been all this time, and why haven't you heard of them if they work so well? Well the original waterfall version (the Mega Powerful thread posted in August 2008) was hard to build, and was not really for sale anywhere; so unless you liked to build things from scratch, you had no choice but to buy some other kind of filter. All the filter really needed to do was to create good growing conditions (light, flow, nutrients) for the algae, by flowing the water across a piece of rough material, so that the algae would grow on the material instead of somewhere else in the aquarium. The waterfall algae scrubber did grow lots of algae in the filter, and it removed lots of algae from aquariums: Over 1,000 people built their own waterfall algae scrubbers, and reported their results on various forums during a 4 year period; almost all of them wiped out their nuisance algae within 8 weeks, and many did so in 4 weeks. And on other forums that I never posted on, an estimated 10,000 people built their own waterfall algae scrubbers with similar results.

A little over a year ago in April 2011, another idea came along: Instead of letting the water flow down a screen like a waterfall, how about you let the water flow up the screen using air bubbles? Why? Because as good as waterfall algae scrubbers are, they still need a place for the water to drain "down" to. This means that you need to have a sump below the aquarium, or you need to have the scrubber up above the aquarium. This is not easy, and is very difficult for a nano aquarium which usually has no sump below it, and no room above it. Also, the waterfall version requires it to be out of the water (in the air), which takes up extra space. The new "upflow" version, however, can be placed inside the aquarium, so that it takes up no extra space at all, and it needs no external plumbing or water pumps at all. Only air bubbles.

The Upflow Algae Scrubber (UAS) provides the best growing conditions for algae in your tank: Air bubbles provide rapid turbulent flow; Strong lighting provides the light; and the nutrients that are already in your water provide the nitrate and phosphate. All that's needed is a place for the algae to attach to, and that is provided by the roughed-up plastic screen. Thus the algae start growing on the screen because the flow and lighting are stronger there than they are in the rest of your aquarium; nitrate and phosphate are consumed in the process. This causes algae to start disappearing from your aquarium and start re-appearing on the scrubber screen, so that you can throw the algae away every week or two.

The most basic way to set up an Upflow Algae Scrubber, especially in small aquariums, is just to put some air bubbles beneath a vertical screen. If inside an aquarium, you just put a light on the outside of the glass, so that it shines inside to the screen. And if you want better performance (which means better filtering), just add a reflector to give the screen some light on both sides. The screen is best made with 7-mesh cross stitch plastic canvas that you get at sewing or craft stores, or online. Also, don't forget to rough up the screen with a sharp object like a hole saw; the screen should be so rough that the screen holes are almost filled in with all the little pieces of plastic that you roughed up.

One thing to remember is that an Upflow Algae Scrubber (or any algae scrubber) will not cause more algae to grow in your aquarium. Instead, the algae will disappear from your aquarium, and will start to grow on the scrubber screen instead. You then just remove the screen and scrape the algae off. And here's a surprise: Watch out for your fish or snails eating your filter! There's nothing tastier than live green algae, so your fish or snails may keep your screen from getting very thick. The simple solution is to just put some mesh or netting around it.

There are a couple of requirements that have been learned since August 2008 which will get you started quicker. The size of the Upflow Algae Scrubber that is needed is based on how much you feed, and not how much water you have, because the nutrients that cause algae to grow come from the food you feed. The following updated picture has size guidelines:

(will be updated periodically)



And the following updated picture has examples:

(will be updated periodically)