Algae issues? Why dont more people use algae scrubbers?

[VintageReefer]

Anyone want a Reef Octopus Diablo XS160 lol have a brand new sicce psk 600 for it, never used

It’s the space saver version with a small footprint, good up to 160g tanks

 

[BeanAnimal]

Yes, but why? Why does turf/slime algae typically grow in the scrubber and not in the DT, other than having the benefit of more intense lightning? When I wasn't using my "algae reducer", there was no benefit of more intense lighting anywhere so why not have turf/slime algae in the DT?

It is a wholly different environment and substrate. The algae in your tank is submerged, and often near a phosphate source (the rock) Your scrubber exposes the growing surface to air, it is not fully submerged.

 

[VintageReefer]

Yea the result is the scrubber grows it’s own algae, from scratch. If you seeded it with hair algae or chaeto or something else, the scrubber would still grow its own unique algae inside it, and it would starve out whatever you seeded with. Unless you seeded with turf algae from another scrubber, but for some reason even that doesn’t always work. The process has to happen naturally

 

[jason2459]

Yea the result is the scrubber grows it’s own algae, from scratch. If you seeded it with hair algae or chaeto or something else, the scrubber would still grow its own unique algae inside it, and it would starve out whatever you seeded with. Unless you seeded with turf algae from another scrubber, but for some reason even that doesn’t always work. The process has to happen naturally

Worked pretty well for me. I had already started back up my Turbo's ATS a few weeks prior to getting the WSR ACS.

Brand new started up with some algae rubbed on it that was pulled from the Turbo's


1 week later


1 week and a couple days later



2 weeks from start up and first cleaning




2 more weeks later and 1 month from start up with seeded screen

 

[Mikeltee]

I've read @VintageReefer mention this several times.
What does that mean and how do you know if the rocks are phosphate locked?

Bleaching rock does not get rid of Phosphates. It actually makes it worse when you kill a million years of life that was on it. These were ocean rock.

 

[Mikeltee]

You are giving the bristletooth an algae of some type though I assume, until the tank greens up a little? They are fabulous little in tank algae scrapers.
That’s really bright for a bare rock tank, lol. Is it old washed liverock? From a previous tank?

My tank was 13 years old and the rock came from the ocean. I fought dinos for 2 years. My tank sprung a leak so I bleached it for 10 days, did 3 days 1:1 vinegar and then a few hours of citric acid. I detected Nitrates immediately afterwards so some bacteria made that it through that nuclear assault. I attempt to give the bristletooth nori but he doesn't know what to do with it. I feed big chunks of Rods reef and he eats the nori in it so I'm hoping that he comes around. He still picks at the rock. I assume that's habit. There's a foxface in there too that supposedly is a grazer. He picks at rock as well. It could be the Pellets that I feed them.

 

[VintageReefer]

Worked pretty well for me. I had already started back up my Turbo's ATS a few weeks prior to getting the WSR ACS.

Brand new started up with some algae rubbed on it that was pulled from the Turbo's

That’s awesome. I never tried myself but have a second scrubber coming and was hoping I could speed up the growth process by seeding from an existing scrubber. Theoretically I don’t see why it wouldn’t work if I was using turf algae from another scrubber

 

[Mikeltee]

Ok I can agree to that

Adding to the conversation, I would say this is a slow leaching process rather than a fast one, and low p has increased algae growth. So as p comes out of the rock, slowly, it is exposed to light, it has a rough surface, and then hair algae grows. It is then killed off, more leaches out, the process repeats in a loop until there no longer is phosphate stored in the rock. This can take weeks to months or up to a year depending on how bad the rock is and how aggressive one is removing phosphates

Slow indeed. I'm on week 7. I did 100% water changes while it was in the Brute for a month every 3 days. It started at 2.0 and now is 1.5. It's going to take growing algae to pull it out. I'm done doing 100% water changes and skimmers don't work for Phosphates.

 

[jason2459]

Slow indeed. I'm on week 7. I did 100% water changes while it was in the Brute for a month every 3 days. It started at 2.0 and now is 1.5. It's going to take growing algae to pull it out. I'm done doing 100% water changes and skimmers don't work for Phosphates.

Lanthanum Chloride does if you want to speed things up.

 

[Mikeltee]

I see maybe bubbles? I would guess dinos and cyano if so. A microscope would help.

In my experience bubbles = dinos. I have a decent microscope as well and looked at a lot of strains with bubbles on them. Turn that algae scrubber off. Your nutrients are too low.

 

[Mikeltee]

I have the RO 150EXT and it is by far the easiest to dial in and stable skimmer I have ever laid my hands on.

Mine arrived broken. Santa Monica told me that I am probably not going to need a skimmer so I sent it back and didn't ask for a replacement. I'll test his theory for a few months. It takes longer to rinse a skimmer cup than it does to pull out a hand full of algae.

 

[Mikeltee]

Lanthanum Chloride does if you want to speed things up.

I do want to speed it up. Thanks for the tip. I'll look into this.

 

[jason2459]

In my experience bubbles = dinos. I have a decent microscope as well and looked at a lot of strains with bubbles on them. Turn that algae scrubber off. Your nutrients are too low.

That was me replying to someone else. My nutrients levels are fine. However, I have had dino outbreaks which I've driven on purpose. I've never taken my scrubber offline.

 

[Mikeltee]

That was me replying to someone else. My nutrients levels are fine. However, I have had dino outbreaks which I've driven on purpose. I've never taken my scrubber offline.

Sorry I quoted the wrong post. He will figure it out.

 

[Mikeltee]

Lanthanum Chloride does if you want to speed things up.

Bro that method is INSANE! I think I'll let it occur naturally. The fish don't seem to mind the high phosphate. I have a 40g in my office that I threw a live rock in and I'll use as a grow out tank for when I can finally add them to my main. I appreciate the suggestion for sure. I'll write this down in case 6 months from now I am still having issues. 1.5ppm isn't as high as I've seen and I see people with beautiful mixed reefs running at 1.0ppm.

 

[Mikeltee]

Anyone want a Reef Octopus Diablo XS160 lol have a brand new sicce psk 600 for it, never used

It’s the space saver version with a small footprint, good up to 160g tanks

You ditching the skimmer for another scrubber? LOL

I'm still going to hang on to mine. I can run both and will until I can harvest weekly. I can't run a filter sock though.

 

[VintageReefer]

You ditching the skimmer for another scrubber? LOL

I'm still going to hang on to mine. I can run both and will until I can harvest weekly. I can't run a filter sock though.

I was kidding haha I will keep the skimmer in case I ever accidentally get something in water I need to skim out.

I did buy second scrubber but it is for a second tank

 

[ScubaSkeets]

It is a wholly different environment and substrate. The algae in your tank is submerged, and often near a phosphate source (the rock) Your scrubber exposes the growing surface to air, it is not fully submerged.

Thanks. However, my DIY "algae remover" does not use any air source and the screen is indeed fully submerged, albeit only 1/4 - 1/2" below the surface of the water.

 

[VintageReefer]

Thanks. However, my DIY "algae remover" does not use any air source and the screen is indeed fully submerged, albeit only 1/4 - 1/2" below the surface of the water.

Running water horizontally over a screen at the surface will grow turf algae. I believe this is how early scrubber designs were back in the…80s? 90’s? I forget when, it was before my time in the hobby

Edit:the “horizontal river” style scrubbers were from the 1990’s into approx 2007

 

[ScubaSkeets]

Maybe you can help me identify the (algae) growth growing on top of my coraline..‍ BTW. Your tank looks great!

Thanks, but my tank is nowhere close to looking as great as some others on here

From what I gather, and others may chime in as I may have misunderstood, nuisance algae does not grow on top of coralline.

A microscope would help.

No offense, but I've always had an issue with that. Personally, I don't own a microscope and I don't know how many people actually do, and even if I did, I wouldn't know what I'd be looking for in the first place. Perhaps it's easier to figure out once you use one though?