New IceCap Pro Series Plug-and-Play Algae Turf Scrubbers

[AquariumSpecialty]

Can anyone share their experience with these? I'm not able to find very many reviews. Appreciate it!

We've sold a bunch of them to date. No complaints so I would assume people are happy with them.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Can anyone share their experience with these? I'm not able to find very many reviews. Appreciate it!

Simple to use and clean. Seen people say they don't think it has enough light. It takes about 3 weeks to start growing algae on screen. You need to roughen up the screen. I clean mine about every two weeks give or take a few days. I can pull screen from unit, clean screen and reassemble in less than 10 minutes. Being in the sump if you have room is is better than those that sit above it. It is quiet to operate.

 

[Jwal56]

Simple to use and clean. Seen people say they don't think it has enough light. It takes about 3 weeks to start growing algae on screen. You need to roughen up the screen. I clean mine about every two weeks give or take a few days. I can pull screen from unit, clean screen and reassemble in less than 10 minutes. Being in the sump if you have room is is better than those that sit above it. It is quiet to operate.

Thanks!

 

[Jmj3783]

So how tall is it is raised as high as it will go? What is the "ideal" sump water level for this scrubber (small)? Thanks!

 

[MarkSC]

I’ve had mine for about 3 weeks in a relatively new tank. Starting to get algae growth. However, my issue is the optimal height. The instructions say above the sump power off water line. Problem with that is that the waterfall, even at a low setting, is very loud and leads to lots of messy salt spray all over the sump. Does anyone keep one a little lower? If it could be above the normal water line but below the power off high water line I think that would solve the problem. Earlier posts said this is ok, but want to confirm with long term users.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I’ve had mine for about 3 weeks in a relatively new tank. Starting to get algae growth. However, my issue is the optimal height. The instructions say above the sump power off water line. Problem with that is that the waterfall, even at a low setting, is very loud and leads to lots of messy salt spray all over the sump. Does anyone keep one a little lower? If it could be above the normal water line but below the power off high water line I think that would solve the problem. Earlier posts said this is ok, but want to confirm with long term users.

The top must be above max water height. The water exit is at water level while operating. The top of mine is higher than top of sump. The instructions are misleading.

 

[MarkSC]

Well, that’s a relief. Thanks. Also, I noticed that they have a new version with the pump mounted to the side via flex hose so the height is lower.

 

[nOfeeR]

The top must be above max water height. The water exit is at water level while operating. The top of mine is higher than top of sump. The instructions are misleading.

Thank you - this is helpful to know. I unboxed mine today and, like others, was very confused by the instructions on proper height adjustment. In fact, mine didn’t even come with instructions or even a link/QR code to the online instructions. The online instructions need to be updated to spell this out a bit more clearly. A short YouTube video would be even better, but I didn’t see that either.

 

[nOfeeR]

Someone reached out to me to ask some questions about how I had mine set up. Figured I would paste my reply here as well for anyone else looking for more details:

This thing is awesome! It is working exactly as advertised. I leave my light on when my display tank light goes off, which is 11 hours (9pm - 8am). Although, when I first set it up I let it run 24 hours a day to get the algae growing. The water height was the tricky part. I settle on 8 inches to the base of the ball valve as I'm showing in an attached photo. Also attaching a photo of what the algae sludge looks like after a couple of weeks. All you do is turn the ball valve to shut off the water flow, unscrew the coupling and pull the screen out from the top. I then take it and scrape it off with a leftover squeegee for installing vinyl graphics on a car. I've seen people use a credit card. I think it took about three weeks or so before algae started growing on the screen initially, but now it grows pretty quickly. It definitely helps keep it out of the display tank. Something to keep in mind is that when power is turned off to the return pump and the water level rises in the sump, I was concerned it would get onto the LED lights in the scrubber. Looks like they have that chamber sealed pretty well so I don't think they actually get wet. I think I read where someone added some sealant as a safety precaution. Also, when I clean algae off the screen, I don't try to clean it super well. I leave some minor remnants of algae there as a kick starter to keep it growing. I noticed when the screen is clean, especially when it's brand new, the trickling sound is noticeable. Once algae starts growing it's dead silent

 

[AquariumSpecialty]

Nice update nOfeeR. Thanks for sharing.

 

[nOfeeR]

No problem! Here's a video I made as well

 

[AquariumSpecialty]

No problem! Here's a video I made as well

Nice job on the video and yes it is a good idea to run the lights when the tank display tank lights are off. It will better stabilize pH as you mentioned.