Whats happing now

[Gannet]

Hi all

just having a few probs with my scrubber and tank.

i have a 400L (100G) mixed reef with 2x 250w MH lighting.
and for some reason in the last few days ive had a diatom out break in the tank

anyway
the scrubber has gone from this
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c88/airpic/DSC06613.jpg
to this
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c88/airpic/DSC06752.jpg

is it time to clean it??

also this is the spotted diatoms ive now got
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c88/airpic/DSC06755.jpg

i still have my skimmer on the tank as well (aqua c ev 180) and im still geting alot of skimate out of it

so im at a bit of a loss.

cheers.

Gannet

[SantaMonica]

Hi Gannet,

Congrats on getting a scrubber going! We'll get it tuned up and working properly. You gave limited info/pics, but let's start with:

1. Your screen is brand new. Anything growing in your tank right now is unrelated to the scrubber.

2. Your screen is too smooth. You should not be able to see through it at all. Either rough it up with a power grinder/sander, or lay a sheet of plastic canvas on both sides.

3. The flow looks weak (although it might just be the pics). Do you have constant strong flow across the screen?

4. The MH you mentioned; they are for the display, correct? What are you using for the scrubber? Both sides, correct?

[Gannet]

hi, thanks for the help.

yes the lighting is on the tank the scrubber has 2x 26w CFL with reflector one on each side

the sheet is a ridged plastic and i took a drill saw to it (used for making big holes in wood) and that has made it very very rough even tho it dosent look like it in the pic,

the flow on it isnt the best but it is steady, i have a few cuts in it to make a bit better spred.

hope that helps, any more questions :?:

[Aquagold]

Could this be a reverse situation like what happens to dead rock when it is being cycled in a tank.
1. Diatoms form on the rock then slowly disappear.
2 Algal growth forms after diatoms and slowly goes as gross nutrient is used up and consumed.
3. Coraline algae now forms to replace lesser forms of 'algal'.

The diatoms might be trying to get a foot hold again but will be beat back once the 'algal scrubber' matures?

Does the mesh screens work better than plates?
Is there a recommended flow rate per square inch?
Is there a wattage level requirement to run tses per square inch?
These may have been answered else where... :)

Hi everyone, I'm a friend of Tom's. :)

Great forum.

Rob @Aquagold

[SantaMonica]

Hi Rob,

Good to have you here. Yes you must have mesh; plates that are smooth can't hold onto the algae once it grows. Flow is 35gph per inch width of screen. Wattage is .5 W per gal. So a 100 gal tank with a 100 sq inch screen would have a bulb on both sides, each bulb being 23W, for a total of 46 W, which is close enough (although more is better).

[worley]

Hi everyone, I'm a friend of Tom's. :)
Which Tom? Me? :D

Great forum.
Thanks and welcome!
Tom.

[Gannet]

haha i am also a tom lol.

ive been trying to find some mesh in nz but not having much luck at all so went with the plate for now untill i can get hold of something.

i did find a type of plastic fly netting but it is very flimsy so not stiff enough to keep good flow over it

[worley]

Ah makes more sense, I did know a Rob in the fish trade, just not in NZ lol.

As for the mesh, have you tried an arts & crafts / Haberdashery / fabrics shop, type of place that sells sewing stuff. The plastic canvas is used for tappestry.

[Gannet]

ill go and have a look tomorrow, is it worth getting a few layers of it ??

[worley]

It's worth getting a couple of sheets as large as you can just in case, it's pretty cheap stuff. However, you only need on layer if you're using it as the only screen. If you're going to put it either side of the current screen then get two lots