SantaMonica
03-28-2009, 08:36 AM
Sometimes you need to reduce nutrients in the water faster so the scrubber will grow green hair sooner. Or sometimes the scrubber is not big enough for the amount of feeding and/or problem rock you have. So here are some other permanent ways to reduce nutrients (aside from water changes, and feeding less), starting with the easiest first:
o Increase the number of hours of light in your display by an hour or two, to grow more periphyton on the rocks; periphyton consumes nutrients:
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3095-Periphyton-Your-natural-filter-and-food-producer
o Don't move or change any rocks or flow; this harms or kills periphyton on the rocks and thus reduces filtering.
o Leave one or more panels of the display not cleaned; the growth on it will absorb more nutrients from the water.
o Feed some of all of the scrubber growth to the fish and inverts:
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3807-Feeding-scrubber-growth-to-your-fish
o Remove floss/foam/socks (they trap food and cause it to rot), unless you can clean them daily.
o Remove chaeto (also traps food and causes it to rot) unless it is growing rapidly and giving big weekly (not monthly) harvests.
o Remove bio balls (or similar media) slowly; they create excess nitrate, and trap food.
o Remove all sand in your sump (food settles in sand and rots); if anything, use live rock only. Or...
o Reduce sand in your display to 1/2 inch (12mm) so food cannot get trapped as easy. If you have a deep bed, so this very slowly over months.
o Use kalkwasser (lime water) in your top-off (the higher pH causes phosphate to precipitate) and slowly try to keep tank pH as close to 8.4 as you can.
o Change any area of the sump that lets food settle to the bottom; all food should continue through the sump and back to the display (this is why an open sump is best).
o Skimmers and roll filters are ok for this purpose, since they remove things from the water.
Update August 2024
o Increase the number of hours of light in your display by an hour or two, to grow more periphyton on the rocks; periphyton consumes nutrients:
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3095-Periphyton-Your-natural-filter-and-food-producer
o Don't move or change any rocks or flow; this harms or kills periphyton on the rocks and thus reduces filtering.
o Leave one or more panels of the display not cleaned; the growth on it will absorb more nutrients from the water.
o Feed some of all of the scrubber growth to the fish and inverts:
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3807-Feeding-scrubber-growth-to-your-fish
o Remove floss/foam/socks (they trap food and cause it to rot), unless you can clean them daily.
o Remove chaeto (also traps food and causes it to rot) unless it is growing rapidly and giving big weekly (not monthly) harvests.
o Remove bio balls (or similar media) slowly; they create excess nitrate, and trap food.
o Remove all sand in your sump (food settles in sand and rots); if anything, use live rock only. Or...
o Reduce sand in your display to 1/2 inch (12mm) so food cannot get trapped as easy. If you have a deep bed, so this very slowly over months.
o Use kalkwasser (lime water) in your top-off (the higher pH causes phosphate to precipitate) and slowly try to keep tank pH as close to 8.4 as you can.
o Change any area of the sump that lets food settle to the bottom; all food should continue through the sump and back to the display (this is why an open sump is best).
o Skimmers and roll filters are ok for this purpose, since they remove things from the water.
Update August 2024