Different way to remove nitrates/phosphates?

[glarior]

Setup: 240g reef and 300g shark/eel tank. Both connected to a custom sump with fluidized K1 media.

Designed an algae scrubber for 240sq" and expandable to 480sq". Sized per amount fed guidelines.

However, it was recommended to use dr tim's pearls or a sulpher/crushed coral setup.

Has anyone used the pearls or sulpher/crushed coral setup and still stuck with a scrubber?

My understanding is the pearls turn nitrates/phosphates into bacteria that is removed by the skimmer.

I don't know enough about the sulpher / crushed coral setups except sulpher... The one's I found were on huge pond style setups.

The scrubber uses light to grow algae, algae consumes nitrates/phosphates and is removed. Does not eliminate skimmer.


Which way should I lean to for my setup? All of them are around the same price for me to build/buy. Experience anyone?

[rleahaines]

with an algae scrubber you will not need to dose anything or put in pearls or try a denitrator.

Those things work but are full of problems, need constant monitoring and can actually kill off things you don't want killed.

The scrubbers work. I tried many things before I tried one, it works extremely well.

Many people also run scrubbers without protein skimmers very successfully. You can easily put together a waterfall type scrubber in a sump and try it out. Or even a bucket. It does not have to be elaborate to work.

[glarior]

Thanks for the reply. I have been reading reviews all over the place. Your comment about things may be killed.... I read a lot to confirm that. Mostly people SPS did not do well with the pearls or pellets.

I have a waterfall scrubber on my 300g eel tank with 660nm LED's. Once the algae started to grow I notcied a major difference in my eel. Way more active, happier and hungry.

I am leaning towards my original build idea for the scrubber.