First post, new scrubber and more to come

[M I N I O N]

This is my first scrubber build. It is installed on a 90 gallon display tank along side a Reef Octopus Extreme 200 with a Bubble Blaster HY3000s pump and a 100 micron filter sock. This tank was purchased used, around six years old. The rocks were saturated with phosphate and have/had quite a deal of hair algae and bubble algae on them. Since acquiring the tank a month ago, I have cleaned it, added a lot of circulation (it's bare bottom until the algae is all gone) added more lights, a DIY ATS, the BB skimmer pump and upgraded a lot of the other equipment and then emptied the contents of my 20 gallon long SPS tank into it. With 50+ species of SPS in the tank, I was very concerned about phosphate levels from the old and neglected rocks killing off my corals. I immediately started running the tank on GFO and began a strict carbon/bacteria dosing regiment. A few days ago I decided to make an ATS to help combat the leaching phosphates and discontinue carbon dosing and GFO. The tank has been running at my house for about a month now. I have gotten tons of coraline algae growth and most of the corals are doing great though a few of my wild-caught acros did not take well to the transfer.

Display as of today:
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/17799_10152344351990595_64320905_n.jpg

Polyp extension:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/320598_10152341543970595_1855567971_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/15987_10152341544045595_1391790603_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/399204_10152341544140595_1474094964_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/380784_10152341543570595_2131149486_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/74256_10152341543700595_1780187629_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/59590_10152341543800595_1658919254_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/481824_10152341543895595_1302051449_n.jpg

Filtration:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/302885_10152337276455595_390884859_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/401628_10152337276375595_1207507160_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/526743_10152337276235595_1820835092_n.jpg

ATS growth in less than four days:
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/68876_10152344351885595_1393265959_n.jpg
I accidentally left the light on last night and burned up most of the nice green algae I was getting. I'm setting it on a timer tonight.


Livestock:
Copperband butterfly
Kole tang
Blue/green reef chromis
2x Glass cardinals
2x Percula clowns
Mcoskers flasher wrasse
2x Fire shrimp
2x Cleaner shrimp
Brittle starfish

[M I N I O N]

Turf scrubber construction:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/31568_10152332857470595_145951266_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/432352_10152332857555595_1558327585_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/577884_10152332857695595_458169878_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/59660_10152333003405595_1754219208_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/598449_10152333003335595_448067756_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/156975_10152334551900595_455218834_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/76398_10152334551360595_559490912_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/76424_10152334551080595_35328322_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/27988_10152335260880595_394326689_n.jpg

The original light was a 23w 6500K CFL but after two days, I moved to a 40w 2700K CFL. The screen is double-thick. I got growth by the second day. Growth has been very green straight from the beginning. If there are any revisions which you think I should make, please let me know. I am getting great growth so far but I guess it could be better. I intend to make a true waterfall design for my 150 in a couple weeks and when the 150 is up and running, all livestock from the 90 will go in it so that the 90 can get a proper build with a by-the-book scrubber.

[SantaMonica]

Welcome.

Looking forward to all the pics :)

[M I N I O N]

Recent cleaning
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/185782_10152436981195595_367987410_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/735232_10152421127975595_1662191205_n.jpg

Growth has never been better and color has been exploding! Here are some top-down pictures I took a few days ago:
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/428289_10152456981380595_1573152462_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/530580_10152456981270595_729883202_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/45497_10152456980455595_324111418_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/264101_10152456981490595_775337807_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/735150_10152456981400595_2040228674_n.jpg

[M I N I O N]

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/71502_10152429514840595_1469304305_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/582303_10152443903115595_185999224_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/68680_10152443902920595_1784115567_n.jpg

[SantaMonica]

Really nice.

[M I N I O N]

Thank you.

[M I N I O N]

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/482164_10152656285270595_1257857442_n.jpg

[SantaMonica]

Maybe could use a bit more light/hours.

[M I N I O N]

I run it for 18 hours. I am due for a new bulb, bought one a week ago and it blew the very first time I turned it on so I put the old one back in. :-(

[Floyd R Turbo]

When you screwed the lamp in, were you holding on to the glass part or the base? The #1 reason for early failure on CFLs is twisting into the socket by holding the tube, which causes micro-cracks. Incandescent lamps don't have this problem, CFLs do. You need to screw in while turning the base, but if you can't, only tighten it enough so that the lamp will turn on. You don't need it seated super-tight.

[M I N I O N]

I tighten them by the base. I use the 40w cfl bulbs which have very fragile spirals and a sturdy base. When I turned it on, it made the same "pop" you would hear when a iridescent light blows and it flashed for a fraction of a second. I had literally tossed the old bulb into the recycling bin and it still worked fine after I pulled it back out. I got another new bulbs and it works fine. You can tell that the old bulb was very dim in comparison. My growth has gone rather yellow and decreased but I think that it is because I did a large water change following up a prazipro treatment. I will have my new LED scrubber up soon.

[itzrulez]

That cleaning was from how long using srubber?

[Rattzreef]

Corals are looking good Josh.. lol.. I figured I'd stop by this forum and check it out now that I've made the step into ATSs.. hope I get some good growth and lessen the effect of nuisance algae in my display... With a lot of SPS corals in my tank I wanted to give this method a try..

[shawn]

I just found out about this sight can you please help me out with making this amazing algae srcubber. Thanks In Advance

[Floyd R Turbo]

http://algaescrubber.net/forums/forum.php

Just click on the first 4 sub-forum topics and read the stickies.