multiple scrubber questions

[iiluisii]

Who here has a 2 cube a day scrubber with a 180 plus aquarium and its working like it should. And I mean fully stock reef tank with about 13 fishes or so.

The reason I ask is because I been fighting a GHA algae battle and im convince that is due to having a hudge bio load with 13 fish 4 of them being tangs 6 inch foxface an adult coral beauty 2 clowns 4 chromis and a dottyback.

Could it be that a scrubber should be size on a bio load instead of cubes

Here is my expierience
My 150 gallon started with a scrubber and no other filtration it got infested with GHA and I was only feeding a cube a day

My 185 started with a skimmer enough bio pellets for a 100 gallon tank and an l2 scrubber and new live rock algae free and 6 weeks later my tank looks like a green rain forrest

Im clueless I took the scrubber off line and I added a full amount of bio pellets to see if the bio pellets take over

Any sugestions??

[kotlec]

What N, P readings ?

[iiluisii]

Undetectable nitrates and .09 phosphates

[rleahaines]

The amount of feeding should be related directly to the bio load, Isn't the bioload caused by the feeding?. Your fish and other critters should be processing the food into Ammonia to Nitrite - then the rock and bioballs process to Nitrate etc. The only other thing the animals do is use up Oxygen and other elements in the water.

Then the scrubber takes out the Nitrate etc.


At least that is what the theory is here.

Your P reading may actually not be telling you what your P is in the tank. The GHA uses up P when it gets into the tank just like your scrubber will. If you have an outbreak of GHA, this means that they GHA is outcompeting the scrubber for the P somehow.

I am fighting the same kind of thing and doing a lot of trial and error on this. Getting wide ranges of P throughout the day depending on when I feed.

Trying to cut back on DT lighting, upping time on the scrubber, and reducing food going into the tank to the minimum I think I can get away with without getting a lot of cranky fish.

[RkyRickstr]

I would run a bit of GFO till you get rid of the GHA in the display.. then the scrubber will maintain the levels.

[SantaMonica]

Yep the growth is just getting too thick too fast.

[Floyd R Turbo]

What? Why would there be a drawback to getting growth that thick, that fast?

[iiluisii]

Yep the growth is just getting too thick too fast.

Can you explain this.. cause I need all the input I can. I was running the lights for 16 hrs should I run then 8 hrs to slow the growth

[Floyd R Turbo]

Yep the growth is just getting too thick too fast.

Still very interested to hear how growth that gets too thick too fast causes a problem. consider that this is also 3D growth, in an enclosed box, so the growth does get suspended.

[Garf]

Can you explain this.. cause I need all the input I can. I was running the lights for 16 hrs should I run then 8 hrs to slow the growth

are you running activated carbon ?

[SantaMonica]

It just goes too many days without root lighting.

[Floyd R Turbo]

It just goes too many days without root lighting.

With 3D growth? Meaning, growth is contacting windows and suspending water within itself?

[Garf]

Don't make much sense to me, my growth is infinitely more dense, and I ain't getting die off.

Edit - and my light can't be anywhere as near as intense!

[Floyd R Turbo]

Plus yours is open-air, is it not? iiluisii's growth is so much at times that at 7 days the box is literally full from top to bottom, side to side.

[Garf]

Plus yours is open-air, is it not? iiluisii's growth is so much at times that at 7 days the box is literally full from top to bottom, side to side.

Yep. And aerated (as you know).

[iiluisii]

are you running activated carbon ?

No

[Garf]

Try some!