First Basic Scrubber

[kharmaguru]

Here's my first (kinda ghetto) scrubber. I used some scrap glass to make a basic box and a piece of PVC drainage pipe with some reflective material for the light source.

Everything I had laying about so the only purchases were a 3pack of 23W CFL's ($6) and the plastic canvas ($1). All the canvas in stock at 7pt was coloured so I had to buy 10pt to get a clear piece. I work in the label industry so I have access to lots of reflective mylars with adhesive backing that I used a scrap of for my reflector.

I wanted a direct feed from my tank overflow but the flowrate was very low and would've made a small screen. I made it a "hybrid" with a return pump (Rio 1100 off an old Superskimmer) and overflow both feeding the screen.

I'll post some before and after shots of the tank when I see some results.

This is the scrubber on initial startup. Wish me luck!

4020

[SantaMonica]

Welcome.

Try to get a light on the other side.

[kharmaguru]

Thanks. Perhaps 2 lights will be on version 2.0....

[Floyd R Turbo]

So your return line is into the top of the pipe, then the Rio feeds at the bottom via the hose barb fitting? you need a hose barb fitting in the upper T as well if that's the case. Once you start to get growth, the screen will grow algae at the junction of the screen and the slot, creating resistance. You need backpressure (vertical water column head pressure) to ward off further growth into he slot, or else it will block the flow and your water will all pump out of the top of the pipe.

[kharmaguru]

So your return line is into the top of the pipe, then the Rio feeds at the bottom via the hose barb fitting? you need a hose barb fitting in the upper T as well if that's the case. Once you start to get growth, the screen will grow algae at the junction of the screen and the slot, creating resistance. You need backpressure (vertical water column head pressure) to ward off further growth into he slot, or else it will block the flow and your water will all pump out of the top of the pipe.

OK, that's easily doable. Thanks for the heads-up. This site is the best.

[kharmaguru]

This is after 1 week. Not sure it's even algae, lol. Is this a normal start?

4034

[SantaMonica]

Your tank must be new.

[Floyd R Turbo]

Yep, that's pretty normal. Looks like a brownish color, hard to tell, might be some green in it. Usually the first week is a brown diatom coating.

[kharmaguru]

Actually it's not. I had a 90 gallon for 2 years that became so overrun with algae, what I think were dinos, and aiptasia that I tore it down, threw a bunch of rock out in the sun and put what remained alive in a 10 gallon with my original 35gallon sump (which is full of rock too). The rock had come from another reefer who had FOWLR system so I think it was pretty full up on phosphate from the getgo. I've gotten rid of the dinos and I have some berghia that are slowly but surely nuking the aiptasia, but I still have a few varieties of algae hanging on that love to cluster around the corals so that's why I figured I'd give the scrubber a shot. The 10gal has been setup for just about a year now too and trust me, I've wanted to give up a few times....

[SantaMonica]

It looks weak on the light then.

[kharmaguru]

After 13 days. Slightly more brown stuff. I added a second light and reflector a week ago. There is a possibility that I destroyed my green hair algae a few years ago with algaefix. I've never gotton green hazing on the glass or the typical fast growing from a dot hair algae since I used it.

4050

[SantaMonica]

Probably. Should grow back.

[kharmaguru]

2 weeks growth. It's a brown turf algae for sure since it took forever to get it off the screen. Evil roots but grows slow.
I've added a couple pieces of new rock hoping to get the right species of algae growing.
4085.

[SantaMonica]

Looks like it could use more/focused/hours light.