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jungleboy
07-19-2013, 06:29 PM
Hey I have had my freshwater scrubber going for almost 2 months now and there is no growth. I have taken algae from my mini scrubber from my 10 gallon tank that i used to test to see if it would really work on freshwater and threaded it through the holes in the screen. My screen is about 7" wide and the lights I have are two 23w cfl bulbs about 4" away from the screen. I can't figure out why algae is not growing. The stuff I thread through the holes turns yellow and dies. I recently turned down the time the lights were on to 15 hours like my 10 gallon has but still no improvement. someone please help! I have attached photos of my scrubber.
Thanks
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SantaMonica
07-20-2013, 07:21 AM
Are you sure they are 23 real watts?

Move them closer, and up to 18 hours.

jungleboy
07-20-2013, 03:36 PM
Ya 23 real watts. I will try that. Thanks!

Andy_cy
07-22-2013, 09:51 PM
My experience with CFLs at 4" wasn't very good. IMO, CFLs need to be closer to the screen, at least for a FW setup.

Also make sure your screen is well roughed up, as FW hair algae has very poor attachments.

But even without a rough screen, if conditions are right, brown algae should still show up. Which leaves me to think that maybe your tank has low nutrients?

jungleboy
07-23-2013, 08:41 PM
no there are definitely enough nutrients. there is a foam that builds up because of the bubbles, kind of what i expect from a protein skimmer on a salt water tank, and so i know there are nutrients. and my fish have been getting sick because of the nutrient build up, i have been hoping that the algae would start growing because the nutrients are so high.

Andy_cy
07-23-2013, 08:49 PM
Is your screen roughened up? It does seem rather foamy at the end of your screen. Almost like a soap-type foam. Try what SM mentioned, move the lights closer and increase photoperiod.

The last thing you could take note of is to be sure that you're not dosing any algaecides such as seachem flourish excel.

Do post an update again soon.

SantaMonica
07-24-2013, 03:33 AM
How much flow comes off the bottom?

RkyRickstr
07-24-2013, 11:40 AM
What is your actual nitrate reading?

jungleboy
07-24-2013, 11:09 PM
The flow comes off in a sheet like it is supposed to. I just widened the slit the other day with my new dremel. I don't have a test kit so I don't know. I keep procrastinating getting one but I need to soon. I will take it to my lfs to get a test

jungleboy
07-30-2013, 10:36 PM
i just re-roughened up the screen and i put toothpicks through some of the holes to add more area for the algae to stick too, kind of like the zip ties i saw someone post before. Crossing my fingers that this works!

SantaMonica
07-30-2013, 10:48 PM
Well it has to grow if conditions are right...

jungleboy
08-04-2013, 07:53 PM
is there any changes/modifications that you can see that need to be improved on the pictures i posted in my first post? there still is no growth, even brown diatomic growth

SantaMonica
08-04-2013, 08:19 PM
Usually this just means the light is way way too weak. I would replace them with 33 real watt CFL floodlights 2700k "warm" or "sof't".

jungleboy
08-05-2013, 06:07 AM
floodlights instead of the regular twisty cfl lights? just clarifying because i want to get this thing working!

SantaMonica
08-05-2013, 10:46 AM
Yes, CFL floodlights (which still have twisties inside them) will get more light to the screen and won't need your reflectors.

jungleboy
08-05-2013, 02:54 PM
I can't find any 33 watt cfl flood lights. I can only find 23 watt ones. Would it be better to get those or feta higher watt regular cfl and use the reflectors?

And do I need different reflectors anyways?

SantaMonica
08-05-2013, 03:13 PM
Use the 23.

jungleboy
10-07-2013, 10:54 AM
So I decided just to stick it out with my current set up and I am getting brown growth now. I have switched lights and distances and photoperiods around but still no green growth. My readings go as followed ammonium 0-.25 nitrite 0 nitrate 0. Is it not growing because there in not enough nutrients to make it grow?

Floyd R Turbo
10-07-2013, 11:19 AM
I notice earlier in the thread you mention that the fish were getting sick due to nutrient levels, yet your nutrient levels are fine. If you are only getting the brown growth, at least that is a start.

How big is the tank? How many fish? what do you feed? any live plants in the tank? any nuisance algae?

jungleboy
10-07-2013, 07:40 PM
my parameters were high but I added biomedical and got them under control. so now I'm working on the scrubber again

jaddis18
10-07-2013, 07:54 PM
what i did with my setup when i was getting brown growth in the initial stage was increase my photoperiod to 20hours and green just grew everywhere, but now i notice my screen grows brown then it'll turn green(weird).

u got to measure your water flow, get a 1 litre bottle or something and time the outflow to fill up the bottle.

jungleboy
10-07-2013, 09:38 PM
also bud, I have about 10 full grown guppies, lots of babies guppies, 3 glowlight tetras, 4 black neon tetras, 3 cherry shrimp, 2 ghost shrimp, Malaysian trumpet snails, and some pond snails. I feed a DIY fish food that is a mixture of lettuce, egg, tropical flakes, tubifex worms, carrots, and fruit flies. I feed this every other day and microworms the other day. I have no niciance algae anywhere in the tank. I have a few live plants. I have a Java moss that I am bringing back too life, 2 Java fern clippings and 4 plant cuttings from my other tank.

Jad,
what type of lights are you using on your scrubber? the flow off my screen filled up a gallon bucket in 34 seconds. I don't know what that is in gph.

SantaMonica
10-07-2013, 10:32 PM
The change from green to brown to green is the difference if feeding.

jungleboy
10-07-2013, 10:46 PM
umm... didn't quite understand that. could you explain in greater depth please

SantaMonica
10-08-2013, 07:13 AM
When you feed more it will grow green.

Floyd R Turbo
10-08-2013, 08:07 AM
That doesn't help, he didn't change feeding. His screen grows brown first, then green, each time - if I understood that correctly.

jungleboy
10-08-2013, 08:18 AM
that is not what my screen is doing, that is what jaddis18's screen does. unless you are responding to him instead. then just ignore me

jungleboy
10-08-2013, 08:34 AM
also, is the fact that my screen is not growing a good sign, telling me that my tank parameters are good and that my existing biomedia can handle the load I have in it?

Floyd R Turbo
10-08-2013, 09:27 AM
I think we were both responding to jaddis18's post about the growth starting brown then turning green. Sorry for that, back to yours. If you have no algae & nutrient issues, then don't worry much about not getting growth. Just let it go for a while, 14 days, and then check it. If you don't have any growth that would block light to the screen, then let it go another 3-4 days, check again, etc. When you do clean it, clean very lightly, like just swiping your hand across it and lightly rinsing - do not scrub. Encourage additional growth. It may take time

jaddis18
10-10-2013, 11:47 PM
just leave your screen for 14days. thats when good growth happens, i left my screen for 21 days then i cleaned it. it will be 7days after cleaning this sunday, so far what i see on my screen is better growth than the last time, guess its taking effect. but my nitrate is still the same i guess when i last checked.

give it time. then post an update.

jungleboy
10-13-2013, 06:18 PM
so instead of having my screen come out of a slit in a pipe, i have the overflow drop into a bucket with the slit in the bottom. i was looking at it the other day and it kind of swirls the water in a circle. this pushed most of the flow down one side of the screen and leaves the other side mostly dry, i mean not dry but very little flow. could this be my problem?

SantaMonica
10-13-2013, 07:43 PM
Pics.

What is biomedical?