UAS ix

[mlandscape]

I have been running my new 1x now for 14 days and slight signs of algae starting to show see attached image. Lights on 12 hrs with cover at moment
Is this what you would expect?
Still running filter which include floss, Matrix Carbon, Purigen and Phosguard. Had algae despite running these hence reason for adding 1x.
Is it OK to keep these running. Slightly nervous of stopping.

[SantaMonica]

Welcome from UK.

Looks like the only growth is where the LEDs are. So pull the cloth halfway off, and run it 18 hours.

[mlandscape]

Thanks for the welcome.
Done that - don't suppose it makes a difference which half is uncovered?
Whats your thoughts on continued use of filter items. Are these having any effect on the scrubbers effectiveness?
Thanks

[SantaMonica]

If you've tried half-shading, then remove all the shade.

Other filters should not have an effect at this time.

[mlandscape]

Thanks for that.
Reading your reply I wonder if I had confused you. When I said "done that" I meant I had now done it following your advice.
I'll update in 7/14 days to let you see what effect your suggestion has had.
Thanks again

[mlandscape]

Update - 7 days from last post 21 days in total. The dark part is the area that has been covered for last 7 days. Now running 18 hrs a day.
I presume this means that I should cover all 4 LEDs ?

[SantaMonica]

Yes it looks like it. leave the last 1" uncovered though, just for comparison.

[mlandscape]

Done as you suggested.
Will update in due course
Thanks

[mlandscape]

Latest up date - now running 4 weeks - expected to be showing more growth by now.
Latest image attached shows after further week with all LED's covered.
Upon removal of scrubber found quite a bit of algae and bubbles on glass which I have removed. - see attached image.
Now reinstalled as before 18hrs all LEDs covered.
Any further advice please?

5459

[SantaMonica]

Uncover all LED, and run 12 hours.

[mlandscape]

OK will do and update in a further week

[mlandscape]

Almost one further week on. 5 weeks in total incl last week with all LED's uncovered and lit for 12 hours.
Now starting to see some growth - seems to be a mixture of light and dark.
I have not cleaned yet - assume that is OK?
Shall I continue with all uncovered and 12 hrs on ?

5466

[SantaMonica]

Let it keep growing another week.

Looks like the top air hole might be clogged; the waterline / algae-line seems to have dropped.

Anyway, will be fully operational in a bit.

[mlandscape]

Thanks for feedback.
The top air hole is not clogged.
I have been using it above the waterline to avoid bubbles. Could that be causing it?

[SantaMonica]

Does not need to be so high up. Try lower.

[mlandscape]

OK I have moved it down so the water line is level with the air tube entering the scrubber.
I'd placed it so the top one inch was above the water as per the instructions.
Thanks

[mlandscape]

One week further on - 6 weeks in total and the last 2 weeks on full LED's all uncovered for 12 hours per day and the results are now starting to show both inside the scrubber with algae growth and with less algae in the tank.
Decided to clean algae out of scrubber see before and after cleaning images below and some of the algae removed.

54855484

A couple of questions please:-

Assume I carry on with full LEDs for 12 hours uncovered?

I have noticed a slight rise of my ammonia and nitrate levels from zero before. Only change in set up is adding scrubber. Is that normal?

Algae that had grown on glass quite hard and difficult to remove without scrapping. This releases spores back into the tank - is that a problem?

I have bubble algae in the tank - will that go as well and if so approximately how long before it goes?


Thanks

[SantaMonica]

Nice progress. Looks like you can go to 18 hours.

You should never have any ammonia; your rock and sand should handle it right away. As for nitrate, that is what the algae is eating, so it should be getting less, not more. See how it is in week. Sounds like your test kits are wrong.

This happens when nutrients in the tank are less; more nutrients grow brown dino's and diatoms on the glass which brush right off. Another reason to think your kits are off.

Bubble algae, cyano and bryopsis are always the last to go. Could take 6 months to a year depending on how strong the scrubber is. Also be ready for phosphate coming out of the rocks:

-------

Many people, when they get their scrubber running for the first time, get worried when more (not less) algae starts to grow on their rocks. It seems really strange, especially when nitrate and phosphate have gone lower than before. What is happening is that phosphate is coming out of the rocks. Remember, phosphate is invisible, so you can only see the effects of it, and it always "flows" from higher concentrations to lower concentrations (just like heat does).

Example: If your room is warm, and you put a cold object on the floor, heat from the air in the room will "flow" into the object until the object and the air are the same temperature. Example 2: If you put a hot object on the floor, heat will "flow" out of the object and go into the air in the room, again, until the air and the object are the same temperature. Now suppose you open your windows (in the winter). The warm air in your room will go out the windows, and it will get colder in the room. The object on the floor is now warmer than the air, so heat will flow out of the object and into the air, and then out the window.

Think of phosphate as the heat, and your rocks as the object, and your windows as the scrubber. As the scrubber pulls phosphate out of the water, the phosphate level in the water drops. Now, since the phosphate level in the water is lower than the phosphate level in the rocks, phosphate flows from the rocks into the water, and then from the water into the scrubber. This continues until the phosphate levels in the rocks and water are level again. And remember, you can't see this invisible flow.

This flow causes an interesting thing to happen. As the phosphate comes out of the rocks, it then becomes available to feed algae as soon as the phosphate reaches the surface of the rocks where there is light. So, since the surface of the rocks is rough and has light, it starts growing MORE algae there (not less) as the phosphate comes out of the rocks. This is a pretty amazing thing to see for the first time, because if you did not know what was happening you would probably think that the algae in the scrubber was leaking out and attaching to your rocks. Here are the signs of phosphate coming out of the rocks:

1. The rocks are older, and have slowly developed algae problems in the past year.

2. The scrubber is new, maybe only a few months old, and has recently started to grow well.

3. Nitrate and phosphate measurements in the water are low, usually the lowest they have been in a long time.

4. Green hair algae (not brown) on the rocks has increased in certain spots, usually on corners and protrusions at the top.

5. The glass has not needed cleaning as much.


Since skimmers, filter socks, etc don't remove any nitrate and phosphate, and waterchanges and macro's in a fuge don't remove much, most people have never seen the effects of large amounts of phosphate coming out of the rocks quickly. But sure enough, it does. How long does it continue? For 2 months to a year, depending on how much phosphate is in the rocks, how strong your scrubber is, and how many other phosphate-removing filters you have (GFO, carbon dosing, etc). But one day you will see patches of white rock that were covered in green hair the day before; this is a sure sign that the algae are losing their phosphate supply from the rocks and can no longer hold on. Now it's just a matter of days before the rocks are clear.

[mlandscape]

Thanks for the reply - all noted and will try to get the ammonia and nitrate tests done at my local shop.
Hours upped to 18.
Not seeing any signs yet of more algae due to rock phosphates yet - thankfully but there is always time I suppose.

[mlandscape]

A further week - the last on 18hrs.
Mostly blackish/dark green algae around sides. See attached image. Sorry about my legs in frame :-)
Cleaned what bit there.
Do I continue at 18hrs or is that too much?
By the way I have changed my test kits and ammonia etc all within acceptable levels. Thanks



5487

[SantaMonica]

Keep 18 hours. Go ahead and brush all the dark stuff out.

[mlandscape]

OK thanks. Cleaned off what I can but seems quite difficult to remove.

[SantaMonica]

Yes that's Green-Grabber :)

[mlandscape]

Eight and a half weeks in now with last two weeks on 18hrs with full LED's . Heres a before and after cleaning photos.
Assume I just continue with 18hrs and full lights.

[SantaMonica]

Looks great. Could go to 20 hours now and make use of the high power of the HOG1x four LEDs to turn more of the black to green.

Be sure to scrub all the dark stuff off the rocks.

[mlandscape]

Is there an advantage of turning to the green ?
Do you mean off the rocks in the tank ? Not sure got any just some bits of hair algae and of course the bubble algae I mentioned earlier.

[SantaMonica]

Green growth in the scrubber lets more light hit the Green Grabber material, so more algae roots stay alive in the scrubber and don't let go, which results in more filtering.

Black growth in the scrubber blocks light from the roots, and the roots die and let go.

[mlandscape]

OK thanks now moved onto 20 hrs

[mlandscape]

Latest update. Algae still seems same colour - certainly not green.
Presumably leave on 20 hrs?
5528

[SantaMonica]

22 hours.

Some of the brown there is trapped particles.

Clean everything down to the white surfaces; this will reflect even more light.

[mlandscape]

OK upped to 22 hours.
Not sure what you mean by trapped particles.
I have cleaned off as much as I can and put back. Finding it difficult to get down to white surfaces.

[SantaMonica]

When it fills with growth, it can act like a filter sock and trap particles. That can be some of the brown stuff you see.

[mlandscape]

OK thanks for the explanation

[mlandscape]

Due to holiday scrubber not checked for just over two weeks.
This is latest still on 22 hours.
5560

[SantaMonica]

Looks like lots of trapped food particles blocked all the light and caused dark growth. Going to need a good toothbrush cleaning down the the white surfaces.

[mlandscape]

Thanks. I have given a good clean but finding it difficult to get down to the white surfaces.
Is the trapped food particles normally in there ? Or do I have another problem to sort out ??

[SantaMonica]

No they are the brown stuff in the middle of the last pics, and they come right out.

[mlandscape]

I have removed all the brown stuff no problem.
Why am I getting this and not green algae?

[SantaMonica]

Because it filled up and trapped food particles which blocked light.

[mlandscape]

OK thanks. Is it normal for it to trap food particles and block?

[SantaMonica]

If it stays packed full for a while, it acts like a filter sock.

[mlandscape]

Thanks

[mlandscape]

For the last week I have been running the scrubber below the waterline as the front page of your Installation instructions says it filters better. Generally this seemed to show less algae growth with the central area remaining reasonably unaffected. So I moved the scrubber back below the water line and within 24 hrs filling with the dark algae etc . But still no light green algae. Can you please explain this and in my circumstances of growth since installation which would you advise is the better position. Also do I continue to run the lights for 22hrs?

[SantaMonica]

Not clear on this. Was it, and is it, above or below? What is unaffected?

The best position for filtering is what grows the best for you.

[mlandscape]

Up until last week it has always been above the water line.
For the last week below the waterline - very little growth at all except some dark stuff around the perimeter.
Yesterday I moved back to above the waterline and today back to dark growth over all area

[SantaMonica]

I think it's just filling in again after seeing the white surfaces for the first time since the start.

[mlandscape]

Thanks

[mlandscape]

Latest images of scrubber before clean.
Reduced from 22 to 18 due to white area in middle

5577

[SantaMonica]

Seems back to normal. Just keep all the dark stuff brushed off, so the green can attach.