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Centralscot
07-28-2014, 11:44 AM
Hi, in May this year, 2014, i bought a drop .2 scrubber from your santamonica website, it has been running since then in 2 different tanks, it was on and off for 2 or 3 light periods at first, then on for around 18 hours, it grew dark, almost black algae, on reading santamonicas info, it seemed to me it needed more light so i took out the light blocker and increased the light to 21 hours. its still on at that. Off from 10am till 1pm when the main lights are on. The algae still seems to be quite dark on the green grabber material but has grown a fluffy algae on the inside of the lid. Its a bit odd as when i try to remove some of it, its like squeezing water melon. The water parameters are PH 8.2, Ammonia, 0 Nitrite 0, Nitrate 2, Phosphate 0.02, Calcium 480, Carb KH 10 & SG 1.025
There is still hair algae on the rocks and some brown on the sand but i had bought the live rock from a guy and the nitrate and phos readings were thru the roof, it also had an infestation of aiptasia and bristleworms, but between using x-aiptasia and adding 2 peppermint shrimps, the aiptasia has all but gone and worms are far far less, might be due to the adding a red dragonet which im told can eat small bristleworms.
Fish are 4 percula clowns, a red dragonet and a yellow tailed blue damsel. 2 peppermint shrimps a dancing shrimp and 6 algae hermit crabs along with some new frags and my now spreading xenia coral
I know the drop.2 is too small for this amount of fish but i have a powerfull 1200 tetra canister filter so i was hoping the scrubber would deal with just the nitrate and phosphate.
This is my first attempt at posting on here so i hope ive attached the pix showing the drop.2 and tank fotos
Garry

SantaMonica
07-28-2014, 02:33 PM
Welcome from Scotland.

Good to the the DROP.2 holding on with so many nutrients. Yes you really need at least a HOG1, but if your nutrients measure low, then that's the goal. The DROP.2 LED is extremely strong for it's size, which makes it harder to start growth in lower nutrient tanks, but for higher nutrients like your it's actually a benefit. :)

Centralscot
07-29-2014, 12:24 AM
Hi again. Yes after reading an other of your answers to a drop.2 post, I realised I needed tge larger scrubber but I had intended only having a smaller tank for the drop.2.
Im saving my pennys as we speak for a HOG1x
Im using seawater from the north sea after speaking with a local aquatic shop guy. It sounded unsafe to me at first but I got some to test and all the parameters were spot on which now saves me money to get the HOG1x ;-)

SantaMonica
07-29-2014, 11:11 AM
Seawater is fine, and has all the natural dissolved and particulate food already in it (although they will be consumed in a few hours).

Don't store seawater though, because the food will decompose.