new to algae scrubber

[richard203]

hi I brought a santa monica 1.3g algae scrubber and its been almost 1 month im just seeing small little dots. I emailed santa monica and they tell me to cover the light more and do 18hr air pump. first it was nothing on the screen but after following santa monica 18 hr air pump now I see little black dot on the screen. im I doing something wrong? another question is the cover suppose to fill up with water or the top part is filled with air? when I check my algae scrubber I see that my top part isn't filled with water

[SantaMonica]

Welcome.

It is actually the light that should be 18 hours. The air pump should be 24 hours (no timer).

If the scrubber fills with air, it means the air hole in the top is clogged.

Yours is freshwater, so it should grow quickly. 2 year old tank is probably very high nitrate, and is probably growing very black slime, which is letting go from the white surface. So all you are seeing is some black dots. For this situation, put the top of the scrubber 1 inch (2 cm) above the water, so no air bubbles come out. This will circulate the water inside more, and reduce nitrate more, before the water comes out. And the light should be 24 hours (no timer).

A picture of the white surface, using regular white light, would help. Also a video of the bubbles.

[richard203]

heres some picture of the scrubber. I guess its not black dots its greenish. for the scrubber I just see 1 open hole on top of the scrubber, should I drill some holes on top or would I screw up my warranty like that?

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/Mobile%20Uploads/20180108_202603.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20180108_202603.jpg.html)
http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/Mobile%20Uploads/20180108_203206.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20180108_203206.jpg.html)
http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/Mobile%20Uploads/20180108_204434.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20180108_204434.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

The air at the top is fine; this is how it is supposed to work. No changes are needed.

Also, it looks like yours is growing on the bottom half, which means you probably have the top half covered with the black cloth. So remove the black cloth, which will let light get to all the surfaces.

Keep bubbles at 24 hours.

See how it looks in 10 days.

[richard203]

alright took the black cloth out and going to leave the bubble for 24hr and the light for 24hr

[richard203]

seems like all those greenish stuff is gone and back to all white with the bubble 24/7 and light 24/7

[SantaMonica]

Put the light on 18 hours.

[richard203]

alright after 2 days of 18 hr of light I start seeing little green dot again not a lot but i'll give it some times and see how it goes. i'll update it when its 1 week

[richard203]

k heres a 1 week photo. anything to improve the growth? or just keep doing 18hr of light and 24hr air?

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/Mobile%20Uploads/20180121_193014.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20180121_193014.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

Not sure about the dot, but the white surface is certainly too much light. You can see growth on the edges where light is lower. So put the cloth on 3/4 so most of the light is covered.

[richard203]

oky put cloth 3/4 on the light, most light is covered. i'll post back in 1 week or if anything chances.

[richard203]

heres a pic of the 1 week with the cloth on, don't seems to have much algae like others have in a week. im I doing something wrong?

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/Mobile%20Uploads/20180130_180116.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20180130_180116.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

It is filling in. Do not clean. Feed more, and let the white rocks fill in more.

[richard203]

is there any faster way to cover the white rock faster?

[SantaMonica]

Feed more, and stop all other filters and water changes.

[richard203]

alright i'll report back after another week

[richard203]

heres the pic for this week

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/Mobile%20Uploads/20180207_181913.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20180207_181913.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

Ok is the cloth on the top or bottom?

[richard203]

I think on bottom

[SantaMonica]

Ok if the cloth is on the bottom, and the growth in on the bottom, then the growth needs less light. So cover more of it... like 3/4

[richard203]

its on 3/4 covered last time you told me to cover 3/4, should I cover the whole thing?

[SantaMonica]

Keep it the same then. The growth will reduce light reflecting on the white.

Another week should fill in much more.

Feed even more if you can.

[richard203]

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/CC499247-107B-4F75-B032-AE4C27AD4067.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/CC499247-107B-4F75-B032-AE4C27AD4067.jpg.html)

how long till it full? seems like this been going on for 2 month

[SantaMonica]

What does nitrate measure?

[richard203]

just tested the water at first and it shows 20ppm nitrate

[SantaMonica]

And has there been any medications?

[richard203]

yes the past 3 week. do medication affect it?

[SantaMonica]

Copper-based meds will.

[richard203]

im using this med, look like it don't have copper based med in it.

https://www.amazon.com/Hikari-Usa-AHK73254-Prazipro-Aquarium/dp/B004LOBGYA/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518990101&sr=sr-1&keywords=prazipro&dpID=41KI%252BMkULeL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

[SantaMonica]

Well this is very rare for freshwater. Maybe there was some copper used before and it is in the rocks or wood.

Is there any growth on the glass?

[richard203]

just a bit on the glass

[SantaMonica]

Do you have any copper pipe or fitting?

[richard203]

no only plastic tubing and plastic fitting

[SantaMonica]

How often do you need to clean the glass?

[richard203]

mybe once a month mybe

[SantaMonica]

Have you tested phosphate?

[richard203]

I just tested it and its around .5-1ppm of phosphate

[SantaMonica]

Ok well I'm not sure what else to try, and it is slowing filling in, so let it continue. Sometimes slow starts like this kick in after a while and then get real thick.

[richard203]

heres another week pic

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/66A165BC-7896-4D2A-B7B8-35149ABA7033.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/66A165BC-7896-4D2A-B7B8-35149ABA7033.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

Ok just let it grow.

[richard203]

heres another week, I was wondering when do I remove the cloth? or should I wait longer?

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/7C2F56F7-B7D3-4895-9972-CE8F1770BA69.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/7C2F56F7-B7D3-4895-9972-CE8F1770BA69.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

Ok remove the cloth, keep the same hours, and don't clean it yet.

[richard203]

heres a 1 week pic with the cloth off and 18hrs of light

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/1C01511A-F447-4F27-8911-5A459DDF5CB1.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/1C01511A-F447-4F27-8911-5A459DDF5CB1.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

Ok good. Now since the growth is where the light is, increase light to 22 hours. After a week, brush clean.

[richard203]

heres my first week with 22hrs of light, should I use the brush to clean it or leave it as is?

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/7A6F19BB-BD10-4506-99F9-B9E1D9A865D1.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/7A6F19BB-BD10-4506-99F9-B9E1D9A865D1.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

Yes go ahead. Have you ever used any ChemiClean?

[richard203]

whats that?

[SantaMonica]

It removes cyano, which is bacteria. If you have not tried it, it might be a good experiment to see if removing certain bacteria will enable more scrubber growth.

[richard203]

i'll give it a try after waiting 1 week if its have growth or not

[richard203]

this is 1 week after using a toothbrush to clean it, let me know if I should use the chemiclean or wait another week and see

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/8A493791-BD50-4DF0-AC8F-5D594E6F26EC.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/8A493791-BD50-4DF0-AC8F-5D594E6F26EC.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

With your very high nutrients, it should be very dark and thick after a week, if lights are 22 hours, and bubble are full time.

Might you have any copper fittings in the plumbing? What water do you top off with? And do you do water changes?

[richard203]

theres no piping in the tank. I use tap water with prime. and yes I do water changes mybe once a month

[SantaMonica]

I wonder if the tap is copper pipes. Can you stop water changes for a while, and use distilled water for top off?

[richard203]

its hard for me to top it off with distilled water when I have a 125g tank. lol

[SantaMonica]

Stopping water changes would keep large amounts of contaminants out, if present, and then only the top-offs would have them.

Can you try a Poly Filter pad, which absorbs copper? A large size can fit in a sump or display.

[richard203]

I have poly filter pads in my filter.

[SantaMonica]

Are those the coated pads? They might just be mechanical filters.

[richard203]

I use these pads

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MNNAC6/ref=twister_B0744PTPZ6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/inTank-Aquarium-Pond-Value-600-square-inches/dp/B00B50UPE0/ref=pd_sbs_199_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00B50UPE0&pd_rd_r=8M5R0XK5E49WFHFDTCH4&pd_rd_w=SCnfx&pd_rd_wg=tszYk&psc=1&refRID=8M5R0XK5E49WFHFDTCH4

[SantaMonica]

No, those are just filter pads. You want chemically treated pads that remove copper:

https://premiumaquatics.com/products/poly-filter-pad-single-4-8.html
https://www.marinedepot.com/Poly_Bio_Marine-Filter_Media-PB-FIFM-ct.html

Should always keep some around anyway, in case of emergency.

[richard203]

alright i'll add this in 2 week after doing a water change.

[richard203]

should I brush clean the scrubber and the side or leave it like that for another week?

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/D97EBCB9-04F4-4229-A505-80584459149E.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/D97EBCB9-04F4-4229-A505-80584459149E.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

Scrape it off by pulling the inside part up and pressing the bottom of the case against the glass. Then scrape the rest up and out.

[richard203]

heres a picture before cleaning the scrubber and side of the tank

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/9598FF03-E2B3-45D0-9922-A7E595AC0D4B.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/9598FF03-E2B3-45D0-9922-A7E595AC0D4B.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

Ok it seems to have a nice thick coat of slime growth, which is common for freshwater. So repeat the cleaning when the white rocks are no longer visible, and you will have maximized filtering.

[richard203]

so my scrubber is good to go now? how do people have a thick growth on it? just wait longer before cleaning? do u know how to prevent the glass from having coat of slime on it?

[SantaMonica]

Freshwater does not get much thicker. And the growth on the glass helps even more, for more growth, and for food for fish if you let them eat it. But if you want to stop it, just use a clear sheet like in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z9OR8pTcHs

[richard203]

thanks for the help, now its keep growing after I clean it. I was wondering I don't know if some of those white stuff is coming off. 1 small spot looks yellow and I don't see any of those rough white surface thing on top. I was wondering do these have any warranty on it? I just use toothbrush to clean it so let me know, I can take a take of the yellow spot when I clean my algae scrubber again. Im just asking just is mines starting to fell off.

[SantaMonica]

Can you get picture after cleaning, where white spots come off?

[richard203]

sure i'll take it next week. was wondering wat do more led do? seems like hog 2 and hog 1.3 inside the same just the outside have more led. just wondering if I should upgrade to 4 led instead of 2 led

[SantaMonica]

More LEDs are good for high nutrient water. More nutrients need more light. If light is low, then growth is dark slime.

[richard203]

is the hog 3 only for saltwater or can be used for freshwater? the website say its only for saltwater.

[SantaMonica]

Is best for salt, because the strings work best for salt algae. However, any light can be used with your wet side:

http://www.santa-monica.cc/Outside-half-of-the-HOG3_p_80.html
http://www.santa-monica.cc/Outside-half-of-the-HOG3x_p_81.html
http://www.santa-monica.cc/Outside-half-of-the-HOG3xx_p_88.html

[richard203]

hi I don't have pic right now because I didn't clean my algae scrubber yet because it look cleam. my algae is like hairy style algae and doesn't stick well to the surface. the algae is flying around inside

[SantaMonica]

ok

[richard203]

my question is why is my algae is hairy algae now and keep coming off?

[SantaMonica]

Keeps coming off of what?

[richard203]

the algae is not sticking to the rough surface.
http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/50F31301-A96B-4C57-9946-D470AA8131EF.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/50F31301-A96B-4C57-9946-D470AA8131EF.jpg.html)
http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/richard203/B0D592A9-AB5C-4DC1-A481-5EF758789D35.jpg (http://s563.photobucket.com/user/richard203/media/B0D592A9-AB5C-4DC1-A481-5EF758789D35.jpg.html)

[SantaMonica]

Because you need to clean it. Scrape the glass when you clean the HOG.