Duckwed in FW algae scrubber?

[inkidu]

I am having some problems with water clarity with my horizontal scrubber. I have

placed filter fiber at the water outlet and that has improved things. I might be being

impatient, my scrubber/tank is not that old. What benefits does algae have over duckweed? I have

not added yet because I have read that once you do you will never get rid of it. I did have it years

ago inadvertently, was stuck to plants I bought, but was never a problem because the scrubber was

doing its job i.e. keeping nutrients down. I have heard that it will out compete algae I am assuming

because it block the light there maybe other reasons??? How would it act on a screen?

I have a low flow in my scrubber now ( might not wash the duckweed away )

I really don't want to buy a bigger pump ($,noise, and power consumption)

I have heard of people using it as a way to tell if somethings wrong.

If there was great increase in the amount of duckweed the nutrients are getting to high.

I know I should go vertical but $$$ I am bleeding it. Just wondering has anyone tried it?

Thanks for any help

[Amphiprion]

I can't say how it will grow on a screen, but I can say that algae will grow faster, thereby assimilating more inorganic nutrients than even duckweed. That would be the main advantage of algae.

[SantaMonica]

Cloudiness is caused by not cleaning every 7 days.

Or, your screen could be too smooth, and algae is letting go into the water.

Describe the clarity problem more.

[inkidu]

Thanks for the replies.

I am getting what I would describe as a faded pea green.

When I first started the screen, I had some dark algae that collected on and below the screen,

on the lighting grate, a part usually associated with fluorescent lighting

look at part # 222 ( santa monica I think this is where the algae is slipping from)

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5536398.pdf

That algae has since rotted away and was replace by bright green algae that mainly

collects on the screen. That rotting algae seemed to make a slow progression down the length of the

scrubber. I have since used filter floss to collect as much of this as possible.

I have also notice that the filter floss has been less soiled as I do my normal daily floss change.

I have for the last week only have the scrubber doing the filtering. Before I had an marineland bio wheel

working which I removed. I am excited about this because ever since I started keeping fish, some 15 years ago,

I only used algae scrubbers. When I read about it for the first time I knew then that was the only way to go.

I don't think the discus mind the algae it is just not aesthetically pleasing. I have an old diatom filter, which could

give a good polishing of the water, but the screen broke. I might order another but over the last month this hobby

is beating up my wallet. I think I might just be more patient. Possibly adjusting flow with the lighting. I still am

about to add my biggest addition of lighting, 90 watts of leds. (waiting on led drivers)

Thanks for any help.

[SantaMonica]

Green water is broken algae strands draining into the water, which is ususally caused by not removing the screen when you clean, but also by large amounts of algae ripping off of the screen (or scrubber box, in your case) and doing the same thing. I would imagine that the box design you are using has all sorts of places that algae grows on, besides the screen, and then lets go. That is why you only want algae growing on a very rough screen that is removed for cleaning.