Couple of questions

[DesignsOnline]

Ok a couple of questions for you:
FAQ says not to leave lights on 24/7.

Am I right in understanding that the algae grows when the light is on and filters when the lights are off?
If this is the case, and you want to grow out a brand new screen faster, can you not leave the lights on for 24 hours on an rotational basis,
i.e on 24 hours for a day or 2 then normal lighting photo period the next day, to allow the algae to start filtering, then a day or 2 with 24 hours lighting etc...?



Second question on a tank with high nutrient levels, and nuisence hair algae in the tank, wouldnt ripping the hair algae out of the tank allow the scrubber to take hold and grow better/faster?
On a similar note, if you have a sump full of Cheato, should you leave it there, or will it slow down the growth of the scrubber? The water comes from the display tank, down the weir and then through the scrubber, before it reaches the sump with the cheato, and then finally is pumped back up in to the tank above.

Should I:

A Remove all the Cheato
B Progressively remove the Cheato a little at a time
C Leave the Cheato in forever
D The Cheato will naturally die off as the scrubber takes over

With regards to lighting, Using 6 x 18w CFL bulbs of 2700k on a screen that is 21 inches long and 13 inches high (there is an inch wasted up inside the pipe, and another inch submerged under water at the bottom)
is this going to be sufficient lighting to get going? (I have another 6 clip on bulb holder on the way, but the ebay seller is away on holiday so I cant run them yet, however there will in a couple of weeks time be 12 x 18w CFL 2700k bulbs running on this screen.)

[Floyd R Turbo]

Am I right in understanding that the algae grows when the light is on and filters when the lights are off?

I do not believe that is correct. Algae filters as it grows with exposure to light, consuming CO2. Without light, it will grow differently, consuming O2, but at a much much lower rate. As with all things in life, it needs a 'resting' period.

If this is the case, and you want to grow out a brand new screen faster, can you not leave the lights on for 24 hours on an rotational basis,
i.e on 24 hours for a day or 2 then normal lighting photo period the next day, to allow the algae to start filtering, then a day or 2 with 24 hours lighting etc...?

No.

Second question on a tank with high nutrient levels, and nuisence hair algae in the tank, wouldnt ripping the hair algae out of the tank allow the scrubber to take hold and grow better/faster?

Yes, removing the DT algae will help (as right now that is a scrubber too) but most people cannot remove their rock and scrub it.

On a similar note, if you have a sump full of Cheato, should you leave it there, or will it slow down the growth of the scrubber? The water comes from the display tank, down the weir and then through the scrubber, before it reaches the sump with the cheato, and then finally is pumped back up in to the tank above.

Yes, the algae will get first crack at the dirtiest water, but it takes several passes to completely remove all nutrients (if you start with high nutrients). If you start with low nutrients, the algae will eventually out-compete the chaeto, but it will likely take longer to get the screen started. But not that much longer, again this depends on many factors such as initial nutrient load, feeding, bio-load, strength of scrubber design, etc.

Should I:

A Remove all the Cheato
B Progressively remove the Cheato a little at a time
C Leave the Cheato in forever
D The Cheato will naturally die off as the scrubber takes over

I would think B or D. Once you get adequate screen growth, you can remove it, but don't remove it until you have a mature enough screen to handle the load (minimum of 2 weeks, preferrably 6, but at 2 weeks you could probably start removing the chaeto)

With regards to lighting, Using 6 x 18w CFL bulbs of 2700k on a screen that is 21 inches long and 13 inches high (there is an inch wasted up inside the pipe, and another inch submerged under water at the bottom)
is this going to be sufficient lighting to get going? (I have another 6 clip on bulb holder on the way, but the ebay seller is away on holiday so I cant run them yet, however there will in a couple of weeks time be 12 x 18w CFL 2700k bulbs running on this screen.)

So 21 x 11 = 231 sq in, 6 x 18 = 108, if memory serves me correctly you are running a 180g tank, so this will be enough to get filtration started. You are at a little under 0.5 W/sq in, but your screen is slightly oversized, so I think that balances out. Once you get the other lamps installed, you will be just about right.

[DesignsOnline]

Thank you for the clarification....

[DesignsOnline]

So on a seperate point, what is the optimum lighting period for a new scrubber on a high nutrients tank...?
8 hours, 9 hours or more?

[Floyd R Turbo]

I would start with 18 on 6 off. Adjust as needed, but start with the standard. If you have high nutrients and end up getting black slime, you want as much light as possible, and you want to clean the black slime off every 3 days.

[SantaMonica]

Am I right in understanding that the algae grows when the light is on and filters when the lights are off?

Chemically it does different things in light and dark, but it needs both to function.

wouldnt ripping the hair algae out of the tank allow the scrubber to take hold and grow better/faster?

Yes, because the nutrients do not go into the water. What would not work is putting in a lawnmower, or turning off the lights, because this puts the nutrients into the water which causes the algae to grow darker and less efficiently.

if you have a sump full of Cheato, should you leave it there, or will it slow down the growth of the scrubber?

It will only cause the scrubber to take longer. The chaeto is really just more nuisance algae. Plus it traps particles. I'd remove it all.

Using 6 x 18w CFL bulbs of 2700k on a screen that is 21 inches long and 13 inches high

If this is 3 bulbs on one side, it's not enough. Only the areas within 4" of the bulbs will be doing anything. You need 6 bulbs on each side. Or T5's.

what is the optimum lighting period for a new scrubber

Any scrubber is 18 hours.

[DesignsOnline]

Excellent, thanks for your replies.
I will get to work accordingly...

[Reefkeeper82]

I have chaetos growing in my sump. They are actually growing even though my screen is maturing. So not sure if a fully grown screen will deplete nutrient so much that macro algae can't grow. I guest if you have a super screen that is too strong for your tank, that may happen.

[SantaMonica]

Yes a scrubber always over powers chaeto. If not, the scrubber is not powerful enough.