The new Upflow Algae Scrubber (UAS)

[Red_ant]

Note to SURF2 owners: If your tank is new, or if your tank has low nutrients because of lots of nuisance algae, your scrubber compartment may stay "paper white" for several weeks because the scrubber light is too strong compared to how many nutrients are in the water. This is solved by placing a stocking, screen, colored cellophane, T-shirt, or some other partially-transparent material over the light for the first month. After growth covers the white textures and strings in the compartment, you can remove the material from the light and get back to full-power growth.

What should the light cycle be with the t-shirt filter for one month? My tank is low nutrients/high nuisance algae. I have an overflow fed like the mix2. I have the following 2 of the following light on it. 52 watts total. I have the lights set at 18/6. No growth in 1.5 weeks. I hope I don't have too much flow but it looks like I need to do the t-shirt filter but want to know what light schedule to use and if I should just use 26 watts instead of the 52? Thanks as always.

[SantaMonica]

Best to start a thread with pics.

[SantaMonica]

First SURF4 harvest at 17 days:

[bryan]

just placed order but one question I had...can you run these in your sump? Any disadvantages?

[SantaMonica]

Yes any scrubber, upflow or waterfall, can go anywhere. The algae does the same job.

A practical matter, for upflow scrubbers in a sump, is just the placement of the air pump(s), depending on if you want total silence or not.

[bryan]

One more question...currently running bio pellets, gfo reactor, oversized skimmer, and a large uv sterilizer. Should I keep running all of them until unit is is fully grown in or start shutting these down. Just some additional info, tank in the last few months has been steadily increasing in green hair, red, and the course tougher to get off the rocks algae. About 450 gal total so I know I'll need additional scrubbers down the road. Not feeding much at all and and all nitrates and phos test low but I'm sure that's because the algae in dt are eating them up. Thanks SM...Nice unit by the way. Will be getting another next month!

[SantaMonica]

The UV and skimmer have no effect, but the pellets and gfo will slow down a scrubber. So after a week of building up scrubber growth you can remove the pellets, and after a good second or third harvest you can remove the gfo. Or if the scrubber is growing great, you can leave everything on.

[SantaMonica]

Looks like scrubbers may grow more pods than first suspected. Especially upflows, when you don't take them to the sink for cleaning (in other words, you just reach in a grab algae). This explains why chromis always hang out downstream of the scrubbers, catching stuff coming by.

My SURF4 was going consistent, and apparently had a huge pod population below the growth, consuming the growth almost as fast as it was growing. It had been running over 3 months without going to the sink, and, fish could not get into the scrubber either, so there was nothing to slow the pods. But then growth slowed down when 2 of the 4 air outlets clogged with carbonate. I did not notice for over a week since I don't pay it any attention. Since the pod population was the same, but growth was less, the pods could keep up with the growth and the growth never increased. When I looked, the pods completely covered the bottom of the scrubber, and would jump right on your hand if you touched the bottom. So I cleaned it in the sink and soaked it for 5 minutes, to kill all the pods. Also cleaned out the air outlets with a paper clip.

This could explain why some SURF2 or SURF4 users have growth in SW but it never "takes off"; it just reaches a certain level and stays there. Pods! Solution: pour some FW in after harvesting. Last resort: take to the sink, and soak it.

[SantaMonica]

Here's some results of fewer LEDs:

A 1-LED unit fully grown in SW:



Pic of first 2 weeks of a 2-LED unit on SW:




Vid of first 2 weeks of a 2-LED unit on SW:




Vid of one year of a 2-LED unit running on FW:

[bryan]

Just a quick update for all...serious algae issues were taking over my tank. Have been running a Surf 4 unit now for about 3 months. Also still running GFO to speed up results. Algae is really beginning to subside and left over algae is turning a hint of yellow. Scrubber is solid green and growing like crazy. Red algae is now beginning to form on rocks so not sure how long that will last. Will more than likely be turning off the GFO after a couple more cleanings of scrubber. I was at the end of my battle and this was the last chance I had or I was planning on tearing the tank down. Very happy and will be purchasing another unit shortly. SM, can you comment on the red algae on rocks? I'm assuming its from the leaching of POS from rocks?