Yeah im just a newbie in the world of scrubbers, but logic would also say if your screen was working optimally for your feeding it would take the N and P out once its working optimally with a thick covering of GHA. If you arent getting the GHA it isnt really doing anything for you anyway is my understanding.
Yes they totally should, because any N and P will reduce down to a steady state dictated by the feeding amount.Dont think size guidelines should apply while there's plenty nitrates and phosphates around
Hmmmm - surely the feeding guidelines only apply when the "steady state" threshold has been reached. Let's face it, if you were locked into a supermarket you wouldn't starve to death until the food was gone or perished, even though new food was not being introduced.Originally Posted by SantaMonica
My scrubber is sized using the new guidelines. I am good for 4 cubes...I am interested to feed a lot to my tank and would prefer to have more fish if I can get my parameters in check.
I am currently feeding equivalent of 2 cubes/day but still having nitrate issues. My flow over a 5 inch screen is a Maxijet 1200. I am getting near 200gph, so really I should be good for a 10 inch screen. One light I can get positioned quite well, but the other side is difficult due to a center brace and lack of adequate height in the sump area. Interestingly, the side which the light is placed better doesn't grow any better. My algae tends to grow more like a sheet of nori instead of the hairy green stuff I see on here.
One thing I am wondering about lately is the turnover of water from the main tank. I have about 300 gph passing through the return pump. Is it possible that this is too low and therefore not delivering the nutrients from the main tank to the sump. On the same topic, if circulation in the main tank is low, could that also lead to nutrients settling and not being delivered to the sump. This however doesn't make sense as I do my water testing generally from the top part of the water column which is also the most turbulent.
I continue to be pissed at my nitrates and wish I had the amount of money I have spent to have a do-over and get it right the first time! Good old hindsight is 20/20.
One thing that is reassuring to all scrubber folks....I haven't used a skimmer since the inception of the scrubber with little to no ill effect. In fact, I have a working theory that some of the corals actually suffered due to the rocks leeching back crap they had taken in over time. Things like zoas which are attached to old rocks have not fared well.
Your scrubber never really started to work properly tho right? So you in my opinion have way to big of a screen, its therfor not growing, and therefor not working effectively to reduce N and P. If your scrubber was working effectively based on what you were feeding its my thought once you get a good GHA growth on it not only will i t keep up with your current feeding regime, it should also start to play catch up on the buildup already excisting in your tank. Its like you are running a V8 engine on 4 cylinders... yeah you are working but not at full potential.
Im nobody to judge, ill be the first to admit I am having issues with my own scrubber and am steep on the bottom end of the learning curve.. but I didnt install a scrubber to correct my system, only to improve it... hopefully I can get a system working for me!
It's been a long time since I posted, but I continue to still get brown/yellow growth that I clean every 2-3 weeks. I have seeded with HA from other places in my sump but it just doesn't take. My nitrates are FINALLY below 20, and I am finally sure of that per my API test kit. Anything near 20 or over and good luck to anyone trying to tell the colors apart. I am still doing water changes because I think they are necessary to pull sediment and crap out, I find my scrubber is maintaining but not improving.
It's likely the lighting not being close enough, but without a complete redesign there isn't much I can do. I had hoped to use the 43 watt (150 equiv) light but my reflectors don't even light up when I use that bulb. Must not be compatible.
Things are definitely getting better though, as levels have slowly gone down in the last months and some corals that were receding or dying look better now. Cheato used to grow in my sump and now each time I harvest the ball gets a little smaller. If I get really crazy this winter I might rebuild the stand to be taller and have more room to maneuver. This would open up endless possibilities. Convincing my wife is another story altogether!!!
Another strange thing is that when I first installed the ATS my pod life was insane in the sump. Since then it's way down, I don't see those tiny white specks all over the place any more. Mostly just amphipods which may be thriving by feeding on the little ones!
Removing the chaeto will speed things up. Also, reducing screen size will help.
I don't want to reduce the screen, because I ultimately want to feed a lot more to have more fish and feed corals aggresively. However, with the higher nutrients, I cannot get myself to feed that much as I am afraid of them going even higher and being back where I started. It's a slippery slope. I have a 4 cube setup, because that's what I want to be able to feed daily.
If your getting 20ppm on an API test kit, the actual amount of nitrate may well be a lot less.
- you may be right, these are not the most accurate!
They beat the living crap our the API Phosphate though, this is just a waste of money!
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