HOG.5

[Clavius]

My HOG5 just arrived. All genius ideas are simple, and this one is too. And brilliantly worked out.

Only thing is... I can't get used to the bubbles. It's really loud. Has anybody tried it with a little water pump? Does that work? Or is the extra aeration needed?

[bacon07]

If you leave the top 1" of the unit out of the water there will be virtually no sound or bubbles. The air is what moves the water upwards and brings carbon dioxide to the algae I believe.

[Clavius]

If you leave the top 1" of the unit out of the water there will be virtually no sound or bubbles. The air is what moves the water upwards and brings carbon dioxide to the algae I believe.

I have the top out of the water. The bubbles inside the unit still make lots of sound.

The algae needing Co2 does make sense. But wouldn't the water itself contain enough of it? Other algae turf scrubbers don't need it.

[Garf]

Hi Clavius - problem in saltwater is that the higher the pH the lower the Co2 as it forms into carbonic acid then bicarbonate and then carbonate. Conventional algae screens then use the bicarbonate, turning it back to Co2 to fuel growth. However, this process requires a lot of energy and is therefore wasteful, diverting the energy away from growth. Due to normally low Co2 absorption rates in aquariums this increases the pH just compounding the issue. The idea of bubbling the screens MAY increase direct Co2 availability therefore reducing the Alkalinity depletion issues often found with conventional scrubbers. Hope this makes sense

[SantaMonica]

Glad you like the HOG.5. If you move the unit farther down the glass, it should be more quiet. Also, turning down the airflow makes it quieter too, although you have to balance this with the need to get bubbles across most of the screen.

[Clavius]

Thanks for explaining this! Makes lots of sense.

[Floyd R Turbo]

So you took the magnet out of the molding?

[SantaMonica]

No. Just removed the mold release from the trays.

[bacon07]

Finally some solid growth! It'e very dark on the corners and very light yellow on the center.. will post pic tomorrow

My water and tank looked sparkling today... it was just amazing and the scrubber is just starting to pull junk out of it. Meanwhile I added 10 or so nerites ranging from black and white to pink and purple, that should add bioload and help clean the tank while the scrubber keeps growing.

[Clavius]

Ok, I got and installed my HOG unit 7 days ago. Now, for the first time, I see some algae growth... Should I clean this? Or should I let it grow and clean it the next time when there is some solid growth?