I've been running a 500 liter tank now for 5 years. It is very well stocked with SPS, LPS, softies, filter feeders and a modest amount of fish.
The nutrients are being kept very low by a combination of a giant skimmer and the ZEOvit method. Off course, this results in very lightly coloured corals, which was my goal. Generally I'm very pleased with the colouring and growth of my corals, and please with my tank in general.
But one battle I've always lost: brown algae covering my sandbed. I could not, for the life of me, find what was causing those algae. Not to mention solve it. I've tried many many things to solve it, but up untill recently, without luck.
Almost three weeks ago though, I installed a HOG.5 unit. It was a little experiment that I wanted to do ever since I learned about algaescrubbers. I was never creative enough to build one myself, as the space in my 100 ltr sump is very limited. The HOG.5 was affordable and tiny enough to enable my experiment. I could even fit 6 of those units in there with ease.
Off course, with the ZEO-method, my nutrients already were really very low. I couldn't measure any NO3 or PO4 with my Salifert testkits. And I never bothered with more expensive kits, unmeasurable should be good enough. I wanted to see if the vitamins and aminoacids that the algaescrubber produces will add anything to my reef. And, more importantly, if the algae will consume "something" that the brown algae on my sandbed require.
But he result in my sandbed is staggering. After only 3 weeks, not a trace of the pesky brown algae is left! An extra benefit, that I didn't expect, is that my lightly coloured corals now all have noticably much more colour. Without getting darker. They seem to glow! I don't know if it is from the vitamins that are released in the water. Or maybe the ugly brown algae were also covering my corals and that I am now finally seeing my uncovered corals!
Strangely enough, the algae in my HOG.5 aren't light green, as you would expect with nutrient-poor tanks. But they're a mix of dark brown with red tints here and there. So, I have no idea why that is or how that works. But at this stage I'm just so happy that I really don't care. I feel awfully smug right now!
I am really looking forward to seeing some long-term results. Next step would be installing more of those little units and ultimately the removal of the Zeovit method. ZEO is a very expensive method! Although that was not my intention at first, but seeing how effective this little unit has really converted me. But I won't do anyting hasty. I'm always very reluctant to tinker with something that works. Right now I have a tank that looks PERFECT, and I'm going to enjoy that for a long time first, before changing anything. Maybe after I finished my DIY LED project. In the comming months I'll be replacing my 8 T5 tubes with LED.
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