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Thread: Algae Scrubber Keeps Crashing My Tank

  1. #11

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    Yeah O2 might not make sense.
    The thing is - other than a gas, little else makes sense for a 5 minute reaction.

    But thinking more, those symptoms really match carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide poisoning.
    Could be high tank CO2 level + CO / CO2 released from decaying algae as well when disturbed.

    Easy enough to test for ammonia. A spike that can kill in 5 minutes would certainly show up on a basic test kit.

    Test PH levels before/after, and in an aerated glass. If that changes between samples, you may have an O2/CO2 issue.

  2. #12
    kerry's Avatar
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    That is bizarre!!! After I remove my screens I dunk them all into my displays and vigorously shake them in the water to remove any pods and tiny starfish. Is your algae rooted to the screen black???
    150G. Reef/Mix
    125G. 3 Regular Oscars/1 Jack Dempsey
    75G. 20+ Africans
    40G. Fish/Reef. Algae Scrubbers on ALL my SW
    10G. SW Fish/Reef.
    10G. SW Hospital/new fish quarantine/pod breeder tank
    6 stage RO/DI system 200 GPD.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by SantaMonica View Post
    Without seeing pics or knowing more, I'd say the screen went too long and/or grew too dark and the roots were rotting with ammonia.
    If the screen were rotting with ammonia, why would this be released all of the sudden like this? I would think that if the screen were rotting and releasing ammonia, it would be doing so continually as the water passed through it. Perhaps there would be a pocket of water near the screen that is just sort of "stuck" there until the water flow is shut off? I guess this is another reason for regular screen cleaning.

  4. #14
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    I could be all soaked up into dead material, underneath thick black growth which sort of seals it.

    When I let mine go too long, the center of the screen will have a pocket like this.

  5. #15

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    Hey guys. Sorry for the late reply. I know you have to clean your scrubber once a week but how long would you suggest it takes a freshly cleaned mature scrubber to become toxic in your tank by not cleaning it?

  6. #16
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    Have never heard of a screen becoming toxic before.

  7. #17
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    Can't say I have ever had a screen become toxic.. and I have left my screen on for 30 days. At most it gets covered in cyano after week 3, but when I clean it the algae under the cyano is still alive and strong.

  8. #18

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    That's the only thing I can think of is maybe i'm leaving the algae on there too long to grow and it's dying somehow, causing it to release ammonia into the water. Anyone else leave their scrubber for weeks at a time without cleaning it?

  9. #19

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    Could it be its the only filtration in system and it's being cleaned to thoroughly

  10. #20
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    It doesn't crash after cleaning, it happens when he pulls the screen out to clean it. There is something more instantaneous going on apparently.

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