Velcro scrubber screen

[Andy_cy]

Hi guys, I created a screen that's made of soft PVC sheet with velcro strips pasted on both sides.

Have been using ATS for my FW tank for awhile now and found out that FW hair algae doesn't cling on well to the conventional plastic canvas screen even after thoroughly roughing it out.

Also, after scraping off the algae, it takes a while for it to regrow.

The idea of using velcro is to prevent all the algae from being scraped off, leaving some roots behind to regrow quicker. Not sure if this sounds stupid but I guess I'll give it a try.

I'm also aware that some of you have tested this out, but there isn't much info on whether it actually works well or not.

This is my prototype.













Won't be using it anytime soon though haha.
Will post more updates on it once its put to use.

[SantaMonica]

Glue or adhesive tape?

[Andy_cy]

Glue is used to stick the PVC sheet to the acrylic rod on top.
The Velcro strips itself came with sticky underside. It's probably some kind of adhesive tape but it is a little thicker, gel-type and clear.

Will this be a problem? Poison to the fish?

[SantaMonica]

No idea.

[Mud]

What kinds of fish? I've put all sorts of crazy things that wouldn't be considered "aquarium safe" in tanks with the more standard freshwater fish (tetras, mollies, gouramis, danios, etc), but I treat my tanks with electric fish (elephant nose, brown ghost knife), angelfish, and discus with the same extreme caution I use with my reef. I know soap can cause problems, but I don't know about adhesives...

[Floyd R Turbo]

Any adhesive is bad in general. Saltwater corrodes and dissolves everything that much faster, so there is more concern about "reef safe". But it really applies across the board.

Medical grade non-adhesive velcro is available, but it is a little more expensive. One could stitch strips together with fishing line to make a double-sided "screen" and then attach the top edge to a piece of plastic canvas, which could go into the slot. That's the way I would do it.

Still, the argument that velcro "hooks" are more grabby falls a little deaf on my ears, because under a microscope, the 'hooks' are smooth. However, once you get a mat of growth started, the hooks will snag strands of algae and allow them to continue to grow, but then algae is just hanging on the 'hooks', not really growing from the substrate itself.

But then again, what the heck do I know. I've never tried it, I'm just playing the devil's advocate. It might work great, and I hope it does. I'm interested to see.

[Ace25]

Any adhesive is bad in general.

cyanoacrylate ... ie 'Super Glue' is safe is it not? I certainly wouldn't use anything that has the gooey glue like the stuff that comes on the back of some velcro in an aquarium though... bad bad idea. I would use the stuff that doesn't have any glue and just use super glue as it is really the only 'glue' I trust in an aquarium.

[Floyd R Turbo]

Yes, cyanoacrylate is one of the few 'reef safe' adhesives. Not really a "glue" or "adhesive" in the terms I think of.

The only argument for the adhesive-backed velcro is the aquarium cleaning magnets. Those typically use the "hook" side velcro on the part that is inside the tank, and these can be left in the tank. However, they are under constant magnetic pressure, and the adhesive exposure is very limited.

On another note, I still haven't been able to get an answer from the velcro company on whether or not the "OneWrap" stuff uses adhesive, or if the 2 parts are just stitched together.