THICK peeling scrub with pictures!

[walleyefisher]

Thanks for answering my questions. I have 3 FW aquariums with scrubbers and have had good success with them in managing nitrates. Previously all were growing the long and stringy algae that breaks off and gets into everything (which I use a filter sock for). However, recently I have had one aquarium grow algae like you pictured in your post. Also, this aquarium has gone slightly cloudy (white) so I’m thinking a bacteria bloom is happening. This indicates to me that the scrubber is no longer affectively removing ammonia/nitrites/nitrates. I believe that this leather like algae is nowhere near as effective as the stringy algae counterpart for removing nutrients.

So I’m trying to identify what could be different or what has changed?? I did add carbon to my canister filter a while back and it wasn’t long after that that string turned to leathery so my first culprit will be that variable. Since I have not checked my nitrate reading lately I’m not sure if that is the culprit or not. I was thinking if the bioload isn’t high enough perhaps the algae grows thick and leathery because it doesn’t have enough nutrients to support the growth.

I will be doing a full round of tests and report back what I find if anything is conclusive.

[chriswf]

Thanks for answering my questions. I have 3 FW aquariums with scrubbers and have had good success with them in managing nitrates. Previously all were growing the long and stringy algae that breaks off and gets into everything (which I use a filter sock for). However, recently I have had one aquarium grow algae like you pictured in your post. Also, this aquarium has gone slightly cloudy (white) so I’m thinking a bacteria bloom is happening. This indicates to me that the scrubber is no longer affectively removing ammonia/nitrites/nitrates. I believe that this leather like algae is nowhere near as effective as the stringy algae counterpart for removing nutrients.

So I’m trying to identify what could be different or what has changed?? I did add carbon to my canister filter a while back and it wasn’t long after that that string turned to leathery so my first culprit will be that variable. Since I have not checked my nitrate reading lately I’m not sure if that is the culprit or not. I was thinking if the bioload isn’t high enough perhaps the algae grows thick and leathery because it doesn’t have enough nutrients to support the growth.

I will be doing a full round of tests and report back what I find if anything is conclusive.

Wait!

I had the stringy detachment stuff before. That I ALSO had to use a filter sock for (I no longer need to).

It would come off throughout the ENTIRE week of growth! So I put a filter sock that kind of dangled in the water. Sometimes my dovii would find ways to rip the sock off because the algae would tumble around inside the sock and they'd see it's shadow. (Dovii get pretty big, so no clump of algae is intimidating to them).

----------------------

Here's where my experience is different:
Well first, my dovii were in a 200g tank. SAME screen (but I cut it down smaller for this convict/danio tank), and the dovii screen was in a larger plexi sump.
2-2.5" of gravel.
(My current tanks have less than half an inch of fine gravel lol)

OKAY I got white film on my glass in my PREVIOUS tank (200g), while it was stringy!
Opposite of you!

My water is crystal clear now (with the 2 45Gs). No debris float in the center/no cloud. They either fall to the bottom or they're filtered in the prefilter sponge (on the pump) or the algae scrubber.

And sometimes when I rinse the algae scrubber out, it can be dirty if I wash it in standing water.


SO - for me:
Strips of clumped algae = excellent water conditions - no cloudiness.
Long hair thin algae = decent water conditions (hard to tell though, bigger tank, but also bigger scrubber screen), and white film on display glass, all around, even out of light (easy to wipe off).


I think it's neat to talk to other freshwater ATS people. Not many of us on here.


By the way:
Every 2-4 weeks, usually I don't need to change the water. My test strips and liquid tests turn out fine, so I top-off water to my tank (when the water level is low), AND scrub/clean my screen. In the following morning, I can bump up to like 8 in nitrates I believe, but I it'll drop back down in a day or so.

I'm find with 8, I once had a tank that was like 200ppm I think (when I first got into the hobby). Believe it or not, I managed to raise some fry in that tank...

[chriswf]

Oh, here's some pictures of my filter sock in it's worst state (no joke it had to be cleaned every 2 or 3 days), and the film on my glass...




and the sock:




Maybe the sock pushes stuff out of the algae that creates film? I really don't know.

[Andy_cy]

Hi guys, I would like to join in this discussion. I have a 200L fw tank now with a diy waterfall scrubber. Haven't had the best results even after 3 months. My nitrates sit at around 50ppm now.

Previously, I was getting nice thin green hair growth, they detach easily throughout the week of growth, and my filter net will catch it. It's quite a lot actually, more than what I see on your filter sock. However, nitrates weren't going down still..

Currently, my screen doesn't grow that type of nice stringy bright green hair anymore. I get a dark brown stubby hair growth, with some dark green spots randomly. I decided not to clean it for 2 weeks, and the green spots grew bigger but it's not the thin hair type. So I cleaned the screen, it weighed a lot after 2 weeks not cleaning it. Got the most harvest ever but nitrates still at 50ppm.

Before I had an ATS, my nitrates were over 100ppm. I've been using warm white LEDs but have placed an order for some red/blue 3w chips. Hopefully, changing my lights will help increase the efficiency of nutrient exportation.

May I know what type of lights you use for your FW scrubbers?

[importspeed]

Hello. I am wondering how old your scrubber screens are, and at about what age did they change their properties?

[Andy_cy]

Hello. I am wondering how old your scrubber screens are, and at about what age did they change their properties?

My screen started to change maybe after about 6-8 weeks old. Can't really remember, but it was very depressing haha. I believe mine is lack of light, so I'm interested to know what lights you guys are using to produce these nice green growths.

[importspeed]

I originally started by using a compact florescent in my submerged horizontal and it would grow a very light amount of gha but mostly brown. I have since switched to a red kessil h150, with this light i tried different light cycles, but have since switched to 24/7 lighting. Before switching to 24/7 I could not grow gha with this light (only very dark slimy algae), but about three weeks ago (3-4 months since originally started) i switched to 24/7 and the gha has took off like a rocket. Now i pretty much have to completely scrub half my screen clean with a brush and go over the other half with my fingertips every 4 days, if i wait longer i start to get detachment.

[Andy_cy]

So your scrubber is on a 24-hr photoperiod now? I'm confused, I thought the algae need at least a few hours of rest to enhance its growth? Or maybe this specific type of FW algae prefers 24/7 lighting? Any insights?

[importspeed]

That is what I thought, ive tried 12hrs, 16hrs, 19hrs, 21hrs, and the more hours I went up the more algae would produce, but i didnt get gha until i said screw it and took my light off the timer, now i have to scrub half my screen bare and trim the other half every 4 days, and it is the most growth I have ever had. I dont know if it is just my particular setup or what but the 24 hour lighting seems too work the best.

[importspeed]

Do keep in mind that my screen is submerged and horizontal, it isn't a waterfall like yours. I don't know if this makes a difference.