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Thread: My SURF2 progress

  1. #161

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    Want to add. These unit produce a lot of salt crusts around the edges for sure.

  2. #162
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    Well that's pretty amazing, for the left one anyway. Would love to find the difference between it and the right one.

    Yes the SURF2 and SURF2x do have a little sputtering out of the top (SURF4 does not), which one user found he could stop by putting a little bit of cloth around the edge. I don't do it as a regular step because many folks don't seem to mind when it's in the sump, and all they do is push the scrubber under water once a week to clean it. Might be an improvement to look into however.

    While you were away, I pretty much resolved why the growth stayed black in yours (and a few others)... the light (4 LEDs) was too weak for the amount of phosphate in the water. Thus the growth was dark and got blown away by the super strong bubbles. So I'm now recommending the SURF2x (6 LEDs) when the water is over 0.2 ppm phosphate. In your case the vodka brought the levels down to where the one scrubber could go green; once there, the re-circulating water inside the scrubber kept the phosphate low. I'll bet there are lots of pods in there too.

    Anyways, a toothbrush scrub on the other one should get it going too, although it looks like weak lighting; maybe it's timer is different. Once it's growing, you should be able to stop the vodka slowly.

  3. #163

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    The other scrubbed is on the same timer as the other one. I was thinking the one that took off might be taking up some of the load and the other one doesn't really have anything between the vodka, skimmer, aqua socks, and one scrubber. But I will clean them and see what happens.

  4. #164

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    So with the algae being light green like that on the one that took off. You think the lighting is too much?

  5. #165
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    Loads are the same; there is no difference where it goes in the sump or system because the amount of nutrients removed by algae is very small and localized to just the layer of water touching it. Only after repeated passes of water, over a long time, does a lot of nutrients get removed. This is why larger flow does not help.

    Something else is different with the second scrubber. It looks exactly like a weak light.

  6. #166

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    I will try and wipe down the front of the LEDs. Since they haven't been touch. Also a water change hasn't been done in 6 months. Which I will do to replace the essentials.

  7. #167

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    Also wondering since I have 2 scrubbers if getting the surf4 a and sell the 2 surf2's would be better.

  8. #168
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    Two small units is always better than one big, so that one is always filtering after cleaning the other.

    For a tank with P over 0.2 it would be better to have two SURF2x units, since each unit has 6 LEDs to handle the P. This is the equivalent of a SURF4 with 12 LEDs which is not available (SURF4 has 8 LEDs). However your P is probably in control now, and periphyton has developed on the rocks to help too, so your 4-LED units will probably do the job.

    Just don't move the rocks, or change flow, so the periphyton stays alive.

  9. #169

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    So the setting I had the scrubber on was a 22hrs day setting. You think that's too much compared to the color of the algae from one of the units ?

  10. #170
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    No that's good.

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