Posting this so as to get some help getting this going. My SURF2 was installed on 2 March and has been running for a full month now. The box is still pretty white but I am starting to see a little growth. From what I've read in other posts it does take some time for this unit to get going. My tank runs with no skimmer and only a small bag of carbon. Nitrates have risen considerably and phosphates haven't been tested for in a while. I've added some iron in the form of Kent's similar to what I used in a previously installed refugium (not running one now). I have some cyano in my main display but no significant hair algae growth there.
I've thought about adding some white or clear plastic canvas to shield the lights in an effort to spur growth (right now on 18hr cycle). I tried cloth but found the lid popped off and thus removed it. I do run the whisper 300 with this unit as I found the fusion pump way too noisy for my liking. Do you think I should go with the white or clear canvas if I decide to go this route?
Here's my progress so far....In the last picture you will see some yellow/green growth. I did notice some trace darker green algae in the outlet holes (hard to see in last photo).
Day 1 (3 Mar)
10 Mar
17 Mar
24 Mar
31 Mar
5 Apr