My Santa Monica - Algae Acrylic Scrubber 100

[SantaMonica]

Post some pics of your water. If it's green enough to be seen in pics, then we can look at it again. But I think it's just a temporary thing. Just try not to let to much algae go down the drain if you clean the box.

As for the bio balls, how much rock do you have?

[michalm]

Hi,

This is video from today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxDkp8yoskQ

As for the bio balls - there is now rock in my tank. (see movie)... and I have second filter Eheim Pro 3 - 2080.
Do I need bio balls? or maybe I can change it to other filter media - mech.

Thank you for your time.

PS: You can see my tank 24h/day (webcam inside the tank): http://www.justin.tv/mmalejko

Mike

[SantaMonica]

Are you saying that you removed the balls, and now have rock that is not shown in the video?

I'm not seeing any green... keep updating on the water and on the scrubber growth.

[michalm]

Are you saying that you removed the balls, and now have rock that is not shown in the video?

No, video is new. I just ask that maybe because I have your system, I do not need anymore bio balls, and it is a good idea to change bio to the other filter media (mech for ex.)

I'm not seeing any green... keep updating on the water and on the scrubber growth.

The water is turbid and little green. On movie you can see my other tank; this is a good compression.

I will take tomorrow next pictures - how scrubber growth.

Thanks

Mike

[SantaMonica]

Leave the balls for now.

[chrissu]

I've been running my own SM scrubber for a while now and it is working perfectly for me. Here are a couple of pictures I took of the SM yesterday before doing a weekly screen cleaning. I cleaned that screen less than seven days ago and it is stuffed full of algae. Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia are always zero now. Before - not usually. PH is steady at 8.1 - 8.4. Phosphates are gone! The algae on my rocks and glass is receeding too.

Now, just for the record, I was getting good results using the system exactly as it arrived but I can tell you that my screen did take a good week or so to wake up. After the screen started looking like the pictures you provided above, the growth seemed to really take off from there so you should be fine.

I like to dabble a bit so I made a couple of adjustments that seem to have helped make the algae grow faster and make the water clearer.

3D Light Bath
The SM comes with a standard 1" bulkhead to drain the water out of the unit. I flipped the bulkhead around so that the long end is sticking up rather than down. This simple 10 minute change made the water level rise by approximately an extra inch and a half or so. The SM is uniquely designed in a way that it bathes the algae so I figured why not bath the algae some more. Now I get this 3D effect whereby the light is able to penetrate through all of this thick floating algae even better. After I did this, I would clean my screen weekly and within 4 days, the SM would be stuffed full of algae again.

2ND Drain
With all this algae growth going on, I ended up adding a second drain using a spare 1" bulkhead I had laying around. The second bulkhead is reversed as well and this extra drain gives reduces the risk of the drain getting plugged up (it hasn't).

Sock
I also put a couple of 200 micron filter socks under the drains. I know they catch the food but they keep with water crystal clear so I use them. The wife hates cloudy water!

Lightling Hours
I run my SM with the lights on 24/7. Because of the 3D light bathing, I don't have to worry about the center of the screen getting too much light. The algae fills up the chamber extremely fast and the center area gets covered up by algae growth that started somewhere else on the screen. The growth is thicker and longer along the bottom portion of the screen where it is constantly bathed in water. The top portion of the screen that isn't in a bath grows at the normal rate.


I don't want to take away from anything that Santa Monica has suggested to you. The SM still works great without these extra touches and it removed all my nitrates before I started making these little adjustments. These 3D touches will just make your SM turn out even more algae. If clearer water is what you want, the 200 micron sock does the trick.

Cheers,
Chris
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/view...7&p=4956#p4927

[michalm]

LOL, Thank you. If you don't mind, I'll copy couple things from you

I have huge problem with cloudy water... huge !!!

This is my tank (green and cloudy water) from today, and scrubber...

[SantaMonica]

Well the scrubber growth looks perfect for about two days growth. How many days is it? While we figure this out, remember that green water is actually healthier for a tank than clear water... the chlorophyll puts more oxygen into the water.

You are not constantly lifting the screen out to look at it are you? That will break the algae on the bottom and cause the pieces to drain to the tank. This applies especially to solid green hair growth like you are getting, since it's the hairs that break. You should be lifting the screen up only after 5 days to clean one half, then in another 5 days to clean the other half. Do your daily inspecting by removing a light and looking from the side.

This is the first case of this that I've seen. So, make a log of everything you do to the tank, and of course to the scrubber. Need N and P measurements too. Phytoplankton (floating algae, which is what the green could be) grows in the water when N and P are very high, so this may just be a temporary nutrient spike.

Also, don't touch the scrubber for 4 full days. Then start your 5 day cycle. Take lots of pics of the scrubber before you lift the screen out, and of the screen and inside of the box, before cleaning, and after cleaning. Put a towel in the drain before cleaning to stop broken pieces from getting into the tank. If you could do a video of you taking the screen out, that would be great (getting the inside of the box).

Interestingly, your canister filter does not seem to be doing much. The cannister, and the foam filter, and the floss (I believe you have) are all supposed to clean the water of these kinds of things (which is fine for a fish only tank). Have you looked in your cannister?

Must have daily N and P measurements for the next few weeks.

Didn't you just add some rock?

[michalm]

How many days is it?

I cleaned it using tap water on 27 april (4 days ago).

You are not constantly lifting the screen out to look at it are you? Do your daily inspecting by removing a light and looking from the side.

No, I lift the screen maybe 2-3 times, never turning off the water pump. I check it by removing the lamp.

Need N and P measurements too.

Today tests (I just bought a Phosphate test)
Nitrate: 10-15 ppm
Phosphate: 1-1.5 ppm

Yesterday my Nitrate was: 5-10ppm

Also, don't touch the scrubber for 4 full days.

OK, I understand. I will Not.
After 4 days, I will take some picture and post a video.

Have you looked in your cannister?

No, I haven't. But filter is working OK, This is a new filter - 3 months old.

Didn't you just add some rock?

??? No, I have no rock.

On one of the picture above you can see that algae braking off from the screen. Moreover, in Black Box on the bottom you can see dirt and that algae growth and on glass you can see the algae as well.

Do you think that the flow is too strong and maybe the algae brakes off, because of too strong flow. Maybe this is my problem.

I think that I have to put filter sock at the outlet. That should help to have clear water (not cloudy).

Maybe I should increase the light time ?

Thank you for your time.

[michalm]

more picture