01-14-2009, 02:53 PM
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#121 | | |
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Update: The Trick of Dark Brown Algae
This has now happened to many people who have new scrubbers. They get early growth, but it's not the green stuff that they see in most pics. Instead it's a dark brown super-thick "coating", or a black "tar", that looks like it was poured on:   
What you have here is the type of algae that grows when nutrients are extremely high (!). After a few cleanings, when the nutirents come down, the color will lighten up to some balance point where it will stay. The big problem, however, is that people think the screen is not growing, so they leave it in to "grow more" (by not cleaning it). BIG MISTAKE! This type of algae does not grow thick, at all. It never gets more than 1/4" (6mm) or so. And worse, since it's SO DARK, it block all light from reaching the bottom layers, thus causing those layers to die and release nitrate and phosphate back into the water. So the solution is to clean ANY and ALL dark brown/black algae right away, and don't even wait until the end of the week. Basically, if you cannot see your screen, then light is not reaching it and it needs to be cleaned. You'll only have to do this a few times before the nutrients come down and the algae color lightens up. Don't fall for the Dark Brown Algae Trick.
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01-17-2009, 08:15 PM
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#122 | | |
Success of the Day:
"Mxett" on the MD site: "I installed a simple [scrubber] over my refugium. It uses an old plastic fruit juice container and a syphon [which makes a surge device] to dump 2 litres onto a white plastic chopping board which lays horizontally over the top of the refugium. A reflective CFL [bulb] is situated just 10cm above this board. The surge occurs every 30 seconds, lasting for 15 seconds. Growth on the [scrubber] has been excellent. Harvesting the algae is performed every 1 to 2 weeks per SM's instructions. [should be weekly :)] N & P have never been detectable in my system, BUT I have always struggled with a very persistant nuisance red algae! It threatened to overtake my entire tank in the months before installing this [scrubber], which is only a modest size for my 800 litre cube. Anyway, after 3 months of using the [scrubber] I can confidently say I have little to none of this red algae left! My purple tange eats it and always has, but with less nutrients available to it, it has just withered away, and he just finishes it off. Overall a great success over a difficult pest. Thanks SM for providing the inspiration and idea to create, install and use such a cheap, easy and effective natural filter."
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01-19-2009, 12:38 AM
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#123 | | |
This looks interesting. I have a 200 with 10 yr old blue tan, powder blue, purple & yellow. I channge about 100 gallons or more every 3-4 weeks, PO4 high, No3 high. It doesn't seem to bother my fish or corals, but I'd like to lower.
Sump with 2'sandbed & cheato. I have an area to possible put one of these in the sump. I have a max width of 13' for a screen leaving 1/2 space on each side. How tall would it have to be & how much flow?
If I took a pic of sump could you give me ideas on construction?
Last edited by Amphitrite; 01-21-2009 at 12:38 AM..
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01-19-2009, 12:47 AM
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#124 | | |
welcome to the forum andy.
thats a nice looking tank! mind sharing more photos in your own seperate thread?
2'' sand beds are "danger zones" its best to go no sand, shallow or deep to prevent detritus and debris build up in a 2'' sand bed and 100 gallons at a time in a water change would be a 50% change, its best to do small water changes more often then 1 large water change. 10% weekly or 20% bi-weekly but i personally wouldnt change more then 30% at once.
if you dont mind please post more pictures and/or a list of corals, fish, inverts you keep as well as lighting,skimmer, and anything you wish to share in your own seperate thread- im interested and im sure others are as well!
Last edited by onefish2fish; 01-19-2009 at 12:50 AM..
Reason: 00
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01-19-2009, 01:27 AM
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#126 | | |
Andy, 200 divided by 13 = about 16. So the height would be 18 (for an extra inch to go up into the pipe, and down into the water). Put a light on both sides. A 13" wide screen needs 13 X 35gph = 455gph. So get a 500 or 600 gph and dial it down with a gate valve. Put at least a 23W CFL 3000K on each side (35W preferred). N03 and P04 should be down in four weeks.
Yes pics would help.
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01-19-2009, 05:21 PM
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#129 | | | Quote:
Originally Posted by onefish2fish  welcome to the forum andy.
thats a nice looking tank! mind sharing more photos in your own seperate thread?
2'' sand beds are "danger zones" its best to go no sand, shallow or deep to prevent detritus and debris build up in a 2'' sand bed and 100 gallons at a time in a water change would be a 50% change, its best to do small water changes more often then 1 large water change. 10% weekly or 20% bi-weekly but i personally wouldnt change more then 30% at once. | Also, despite what your intuition would tell you, changing 10 gallons of water per day for 7 days will provide almost the identical benefit of nutrient reduction as changing 70 gallons of water in 1 day. There is about a 5% different in the long term level of any particular reading. In other words, you may have Nitrate of 21ppm with a daily 10 gallon change, or Nitrate of 20ppm with a weekly 70 gallon water change. The difference is almost immeasurable.
Eric Borneman (or was it Randy Holmes Farley?) had a recent study and very in depth article on this topic. I didn't believe it either at first, but the proof was in the math!
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01-20-2009, 09:29 PM
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#130 | | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Pasfur Also, despite what your intuition would tell you, changing 10 gallons of water per day for 7 days will provide almost the identical benefit of nutrient reduction as changing 70 gallons of water in 1 day. There is about a 5% different in the long term level of any particular reading. In other words, you may have Nitrate of 21ppm with a daily 10 gallon change, or Nitrate of 20ppm with a weekly 70 gallon water change. The difference is almost immeasurable.
Eric Borneman (or was it Randy Holmes Farley?) had a recent study and very in depth article on this topic. I didn't believe it either at first, but the proof was in the math! | I thought it was opposite of that:
100 gal at 100 NO3
10% change = 90
90NO3 - 10% change = 81
100 gall with a 50% change = 50
Math
I have had a few margaritas, but that does not seem equal.
If I remember right a small change takes a long time to affect.
I would not reccomend this to anyone, but it works for me.
Just to let you know I am no expert, but I have been in saltwater for 31 yrs.
I have been doing these 50% or greater changes for over 10 yrs. with no ill affects
I have no sps, only softies & a few LPS
My colts are regularly propagated as well as the GBTAs
BACK TO THE THREAD
SM
I looked at my sump & the only way I can see to put one of these in is to put a power head in & send it to the algea turf skimmer & let the water go directly back int the sump. This is only because of the lack of room I have. What powerhead, seio, or other with the corect flow would you recomend, I am VERY interested in this with the extremely high bioload I have. Ten yrs ago I thought a few of the fish would not make it, they all did.
Thanks everyone,
I just want to create a happy home for my fish
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