Algae Turf Scrubber on Glass?

seanothon · 01/20/2012, 01:37 PM

I just made an impromptu modification to my sump in hopes that it will make a good algae turf scrubber. Basically, I took took my intake line from my overflow and put it on a glass top I had laying around. It is in the upper part of my sump, right under the light and there is a some good flow running down the top. My question is if glass is a suitable medium for this. I know it's usually a porous material but I think we have all seen how some algae can take off on the glass in our tanks.

aleonn · 01/20/2012, 02:23 PM

Glass isn't the most efficient material for algae growth since it's so smooth compared to a more ideal porous material you mentioned. Is there a way you can secure the porous material on top of the glass? It shouldn't take too long to DIY, and would be a lot more efficient as an ATS.

jimrawr · 01/20/2012, 02:33 PM

Its not going to filter much at all. Any growth on glass will fall off as soon as it gets decent length. Buy a mesh screen, rough it up, and fix it to the glass and you will get much better filtration out of it. Lighting and flow are key as well.

seanothon · 01/20/2012, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimrawr

Its not going to filter much at all. Any growth on glass will fall off as soon as it gets decent length. Buy a mesh screen, rough it up, and fix it to the glass and you will get much better filtration out of it. Lighting and flow are key as well.

I'll find something to set on the glass. There is plenty of flow and it is right below a t5 fixture

seanothon · 01/20/2012, 03:12 PM

I have some left over egg crate. Could this work?

franklypre · 01/20/2012, 03:15 PM

The ideal screen is cheap at any hobby store, there is a good thread on here for it just use the search if you can.

tinkerman · 01/20/2012, 03:44 PM

I used the plastic needle point stuff and siliconed it on to the glass and ruffed it up. worked great and should only be about $10 if you don't have any of it already.

ziyaadb · 01/20/2012, 03:56 PM

glass is fine check here this guy done it with no issues:

full SPS system

http://www.mysaltyreef.com/forum/sho...-s-Reef/page15

jimrawr · 01/20/2012, 04:50 PM

You can buy the mesh material at Michaels or another craft store, its like 2 bucks for a sq foot or so. That link to the glass, for the size of screen that thing isnt filtering well as compared to a properly setup turf scrubber.. Look at some that are properly setup and compare how much growth they have. A 10x10 properly done screen can probably filter 10x what that glass is filtering... Its working for him, but at what capacity I guess is the point.

For example that glass cannot hold this much growth. I think this is Floyds picture

seanothon · 01/23/2012, 10:47 AM

I ended up just pulling an old undershirt over the piece of glass. It's pretty ridged so I figure the algae will have no trouble latching on.

capt85 · 01/23/2012, 12:38 PM

It won't work as well and be very difficult to clean without having the shirt fall apart.

Just have to ask what is your resistance to using the mesh knitting material? It is a proven method and cheap.

jimrawr · 01/23/2012, 04:20 PM

Yeah cleaning a tshirt isnt going to be very fun and probably wont last very long. Everytime you need to use a new tshirt it will take time to build up the algae on it again.. seems silly to do that when for 3 bucks you can have the correct material.. ?

seanothon · 01/23/2012, 04:29 PM

I just grabbed what I had on hand. I will probably pick up some mesh when I get a chance

jimrawr · 01/23/2012, 06:12 PM

Dont forget to rough it up before using

srusso · 01/24/2012, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanothon

I just grabbed what I had on hand. I will probably pick up some mesh when I get a chance

That type of scrubber will produce about 1/4 the filtering power of a vertical screen, but will do a great job as a secondary filter. Go read the algae scrubber basics thread for guidelines on how to run a scrubber.

welcome to the club

seanothon · 01/24/2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimrawr

Dont forget to rough it up before using

I'll make sure I do.

seanothon · 01/24/2012, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srusso

That type of scrubber will produce about 1/4 the filtering power of a vertical screen, but will do a great job as a secondary filter. Go read the algae scrubber basics thread for guidelines on how to run a scrubber.

welcome to the club

I'm sure the vertical is better but I just saw an opportunity to add some additional filtration without much work. No trouble with my tank but the quality can always be better

schristi69 · 01/24/2012, 01:36 PM

Does the algae growing in the scrubber emit the same stink that say hair algae does? cleaned some out the other day and it made me gag. Don't want the same stink throughout my house

01/20/2012, 01:37 PM	#1
seanothon Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 291	Algae Turf Scrubber on Glass? I just made an impromptu modification to my sump in hopes that it will make a good algae turf scrubber. Basically, I took took my intake line from my overflow and put it on a glass top I had laying around. It is in the upper part of my sump, right under the light and there is a some good flow running down the top. My question is if glass is a suitable medium for this. I know it's usually a porous material but I think we have all seen how some algae can take off on the glass in our tanks.

01/20/2012, 02:33 PM	#3
jimrawr Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Palm Beach County, FL Posts: 1,887	Its not going to filter much at all. Any growth on glass will fall off as soon as it gets decent length. Buy a mesh screen, rough it up, and fix it to the glass and you will get much better filtration out of it. Lighting and flow are key as well. __________________ Tank Info: 75g, 40g Sump, AquaMaxx Skimmer, Two Tunze 6095, ATI 8x52", Bubble Magus Dosing Pump, Apex Controller, Tunze ATO.

01/20/2012, 04:50 PM	#9
jimrawr Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Palm Beach County, FL Posts: 1,887	You can buy the mesh material at Michaels or another craft store, its like 2 bucks for a sq foot or so. That link to the glass, for the size of screen that thing isnt filtering well as compared to a properly setup turf scrubber.. Look at some that are properly setup and compare how much growth they have. A 10x10 properly done screen can probably filter 10x what that glass is filtering... Its working for him, but at what capacity I guess is the point. For example that glass cannot hold this much growth. I think this is Floyds picture __________________ Tank Info: 75g, 40g Sump, AquaMaxx Skimmer, Two Tunze 6095, ATI 8x52", Bubble Magus Dosing Pump, Apex Controller, Tunze ATO.

01/23/2012, 04:20 PM	#12
jimrawr Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Palm Beach County, FL Posts: 1,887	Yeah cleaning a tshirt isnt going to be very fun and probably wont last very long. Everytime you need to use a new tshirt it will take time to build up the algae on it again.. seems silly to do that when for 3 bucks you can have the correct material.. ? __________________ Tank Info: 75g, 40g Sump, AquaMaxx Skimmer, Two Tunze 6095, ATI 8x52", Bubble Magus Dosing Pump, Apex Controller, Tunze ATO.

01/23/2012, 06:12 PM	#14
jimrawr Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Palm Beach County, FL Posts: 1,887	Dont forget to rough it up before using __________________ Tank Info: 75g, 40g Sump, AquaMaxx Skimmer, Two Tunze 6095, ATI 8x52", Bubble Magus Dosing Pump, Apex Controller, Tunze ATO.

01/20/2012, 02:23 PM	#2
aleonn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 4,041	Glass isn't the most efficient material for algae growth since it's so smooth compared to a more ideal porous material you mentioned. Is there a way you can secure the porous material on top of the glass? It shouldn't take too long to DIY, and would be a lot more efficient as an ATS.

01/20/2012, 03:12 PM	#5
seanothon Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 291	I have some left over egg crate. Could this work?

01/20/2012, 03:15 PM	#6
franklypre Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: texarkana Posts: 703	The ideal screen is cheap at any hobby store, there is a good thread on here for it just use the search if you can.

01/20/2012, 03:44 PM	#7
tinkerman Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Moorhead,MN Posts: 386	I used the plastic needle point stuff and siliconed it on to the glass and ruffed it up. worked great and should only be about $10 if you don't have any of it already.

01/20/2012, 03:56 PM	#8
ziyaadb Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: South Africa - JHB Posts: 733	glass is fine check here this guy done it with no issues: full SPS system http://www.mysaltyreef.com/forum/sho...-s-Reef/page15

01/23/2012, 10:47 AM	#10
seanothon Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 291	I ended up just pulling an old undershirt over the piece of glass. It's pretty ridged so I figure the algae will have no trouble latching on.

01/23/2012, 12:38 PM	#11
capt85 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: SW MO Posts: 292	It won't work as well and be very difficult to clean without having the shirt fall apart. Just have to ask what is your resistance to using the mesh knitting material? It is a proven method and cheap.

01/23/2012, 04:29 PM	#13
seanothon Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 291	I just grabbed what I had on hand. I will probably pick up some mesh when I get a chance

01/24/2012, 01:36 PM	#18
schristi69 Master of Space and Time Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 1,340	Does the algae growing in the scrubber emit the same stink that say hair algae does? cleaned some out the other day and it made me gag. Don't want the same stink throughout my house