Mega Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover - DIY!

[ReDDeviLs]

I think the numerous positive comments from reefers around the world and in Singapore have already testified enough that scrubber works for them. Scrubber itself is not perfect nor any other methods including skimmer or water change. Each has their pros and cons. And NO ONE is saying skimmmer and WC are totally useless, so perhaps the moderator need not be so defensive and rebuke on every SM's replies. It's just AN ALTERNATIVE method for reefers to choose.

Each reefer will have their own priorities and concerns in reefing. Personally, I felt that for those who hated nuisance algae in main tank or keep lots of filter feeders, scrubber works perfectly cos it works for me. For once in my 4 yrs of reefing, nuisance algae slowed down and even stopped appearing on my main tank glass wall after using scrubber, and tubeworms are flourishing.

Hi, please do not quote me wrong. from the beginning i did not ever mention that anyone saying that skimmer and WC are totally useless.i ONLY suggest that they are more convinent and more useful in another way. i only want to reason out why a scrubber can replace a skimmer when they serve a different purpose.

i fully agree that a scrubber works and should work hand in hand with a skimmer. but never on a scrubber alone.

when this subject has been started, It does not venture deep enough into the problem a scrubber only tank might face in long run. This is very bad for the new reefers to follow. They do not know how serious

it is when they do not maintain the scrubber in time. As a experience reefer like you may know what to do when facing such critical period when your tank shows signs. These new reefers maybe at lost not knowing what to do.

As far as i know that the scrubber works for you and you are greatly in favor of this method, please remember that such reefers who arent sure what to do when they face a critical period like that will be shock and not knowing what had happen since they werent educated properly and went ahead trying out on a scrubber only tank.

Ya Bro underwater are right bout the statement above , bout the algea really slow down and almost undetactable on the main tank.

As i use before but i stopped using it once, cause of my clip on light rust and the bulb i'm using are the curve type so hard to clean the bulb

However now i've started back with just 2days with LED with a light temp of 2700k will update once success.

[Jameshong]

Angled screens don't get any flow on the back side, and thus are one-sided. So you need twice the area. So the 10 X 10 = 100 would be good for 50 gal tank. And you need to put a solid backing behind the plastic canvas, to keep water from falling through it. The bulb and flow should be good.

Assumption that I use 10x10" for only one sided. What will be happened if I use it for 60g tank? Need frequent cleaning or It totally doesn't work for me?

Thanks.

[qwertman321]

Assumption that I use 10x10" for only one sided. What will be happened if I use it for 60g tank? Need frequent cleaning or It totally doesn't work for me?

Thanks.

yes yes , it will be enough for ur tank

[Underwater]

Hi, please do not quote me wrong. from the beginning i did not ever mention that anyone saying that skimmer and WC are totally useless.i ONLY suggest that they are more convinent and more useful in another way. i only want to reason out why a scrubber can replace a skimmer when they serve a different purpose.

i fully agree that a scrubber works and should work hand in hand with a skimmer. but never on a scrubber alone.

when this subject has been started, It does not venture deep enough into the problem a scrubber only tank might face in long run. This is very bad for the new reefers to follow. They do not know how serious

it is when they do not maintain the scrubber in time. As a experience reefer like you may know what to do when facing such critical period when your tank shows signs. These new reefers maybe at lost not knowing what to do.

As far as i know that the scrubber works for you and you are greatly in favor of this method, please remember that such reefers who arent sure what to do when they face a critical period like that will be shock and not knowing what had happen since they werent educated properly and went ahead trying out on a scrubber only tank.

Hi, now you are claiming that scrubber has not been venture deep enough into a potential risk and very bad for new reefers to follow, and that reefers are not educated properly, i think the earlier pages have said quite a bit already. Btw, have you tried cleaning a scrubber yourself? If not, perhaps you should not presume that cleaning is not as convenient as WC? WC may be cheaper to you but not other reefers. Cost of good salt plus DI water is on the high side, and you also need to do lots of water change to bring down NO3 and PO4 to a decent level, not to mention a big tank. At least for me, scrubber helps to prolong the frequently of my regular WC. You said about risk of not cleaning the scrubber regularly, we agreed there are risks, just as if one doesn't clean his skimmer and WC regularly.

It's apparent that you are greatly in favour of skimmer and WC, good for you. And scrubber is subjective to you, sure you could have all your reasons. But for those who have other priorities and concerns, we benefited from scrubber cos we all know it's good. Hope the moderator can be more neutral and balance in your comments.

[stevenkoh08]

so bro underwater do u used only scrubber or any other thing inside ur sump care to share more

[Underwater]

so bro underwater do u used only scrubber or any other thing inside ur sump care to share more

l have posted some pics in the earlier postings. That was my previous set up with just scrubber (horizontal) which didn't have thick green algae grown until last week that l install a vertical scrubber with 2 screens for my newly set up tank. The new screen is thicker now and certainly more flow. Still early to report on NO3 result though. Will post some pics of my new set up.

[Eniram]

yo bro, my mobile cam not that good. Will get a better pic this week if necessary. Photo 1 is face 1 and photo 2 is face 2 of the screen. GB.

Thanks brother bobie for the pics, so far my scrubber is showing signs of brown algae growth and spotted some green hair algae on some parts of the scrubber. Cross fingers that it will bloom soon.

Also if we don't follow SM's recommended dimensions so no matter if its small or large, the scrubber will still function as a N03 and P04 remover? Cos as i read through the post i noticed majority of the scrubbers are supporting a smaller gallon tank. Eg 10x10 size scrubber supporting a 50G tank.

My current scrubber size is 7" x 12" for a 100G tank

So any advice?

[yikai]

Hi, now you are claiming that scrubber has not been venture deep enough into a potential risk and very bad for new reefers to follow, and that reefers are not educated properly, i think the earlier pages have said quite a bit already. Btw, have you tried cleaning a scrubber yourself? If not, perhaps you should not presume that cleaning is not as convenient as WC? WC may be cheaper to you but not other reefers. Cost of good salt plus DI water is on the high side, and you also need to do lots of water change to bring down NO3 and PO4 to a decent level, not to mention a big tank. At least for me, scrubber helps to prolong the frequently of my regular WC. You said about risk of not cleaning the scrubber regularly, we agreed there are risks, just as if one doesn't clean his skimmer and WC regularly.

It's apparent that you are greatly in favour of skimmer and WC, good for you. And scrubber is subjective to you, sure you could have all your reasons. But for those who have other priorities and concerns, we benefited from scrubber cos we all know it's good. Hope the moderator can be more neutral and balance in your comments.

hi bro underwater. please do not be so upset. this place is for learning and sharing. reddevils is just pointing out the benefits of skimmers and the cons of scrubber. im sure there are many flaws of skimmers and many pros of scrubber as well. just different point of view. so please do not be so upset. doesnt mean if there is 1 person who doesnt support scrubber, you cannot go on using it.

at the end of the day, no one is saying that scrubber is no good and no one should use it. its just that there are some things a skimmer can do whilsts a scrubber cannot. many of us are so used to using skimmers as the conventional way of clarifying our water, but we do not know that there are also other ways, in this case, the scrubber. and likewise for scrubber users. if a tank is to be kept in the same way a standard skimmer-runned tank, and is using a scrubber, this will be quite problematic too. end of the day, each skimmer and scrubber has to be runned with certain fufilled conditions . example, scrubber tank cannot overfeed and etc like wat SM has mentioned, and a skimmer tank cannot reduce NO3 and PO4, unlike scrubber. so it all boils down to individual preference and how the tank is maintained.

i hope this brings peace and mutual understanding. cheers

[Underwater]

hi bro underwater. please do not be so upset. this place is for learning and sharing. reddevils is just pointing out the benefits of skimmers and the cons of scrubber. im sure there are many flaws of skimmers and many pros of scrubber as well. just different point of view. so please do not be so upset. doesnt mean if there is 1 person who doesnt support scrubber, you cannot go on using it.

at the end of the day, no one is saying that scrubber is no good and no one should use it. its just that there are some things a skimmer can do whilsts a scrubber cannot. many of us are so used to using skimmers as the conventional way of clarifying our water, but we do not know that there are also other ways, in this case, the scrubber. and likewise for scrubber users. if a tank is to be kept in the same way a standard skimmer-runned tank, and is using a scrubber, this will be quite problematic too. end of the day, each skimmer and scrubber has to be runned with certain fufilled conditions . example, scrubber tank cannot overfeed and etc like wat SM has mentioned, and a skimmer tank cannot reduce NO3 and PO4, unlike scrubber. so it all boils down to individual preference and how the tank is maintained.

i hope this brings peace and mutual understanding. cheers

Hi Bro LemonLemon. thanks for coming in with your comments , l still thought it is going to be an endless debating. And no worries, l am not upset, just want to clarify certain things as the thread does not seem to be heading towards 'learning and sharing'. Like you said, no one is also saying scrubber is the best and only way, and that everyone shd use it. It boils down to individual preference and it's an another option for reefers looking to solve a certain problem. We all already knew that each method has their own pros and cons.

And certainly, peace and mutual understanding are most treasured. Apologies if my words sounded harsh. Well, in the end, it's just a hobby, yah?

Cheers!

[yikai]

Hi Bro LemonLemon. thanks for coming in with your comments , l still thought it is going to be an endless debating. And no worries, l am not upset, just want to clarify certain things as the thread does not seem to be heading towards 'learning and sharing'. Like you said, no one is also saying scrubber is the best and only way, and that everyone shd use it. It boils down to individual preference and it's an another option for reefers looking to solve a certain problem. We all already knew that each method has their own pros and cons.

And certainly, peace and mutual understanding are most treasured. Apologies if my words sounded harsh. Well, in the end, it's just a hobby, yah?

Cheers!

no worries bro. like i said, this is a thread that promotes mainly the benefits of scrubber. reddevils just trying to add in that the scrubber does have its flaws. and also a reminder to new reefers that a tank running on scrubber alone is, although not impossible, they should know the reasons why. a conventional skimmer can help a new reefer as it is straight forward and do not require any coditions, but scrubber on the other hand, may be a little bit of a challenge to new reefers are there are some conditions that have to be met when keeping a scrubber like not over feeding, regular cleaning etc. am i right? sorry not very sure since im not keeping 1.

and no problem. no one is getting worked up over anything! cheers

[bobiegoh]

Thanks brother bobie for the pics, so far my scrubber is showing signs of brown algae growth and spotted some green hair algae on some parts of the scrubber. Cross fingers that it will bloom soon.

Also if we don't follow SM's recommended dimensions so no matter if its small or large, the scrubber will still function as a N03 and P04 remover? Cos as i read through the post i noticed majority of the scrubbers are supporting a smaller gallon tank. Eg 10x10 size scrubber supporting a 50G tank.

My current scrubber size is 7" x 12" for a 100G tank

So any advice?

yo bro, again this is much depends on the LS that you have in tank. Whether is under or oversize screens, it still do the same job but the only diff is the efficiency of removing NO3/PO4. 84sq should be able to support 100gl, correct me if am wrong. It is a good sign that you have green and brown algae. Shortly, you will notice PODs after this. GB.

[Eniram]

yo bro, again this is much depends on the LS that you have in tank. Whether is under or oversize screens, it still do the same job but the only diff is the efficiency of removing NO3/PO4. 84sq should be able to support 100gl, correct me if am wrong. It is a good sign that you have green and brown algae. Shortly, you will notice PODs after this. GB.

Well i have 13 fishes and i would say i have 9 big eaters! 4 dwarf angels, 4 clowns and 1 PT. Really hop pods will flood the tank, worried that my mandarin is gonna starve! should have trained to fed on pellets

[Underwater]

Well i have 13 fishes and i would say i have 9 big eaters! 4 dwarf angels, 4 clowns and 1 PT. Really hop pods will flood the tank, worried that my mandarin is gonna starve! should have trained to fed on pellets

Not easy to train mandarin to eat pellets. Maybe brine shrimps and mysis will have a higher chance. With scrubber, you may soon see lots of pods in your sump and hope they multiply soon for your mandarin to feed on. Good luck, bro.

[qwertman321]

Hi SM, i did what you told me too but unfortunately there are still bubble getting in my tank

but luckily my father came out with a good solution.

Here is day 2 of my scrubber and there is already brown algae growing.

[Eniram]

Not bad for a start! i'm also having the same growth, brown algae. Hopefully green ones will start to grow soon

[qwertman321]

are diatom considered as algae too?

[kanegan]

Hi bro SM,

Should I be cleaning this?

Happy New Year and many cheers to you!

In the argument, i think SM missed my question......

Anyway, I cleaned my screen 1 - 2 days after that and the screen is in the same state again now. But i don't see "turf" algae still. I only have film algae... Any advice?

[bobiegoh]

Hi bro SM,

Should I be cleaning this?

Happy New Year and many cheers to you!

yo bro, need to look at your flow and lighting position.GB.

[SantaMonica]

are diatom considered as algae too?

Yes

That was my previous set up with just scrubber (horizontal) which didn't have thick green algae grown until last week that l install a vertical scrubber with 2 screens for my newly set up tank.

This is common. A horizontal is self-limiting, because if the algae tries to get thicker, it blocks the flow (water can't jump over it). But in a vertical, algae flows right over it.

Also if we don't follow SM's recommended dimensions so no matter if its small or large, the scrubber will still function as a N03 and P04 remover?

If a scrubber is smaller than recommended, it will fill up in just two or three days. And since nobody will clean it in two or three days, the bottom layers start dying. That is where the current size recommendation came from... it give you 7 days between cleanings.

My current scrubber size is 7" x 12" for a 100G tank

Is fine.

mandarin is gonna starve!

No mandarin will starve in a scrubber-only tank. My friend has a 10g nano, with tiny scrubber-only, and about 10 pounds LR, is keeping a medium size mandarin with no direct feeding. You can't see the pods in the screen, but when they go into the water they look like white dust. But any mechanical filter, especially a skimmer, will remove the mandarin's food.

there are still bubble getting in my tank but luckily my father came out with a good solution.

Wow that is a genius solution. I'll recommend it to everyone.

I cleaned my screen 1 - 2 days after that and the screen is in the same state again now. But i don't see "turf" algae still. I only have film algae... Any advice?

i'm also having the same growth, brown algae. Hopefully green ones will start to grow soon

Green always follows brown. These things will make it happen faster: Rougher screen, higher flow, stronger light, cleaning more often. If after one month you get no green, let me know.

[SantaMonica]

New Year Update: Screen Roughness

It's becoming more and more clear how important a rough screen is. A year ago it was thought that lighting was most important, but only because you could see new growth easily from stronger light. The effects of a smooth screen are not nearly as obvious, because you start losing small pieces of algae off the screen bit-by-bit, but they are covered up by the other algae. So here is an example of how fast a brand-new screen can grow; it is just 4 days old, but it is two layers of cactus-rough plastic canvas:

Which gives us a new goal:

[Eniram]

Thanks SM for the replies!

[Jameshong]

Hi SM,

Just would like to know which size/shape of scrubber screen is better or more efficient ?

Eg..W12" x L12", W8" x L18" or W18" x L8" ? Does it matter ?

[SantaMonica]

More important is roughness. But for size, the wider the better, since this allows more flow.

[Underwater]

Hi SM, i did what you told me too but unfortunately there are still bubble getting in my tank

but luckily my father came out with a good solution.

Here is day 2 of my scrubber and there is already brown algae growing.

Wow, great idea from your dad to solve the mirco bubbles problem!

[stevenkoh08]

Hi SM

After tested with LED, it response of the algea is no good at all nothing glow haiz.

So i've redo up using 35w halogen bulbs total 4pcs, cause i any bulb of this design have less than 20w type.

So what i do is i brought a light dimmer to mod it to a dimable to reduce to full power here are the photo

as you can see it can be adjust to the wanted brightness from the photo