# Mega-Powerful Nitrate removerer, algal turf filter



## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

I realy want to build one of these, probably the type that sits on top of the tank, mabe in the hood. http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/show ... 57......pg 57 has some awsome pics.


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

Do they WORK in freshwater tanks? That IS a reef site...


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

and god are they ugly.


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

Further review indicates it would "work". But I wouldn't do it in view at all... Maybe in a sump.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

I like the trash can method, copletly enclosed, with lid. I don't kwow how to make quiet, safe overflows or anything, to make it a sump.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/show ... 84&page=75


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/show ... 84&page=99


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## captevo (Feb 4, 2008)

It WORKED for my Eclipse System 12
Here's my attempt
http://www.algaescrubber.net/forums/vie ... ?f=3&t=147


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

my idea, lights will be on the outside of the clear plastic sterlite container, does algae like uv light?


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)




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## moto_master (Jun 23, 2006)

josmoloco said:


> my idea, lights will be on the outside of the clear plastic sterlite container, does algae like uv light?


If you place the light on the outside of the container then algae growth, dirt, hard water deposits, etc. will accumulate and block the light from reaching the screen. And I'm not sure but I think UV light kills pretty much any thing it hits. I hear people suggest UV filters to get rid of green water.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Pointless for freshwater.


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## frank1rizzo (Mar 14, 2005)

JWerner2 said:


> Pointless for freshwater.


Seems to me that all that algae would have to be eating something... right???


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## moto_master (Jun 23, 2006)

JWerner2 said:


> Pointless for freshwater.


Why is it pointless for freshwater? Algae will grow on it if there's enough nitrates, and algae will consume nitrates. I've seen aquariums with sump refugiums that had string algae growing in them to reduce nitrates. It's the same concept as "aquaponics" accept you're using algae instead of normal plants.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

JWerner2 said:


> Pointless for freshwater.


 The algae would be removing CO2, which with the right complementary light cycle, would reduce the nightly pH drop in the main tank, a very useful point for freshwater fish from the African rift lakes.


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## cichlid_junkie (Dec 19, 2005)

I bet you could feed a cool hydroponic garden with the tank water on it's way to the sump. It would look nice and clean the tank at the same time.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

In my opinion its pointless. Why go to all that extra equipment and energy on freshwater tanks? This is intended for tanks with corals that are very sensitive to even low ranges of nitrates that we usually think nothing of. The tanks and the turf scrubbers are pretty large at that as well.



> The algae would be removing CO2, which with the right complementary light cycle, would reduce the nightly pH drop in the main tank, a very useful point for freshwater fish from the African rift lakes.


How often do we come across this posing problems? I never heard of anyone having a problem with that at all.


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## frank1rizzo (Mar 14, 2005)

JWerner2 said:


> How often do we come across this posing problems? I never heard of anyone having a problem with that at all.


I bet 20% of the posts in the illness section are from people having a bad WC regiment, and/or high nitrates.


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

If you look closely some of those pics from the original links are from freshwater tanks.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was pointless. Maybe overkill for some or more work than it appears to be worth. Pointless is too much of a blanket statement.


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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

I'm with cichlid junkie, I have had a plan for a tank that has a hydroponic flower bed on top but just haven't gotten around to it. Everyone has tanks and everyone has houseplants, why not lower nitrates and have healthy plants at the same time.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

ashilli48 said:


> If you look closely some of those pics from the original links are from freshwater tanks.
> 
> I wouldn't go so far as to say it was pointless. Maybe overkill for some or more work than it appears to be worth. Pointless is too much of a blanket statement.


Dude, coming from a person with reef experience overkill on freshwater _is _pointless. Why else would you call it over kill.



> If you look closely some of those pics from the original links are from freshwater tanks.


I dont care. I'll tell them the same thing. Its pointless. It works yes but its not needed!



> I bet 20% of the posts in the illness section are from people having a bad WC regiment, and/or high nitrates. Embarrassed


Or more so high nitrates do to a lack of water changes. Corals are even more sensitive to WC's which is a good reason to have a turf scrubber on reef tanks of high volume.

Go ahead and waste your time. To me like I said its pointless.

Look at the people that use them for a real reason. They have 180 gallon + reef tanks that are over stocked ( over stocked says a lot for a reef tank ) and they have the scrubbers hidden out of plain view.

Do you wanna clutter the area up for your tank of 100g's or less? Not me considering mine are in the living areas where guests frequent.

Im not saying anyone is wrong for considering this but reconsider it a few times. Is it worth it?


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

I was thinking on making it for my very heavly stocked 125 gallon.


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

I guess the dismissive attitude is a bit over the top. Kind of like "I've got it all figured out, the rest of you are morons for trying, etc, etc." Not saying that's what you meant but, it is how it was perceived.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

If you are talking to me, only 1! person said it was a bad idea and said it was useless on less than a 100 gallon. I have a 125 gallon and was just stating my tank to reference for future suggestions. Read the entire post please


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

There used to be some kind of potted houseplant vine in my fish room on a shelf near the tanks. It grew from tank to tank, creating masses of roots in each tank, whether it was a ten or a one twenty. It kept both ammonia and nitrate at zero and certainly took other chemicals out of the water too. I never found out what plant it was. The leaves were thick like a succulent. Often a stem would change to a leaf and then back to a stem, and pop out a few thorns almost anywhere. It was a very strange looking plant, but it sure kept my fish tanks clean, and the vegetarian fish could even get a meal off it, and it would still grow back faster. Eventually I got tired of the jungle look, but this volunteer tank maintenance worker was never pointless. Remember the thorns.


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## moto_master (Jun 23, 2006)

Mcdaphnia said:


> There used to be some kind of potted houseplant vine in my fish room on a shelf near the tanks.


Was it this?


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

made one for my sump about a week ago out of spare junk I had laying around just for the heck of it. Mainly just to see if it would grow like all those reefer pics. It did! It's not really big enough to do much in my 180, I might go bigger if I start noticing any benefits.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

> potted houseplant vine in my fish room on a shelf near the tanks. It grew from tank to tank, creating masses of roots in each tank,


In the wee small hours..softly..FEED ME..
maybe good thing to get it gone, before it flowered :lol: 
As to the starting reason for the thread... :thumb:


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

josmoloco said:


> If you are talking to me, only 1! person said it was a bad idea and said it was useless on less than a 100 gallon. I have a 125 gallon and was just stating my tank to reference for future suggestions. Read the entire post please


No, I was talking to someone else and forgot to use the quotation gizmo, sorry.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

Bulldog, What are the dimentions, It looks big enough. You need about 1 sqare inch of screen per gellon of tank water.

How do I male a silent overflow? I want to add a sump to my 125. I don't have the propper supplies or patience to drill the tank.


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## moto_master (Jun 23, 2006)

josmoloco said:


> Bulldog, What are the dimentions, It looks big enough. You need about 1 sqare inch of screen per gellon of tank water.


Bulldog has a 180, so he'd need 15 square FEET of screen. That picture doesn't look that big. As for a silent overflow without drilling the tank, That's pretty tough. Lots of people have siphon overflows (including myself) but they're hardly silent. Mine isn't extremely loud or annoying, but it does make noise. I think the only way to make a silent overflow is to use a pump to pump the water to the sump. But that's complicated and dangerous (concerning overflowing a tank or sump).


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

He only need a sreen that is 10 by 18 inches. That makes a 180 square foot screen. (Not really too big)


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## moto_master (Jun 23, 2006)

You're right, I did my math wrong.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

I meant 180 square inch.....


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

It's about 9X10, so I'm about half the size. It's be pretty easy to make it bigger, seems to be really growing now.
I've got a pvc overflow, it's pretty quiet. I got lucky with it, the one on my 55 sounds like a toilet sometimes.
On the intake I have a strip of that needlepoint fabric hanging in there, it helps alot. The "breather" has a cap with a couple of holes and some floss inside to baffle any noise there. The sump end is the real noise maker, but I solved that by running it through a couple of u-turns first. 
I tried the exact thing on the 55gal but can't shut that thing up for naught.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

Check out the last 30 seconds of this vid, I am running a 10 watt light on my hob filter. The media is the material from extra bio wheels.Water params are perfect, 0ppm nitrate! foil reflector, ight is on about 16 hours per day.


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