i got an algae scrubber
- Thread starter russ13
- Start date
Russ13 has been kind enough to let me piggy back on this thread.
I just got the HOG-1 from Santa Monica. So I am going to share my experience with it. I am intrigued with this approach and although relatively expensive, it seems promising. I am not bashing the price because I do not do that, all new technology has a cost and i am willing to pay the price for this.
It arrived yesterday and since I did not have an air pump for it, I decided to just let it soak in my frag tank until I purchased the air pump. Here it is getting a suntan and a little algae maybe. The surface is new for santa monica, it looks like white gravel or glass glued down somehow. It is really rough and probably incredible in getting algae to attach to it. I do not know what it is exactly but it is well done and clever.
Here is the side with the LED's. Two red ones vs one on the hog-5. This thing is so novel and cool but definitely has a little bit of the DIY look and feel to it. I am not criticizing, it is handmade with care and diligence.
the magnets are really strong (much stronger than on the hog-5). They are sealed with some type of rubber or epoxy. I hope the material covering the magnets does not break down because I would be devastated if I got some unwanted metal ions in the tank. I am sure my livestock would not like it either.
Ran out this evening and got a cheap air pump. I do not know much about air pumps and I had emailed santa monica and his response was any air pump that could handle two outlets. I am not recommending this air pump by any means, it was available at my LFS and reasonably cheap.
Picked out a spot in the sump. Yes that is a GFO reactor and my protein skimmer in the background. Not quite ready to remove either yet. I have no nitrate or phosphate issues, just want to see what this UAS can do. Also wondering if it is potentially preventative for old tank syndrome or phosphate leaching from rocks over time. I am not sure either one of those are real issues we contend with, but there is lots of discussion about those issues.
Here is a picture of it bubbling away. I think I am getting lots of bubble across it.
Cover on with flash photography so you can't see the slight red glow around it. there is a nice red glow around it.
Took this picture with no flash and the red light you see is much more dramatic than what is really seen in person. There is a pretty red glow (ring) just around the perimeter. It is not lighting anything else up in the sump, really.
I will update. Thanks Russ13 again for letting me piggyback with you on this thread.
I just got the HOG-1 from Santa Monica. So I am going to share my experience with it. I am intrigued with this approach and although relatively expensive, it seems promising. I am not bashing the price because I do not do that, all new technology has a cost and i am willing to pay the price for this.
It arrived yesterday and since I did not have an air pump for it, I decided to just let it soak in my frag tank until I purchased the air pump. Here it is getting a suntan and a little algae maybe. The surface is new for santa monica, it looks like white gravel or glass glued down somehow. It is really rough and probably incredible in getting algae to attach to it. I do not know what it is exactly but it is well done and clever.
Here is the side with the LED's. Two red ones vs one on the hog-5. This thing is so novel and cool but definitely has a little bit of the DIY look and feel to it. I am not criticizing, it is handmade with care and diligence.
the magnets are really strong (much stronger than on the hog-5). They are sealed with some type of rubber or epoxy. I hope the material covering the magnets does not break down because I would be devastated if I got some unwanted metal ions in the tank. I am sure my livestock would not like it either.
Ran out this evening and got a cheap air pump. I do not know much about air pumps and I had emailed santa monica and his response was any air pump that could handle two outlets. I am not recommending this air pump by any means, it was available at my LFS and reasonably cheap.
Picked out a spot in the sump. Yes that is a GFO reactor and my protein skimmer in the background. Not quite ready to remove either yet. I have no nitrate or phosphate issues, just want to see what this UAS can do. Also wondering if it is potentially preventative for old tank syndrome or phosphate leaching from rocks over time. I am not sure either one of those are real issues we contend with, but there is lots of discussion about those issues.
Here is a picture of it bubbling away. I think I am getting lots of bubble across it.
Cover on with flash photography so you can't see the slight red glow around it. there is a nice red glow around it.
Took this picture with no flash and the red light you see is much more dramatic than what is really seen in person. There is a pretty red glow (ring) just around the perimeter. It is not lighting anything else up in the sump, really.
I will update. Thanks Russ13 again for letting me piggyback with you on this thread.
Just ordered two HOG .5 for my 28 nano's. I should get them tomorrow. I will also keep the thread up-to-date. My more seasoned tank doesn't really need it but I would like to get rid of the skimmer. It's HOB and gets in the way when changing media. The other nano is getting some algae and I do not want to stop overfeeding my corals/fish.
Ahh so this is where they all went 
Actually a stone is not better because it clogs and you can't clean it. The tubing stays bubbling longer, and when you clean the screen with a toothbrush you just clean the tubing too. I like to blow air (or leave the pump running) into the tubing while cleaning to force any algae out of the little tabs. Then tuck-in the tabs under each other, and put back.
Unless the pump is very stong (probably bigger than the ones you are trying), you won't get all the tabs full of bubbles. But it's not necessary. Three or four columns of bubbles is a great start, and once growth gets thick, the algae will re-route the bubbles anyway. Only when you are trying to squeeze out the maximum filtering possible would you need to max out the bubbles. Once you put it back in, just tilt it to get most bubble onto the screen.
As for OTS, yes a scrubber will pull out the phosphate that would normally build up in rocks and sand.
Actually a stone is not better because it clogs and you can't clean it. The tubing stays bubbling longer, and when you clean the screen with a toothbrush you just clean the tubing too. I like to blow air (or leave the pump running) into the tubing while cleaning to force any algae out of the little tabs. Then tuck-in the tabs under each other, and put back.
Unless the pump is very stong (probably bigger than the ones you are trying), you won't get all the tabs full of bubbles. But it's not necessary. Three or four columns of bubbles is a great start, and once growth gets thick, the algae will re-route the bubbles anyway. Only when you are trying to squeeze out the maximum filtering possible would you need to max out the bubbles. Once you put it back in, just tilt it to get most bubble onto the screen.
As for OTS, yes a scrubber will pull out the phosphate that would normally build up in rocks and sand.
Been running the hog-1 for two days at 12 hours a day and nothing quite yet ( that's not unexpected). Should provide caveat, my nitrate is undetectable and phosphate very low but I do grow chaeto like crazy, about a grocery plastic bag a week or so. So if I am growing chaeto, there are most definitely nitrates and phosphates available. No nuisance algae to speak of. I will keep everyone updated on the progress
