A simple correction: Scrubbers (algae) only consume inorganic phosphate, meaning the type your test kits measure, and the type that cause nuisance algae. Scrubbers do not remove silica (there is not silica phosphates).
Anyways, as for the testimonials, if you searched for the products then you probably saw them at the end. I could probably do a sponsorship if a group buy happened. As for general successes using scrubber, here are some:
"FlyPenFly" on the scrubber site: "It [UAS] cured my cyano problem in about 3 weeks!"
Creekview on the RS site: "Have 20w of 660nm LED lighting powering the scrubber. It is installed in one end of the tank. The bubble lift pulls water from the plenum. No other filtration is present. Tank has ~100 lbs of live rock, and a 4" aragonite substrate. Plenum is 1". A koralia supplies circulation in the tank. I seeded the system with two bags of Doc's Eco Stuff, a new item at the LFS. After two weeks, the system is alive with rotifers and 'pods. The water quality tests 0-0-0, and is incredibly clear, other than the presence of live plankton, both zoo and phyto. I examine water samples microscopically couple times a day. Saturday I fed 4 cubes of brine shrimp+ and checked the water quality every 4 hours through this morning. Not a detectable change in any parameter. Growing algae, brown and green hair, like crazy. Harvested 3 oz of algae yesterday. It was full of rotifers and pods."
NMETCALF on the RC site: "So after reading info on the whole upflow algae scrubber thing I decided to try that, and I have a roughed up 12x12 screen in my sump with it lit from only one side, and a few air stones around the bottom of it. The one thing I did that deviates from what most people are doing is the LED light I put on the side of my sump to light it is a 120w Red Orange Blue LED grow light. I gotta say the light makes a huge difference!! I am harvesting a softball sized bunch of very long stringy green algae every other day! It is mostly growing up to the surface so I can just reach in and pull some out without removing the screen. the screen has only been in for 7 days so it takes some time for it to cover, but the light has just made the growth rate incredible."
Dennis B on the scrubber site: Letting you know that I really think the [HOG.5] scrubber you have is outstanding - really controls my phosphates - the #1 cause of uncontrolled algae growth and something that has really been an issue for me - until I added your unit. Also, helps with my nitrates, too! I have continued to suggest these units to fellow fish keepers - you really have a great unit due to its small size, little upkeep and great performance. Thanks again for creating this clever and so useful device! I really feel this is the best filter that anyone has produced in twenty years for tank upkeep.
ReeferMat on the MASC site: "So I decided to build one of these [upflow scrubbers] today. It's huge because all I had was a 12 inch airstone, but I'm hoping that won't matter too much. It cost me less than $20 to build, so if it works that is the best bang for the buck I have ever seen in the war on algae! It has been up and running for 3 months now and I have to say my tank looks a lot better. Every time I clean it it grows a new type of algae, slime, turf, etc... and it grows fast. I would say I have seen a decline in nuisance algae in my tank, but to be honest that would be an understatement.... It has all but eradicated it. Every time I look at the scrubber I can't help but think that all that junk would be growing in my DT"
Owenreefin on the PNWMAS site: "The first two months of running this UAS scrubber thing I was convinced I was going to rip it out for the algae growth was dismal, and I figured that my system just couldn't make it work. (I also have algae in my fuge) WELL I WAS WRONG. The thing started to really kick in. So much so that I just conducted my only water change in 2 months and I hardly think it was even necessary. I usually do a change of 30% every 2 weeks. My sand bed has cleared up big time too. With the water change I pulled out a good baseball sized amount of algae off the scrubber, couldn't be happier! I will always be running one of these. I will post pics of its growth next time I change water. Many months from now.
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Bobba on the scrubber site: "Well, it's been almost 3 weeks with the HOG.5, and 2 with my lone Turbo snail. I am happy to report that I have no Hair Algae left in the tank. No signs of any regrowth of what the snail has eaten either."
Clavius on the scrubber site: "I've been running a 500 liter tank now for 5 years. It is very well stocked with SPS, LPS, softies, filter feeders and a modest amount of fish. The nutrients were being kept very low by a combination of a giant skimmer and the ZEOvit method. Off course, this results in very lightly coloured corals, which was my goal. Generally I'm very pleased with the colouring and growth of my corals, and please with my tank in general. But one battle I've always lost: brown algae covering my sandbed. I could not, for the life of me, find what was causing those algae. Not to mention solve it. I've tried many many things to solve it, but up untill recently, without luck. Almost three weeks ago though, I installed a HOG.5 unit. It was a little experiment that I wanted to do ever since I learned about algae scrubbers. I was never creative enough to build one myself, as the space in my 100 ltr sump is very limited. The HOG.5 was affordable and tiny enough to enable my experiment. I could even fit 6 of those units in there with ease. Off course, with the ZEO-method, my nutrients already were really very low. I couldn't measure any NO3 or PO4 with my Salifert test kits. And I never bothered with more expensive kits; unmeasurable should be good enough. I wanted to see if the vitamins and amino acids that the algae scrubber produces would add anything to my reef. And, more importantly, if the algae would consume "something" that the brown algae on my sandbed require. The result in my sandbed is staggering. After only 3 weeks, not a trace of the pesky brown algae is left! An extra benefit, that I didn't expect, is that my lightly coloured corals now all have noticably much more colour. Without getting darker. They seem to glow! I don't know if it is from the vitamins that are released in the water [from the algae scrubber]. Or maybe the ugly brown algae [on the sand] were also covering my corals and that I now finally seeing my uncovered corals! Strangely enough, the algae in my HOG.5 aren't light green, as you would expect with nutrient-poor tanks. But they're a mix of dark brown with red tints here and there. So, I have no idea why that is or how that works. But at this stage I'm just so happy that I really don't care."
BigAl2007 on the RS site: "I've been running an Algae Scrubber on my work tank for months now. After using one I don't plan to run another tank long-term without one. I've reefed for several years and I admit I was more than just a little skeptical about this whole ATS thing. Well not any more. I installed the Santa Monica UAS (HOG.5) on my work tank and the tank has never looked better. I was close to giving up on this tank and tearing it down (It's been up and running here in my office 5+ years now) because I could not get the GHA under control. Because it's in my office it gets the least care/love of all my tanks I've ever owned. It's just a pain to come back to the office after hours to clean/maintain it. I now have zero GHA in this tank and only a small patch of receding Bryopsis in this tank and it's crystal clear. This all came about with NO changes other than the UAS. I didn't treat the tank or increase my water change regimen or anything. By growing the algae in an optimal environment (UAS) and then harvesting the growth I'm removing whatever the algae is feeding on in the main tank and exporting the growth from the system. I've noticed a slow-down in the GHA inside the UAS and I can only assume it's because the tank is more stable now and found it's equilibrium with the UAS installed. I installed the UAS and honestly for the first month I thought "This isn't working at all... there's hardly any green on the screen material". Honestly I sort of forgot about the UAS and didn't check it for weeks. One morning when the lights came on I was thinking, "What the heck is that green stringy stuff hanging off the glass on that one side? It was where the UAS has grown so MUCH GHA that it was spilling out from under the unit due to lack of cleaning. I honestly don't know it it was 4 weeks or 8 weeks since I had even thought about it but it was working."
Vinnyboombatz on the 3R site: "This ATS has worked so well I will never run a tank without one"