Algae scrubber - Santa Monica (bubble) vs Clear Water (pump)?

[Lylelovett]

Hi all,

I'm going to give Algae scrubbers a try. I am looking at the Santa Monica HOG (bubble type) or a Clear Water (plumbed type).

Has anyone had experience with one kind vs the other? I'm interested to hear your experiences with either specifically those manuf/models or just between the two types.

I have room to plumb one in, but also like the smaller install/footprint of the bubble style... Curious if anyone feels one is better than the other?

Thanks!

 

[Peace River]

I have an IceCap (plumbed type) and a small Santa Monica HOG. They both work and, like you mentioned, there are situations where both of them may be the best solution. That said, if you have room I would recommend that you take a strong look at the IceCap (or comparable). I have had mine for about 9 months and continue to be pleased with the performance.

 

[Lylelovett]

I have an IceCap (plumbed type) and a small Santa Monica HOG. They both work and, like you mentioned, there are situations where both of them may be the best solution. That said, if you have room I would recommend that you take a strong look at the IceCap (or comparable). I have had mine for about 9 months and continue to be pleased with the performance.

I'm so torn.

Do you run your IceCap off of the return or have a separate pump for it?

But I do like the fact that the HOG is just a simple air pump that makes it work.

 

[Peace River]

I'm so torn.

Do you run your IceCap off of the return or have a separate pump for it?

But I do like the fact that the HOG is just a simple air pump that makes it work.

I have a separate pump coming from the sump. I added a small IceCap EVO pump, but any small pump would work fine. FWIW, I would buy the IceCap scrubber again. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ice Cap and clear water. I Have CW and excellent unit, easy to clean and hear all good on ice Caps. Both require external pump which is no issue for me.

 

[paintman]

I have a Clearwater scrubber. it's been running for about 5 weeks now and I am just starting to see some algae growth at the bottom of the screen. I am feeding it off a small sicce pump in the sump. Only complaint is the lid is so tick poorly made, after only about a week, the heat from the lights warped the lid to the point it does not sit flat on top of the unit.. Plus the fact they want another $60 for guards to limit the light spill out the sides. If i had to do it again I would go with a Sant Monica!

 

[TheDragonsReef]

My Clearwater is a beast, it looks like this after every 2 weeks

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a Clearwater scrubber. it's been running for about 5 weeks now and I am just starting to see some algae growth at the bottom of the screen. I am feeding it off a small sicce pump in the sump. Only complaint is the lid is so tick poorly made, after only about a week, the heat from the lights warped the lid to the point it does not sit flat on top of the unit.. Plus the fact they want another $60 for guards to limit the light spill out the sides. If i had to do it again I would go with a Sant Monica!

For light guards- I cut out cardboard and sprayed them with lacquer. Using them over a year and still works.

 

[Lylelovett]

My Clearwater is a beast, it looks like this after every 2 weeks

View attachment 2053389

That's impressive.

 

[MERKEY]

Picked up an icecap over the presidents sale. Can't wait to see the benefits.

Thank you guys for all of the input!

 

[madlos123]

Picked up an icecap over the presidents sale. Can't wait to see the benefits.

Thank you guys for all of the input!

Hows youre icecap doing any input or review?

 

[MERKEY]

Hows youre icecap doing any input or review?

It's actually doing pretty good!

I'll get a pic of it dirty on Saturday when I clean it.

I was able to stop.using phosgaurd and keep my posts around .07-.14

I still wanted it lower so I bought a larger skimmer.

That's breaking in so fingers crossed it lowers it enough I can really start feeding the corals ;Facepalm

 

[BeltedCoyote]

I went with Clearwater due to space constraints: easier for me to have it suspended over my sump with a small pump than one of the Santa Monica scrubbers that would be the appropriate size for my tank.

I know several people on here who have had great experiences with both. Just went with what worked for my system. I’ll report back when I have my system up and running.

 

[madlos123]

It's actually doing pretty good!

I'll get a pic of it dirty on Saturday when I clean it.

I was able to stop.using phosgaurd and keep my posts around .07-.14

I still wanted it lower so I bought a larger skimmer.

That's breaking in so fingers crossed it lowers it enough I can really start feeding the corals ;Facepalm

any issues? like leakage, warping, light problems, water spraying? those are what i found around?

 

[MERKEY]

any issues? like leakage, warping, light problems, water spraying? those are what i found around?

I haven't had any leak issues...

I have it about 6"-8" inches above the water so there is a bit of splashing but that's on me. A tube to the water would fix that.

Light does spill put of the sides a bit but it's in a cabinet so I don't see it.

If I could go back with what I know, I would have went with a Santa Monica so I could float it in my sump.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I made my own... lol
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

.

 

[Bleigh]

I installed a Clear Water algae scrubber a few weeks ago. Super happy with it so far. Has algae growing, but haven't harvested yet. I happen to like the pink light. I added a pvc pipe with a T, it's dead silent.

 

[Lylelovett]

I'm loving my Santa Monica Rain. Took a while to understand the process and realize how it works. Totally happy with it. Don't even need the skimmer for nutrient export, but I still keep it running to help with oxygenation.