Show off your Turbo's Aquatics Algae Scrubber!

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Turbo's Aquatics

Turbo's Aquatics

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All the metal is going to be powder coated. As of right now it's going to be permanent unless another idea comes up or suggestion.
I make extruded PVC rails for mounting, there is also something you can get at Menards that is pretty heavy duty, I saw it there the other day right next to the S80 pipe but I can't find it on their site. Seen it used before also. I'll have to search more for that.
 

jason2459

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Turbo's Aquatics

Turbo's Aquatics

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As of right now it's going to be permanent unless another idea comes up or suggestion.

I make extruded PVC rails for mounting, there is also something you can get at Menards that is pretty heavy duty, I saw it there the other day right next to the S80 pipe but I can't find it on their site. Seen it used before also. I'll have to search more for that.

I had to call them but I found it, it's called Spee-D Channel, it's drain channel, comes in 4' and 10' lengths

spee-d channel.jpg


https://www.menards.com/main/plumbi...921847883.htm?tid=-1252116112906963052&ipos=1

The mounting concept would be the same as the rails, you notch out for crossing the euro and leave a bit of the full-profile on the outside front/back of the sump so that it locks in place.

I've seen people drill a hole for the drains and mount a scrubber right centered on top of one of these. there might still be a stability issue side-to-side with a taller scrubber sitting parallel to just one of these, but if you used 2 of these on your setup in positions like where you have that angle iron, that would work.
 

Tbabcock

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Soooo hears the story.. i have always wanted one of these since i followed bud on R2R since day one. Well my club frag show last may was giving one away in a drawing.. and yep i was the lucky SOB to win it. Now even though there is a long lead time on one i was in no hurry because i was beginning my new 120 build. Bud stayed in contact with me and made sure i had it for the start up of my new tank and just in time for the summer social i hosted for the club. It was a hit and this thing is amazing. Even though the tank is still young its still started to produce algae after 3 weeks of operation. I cant thank Bud enough for putting up with me for several months and answering all my question.
Hears my set up.
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Salty1962

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My 3rd weeks growth, 2.5oz of algae. Amazing!

ATS 40117-1.jpg


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Cleaned out my L4 out today after a couple of weeks growth, Wow! The first thing I immediately noticed was the weight. It was so heavy with algae it was hard to remove from my sump. Algae growth in my DT has significantly been reduced, only the Red Turf algae is in the DT. Still trying to figure out how to get rid of it. Lights are @ 3 o'clock and photoperiod is 13 hours. Pulled a little over 7oz of algae.

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Turbo's Aquatics

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Lights are @ 3 o'clock and photoperiod is 13 hours.
Looking great!! I would probably hold the intensity where it's at, as that seems to be growing perfect algae for you. You can start extending the hours though, add 3-4 hours to the photoperiod and then give it a growth cycle, then add again as long as the growth continues to be good.

What you should see by adding hours is more growth that has the same consistency or appearance. If you start to see a change in growth, that could indicate that you are near that "balance point" where the nutrients available in the tank are less than the scrubber needs to keep growing. Adding intensity too quickly can cross that boundary fast, adding hours without changing intensity usually does not.

With a small to medium system (depends on age, stocking, feeding, etc, but this is a more general statement) you can push the scrubber and get good growth, and think you can keep pushing it. You might be able to, or might not. Adding any different filtration will cause a shift in the 'set point' of the system, and this takes time to settle in. The scrubber matures over time, which is different when compared to adding a GFO reactor or something like that which has a more immediate and sudden impact. The maturing process means the set-point can gradually shift, and as the scrubber matures, the set-point changes a bit more, so you can jump past it and cause the screen growth to revert if you crank the intensity and duration up too fast.

So once you get to the 3 o'clock point with good growth, this is where you start pushing the hours up progressively. Once you get to 20-22 hours/day and growth is still good, bump to 2 o'clock, give it a few weeks, then 1 o'clock, give it a few weeks, then full intensity.

The exception to this slow-approach-to-max method is when you have a very large system - you can progress more quickly up through the intensity/hours as a large system takes a lot longer to hit a tipping point, so you'll see slower changes in the screen appearance.
 

Salty1962

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Looking great!! I would probably hold the intensity where it's at, as that seems to be growing perfect algae for you. You can start extending the hours though, add 3-4 hours to the photoperiod and then give it a growth cycle, then add again as long as the growth continues to be good.

What you should see by adding hours is more growth that has the same consistency or appearance. If you start to see a change in growth, that could indicate that you are near that "balance point" where the nutrients available in the tank are less than the scrubber needs to keep growing. Adding intensity too quickly can cross that boundary fast, adding hours without changing intensity usually does not.

With a small to medium system (depends on age, stocking, feeding, etc, but this is a more general statement) you can push the scrubber and get good growth, and think you can keep pushing it. You might be able to, or might not. Adding any different filtration will cause a shift in the 'set point' of the system, and this takes time to settle in. The scrubber matures over time, which is different when compared to adding a GFO reactor or something like that which has a more immediate and sudden impact. The maturing process means the set-point can gradually shift, and as the scrubber matures, the set-point changes a bit more, so you can jump past it and cause the screen growth to revert if you crank the intensity and duration up too fast.

So once you get to the 3 o'clock point with good growth, this is where you start pushing the hours up progressively. Once you get to 20-22 hours/day and growth is still good, bump to 2 o'clock, give it a few weeks, then 1 o'clock, give it a few weeks, then full intensity.

The exception to this slow-approach-to-max method is when you have a very large system - you can progress more quickly up through the intensity/hours as a large system takes a lot longer to hit a tipping point, so you'll see slower changes in the screen appearance.
Thx for the feedback Bud. I believe I've reached the intensity level I need to be at and now I just need to have more of it, longer duration/photoperiod. It did take some time for it to mature but I believe I'm reaching my sweet spot. This filter, for me, has been the best algae control system I've incorporated. Very well worth the investment! I had a mess of algae before adding the ATS, now it's been reduced at least 80-90%, except the RTA;Blackeye
Thx again!
 
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Turbo's Aquatics

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It's all good man! I've had people sell someone another manufacturer's product and tell them it's one of mine. Hopefully that wasn't the case here :eek:
 

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Bud,
How would using Reef HD Algae Buster effect a mature scrubber, 1 yr old,? If you could use for algae in your DT, how would you operate the scrubber with it?
Thx
 

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Tagging along. I'm "in line" for an L4 hopefully soon! The wait has been killing me and looking forward to replacing my huge bulky DIY scrubber
 
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