Lost Creek 270

[LostCreekReefer]

Here's the floating algae scrubber. Kind of spendy, but well worth it if it gets rid of that cursed stuff!!!

SURF2 UAS Floating Surface Algae Scrubber w Ribbons and Green Grabber Textures | eBay

I never thought of looking on Ebay...I did find his direct source e-shop and they are cheaper this was especially for quantities more than just one of them.

SURF2 floating surface UAS with ribbons and Green-Grabber surfaces - 2 cubes feeding per day

The largest biopellet reactor and pellets and pump and bacterial inoculate is still cheaper than one of these. The caveat is having a well working skimmer in use for removal of the bacteria that you grow when doing this. Mine is doin' just great!

 

[LostCreekReefer]

My new skimmer has a bio-pellets chamber before the skimmer, all the water passes thru them first before hitting the skimmer. That is the only experience I have with them.

Cool! so you ARE using them now? Which pellets did you go for (and maybe why you chose those)?
Also do you have a picture of it - the skimmer with biopellets in it)? I just looked through a year of your tank pictures...I'd say it is looking better all the time (which is mind blowing since it looks awesome all the time)...just better growth and color! Nice!

 

[myindoorocean]

The largest biopellet reactor and pellets and pump and bacterial inoculate is still cheaper than one of these. The caveat is having a well working skimmer in use for removal of the bacteria that you grow when doing this. Mine is doin' just great!

Still,if this works better, I'd spend the money...

 

[sarmo]

hi Kevin, I did read the "bubble scrubber" thread. I agree that it will work. I don't know if the formula about light watts and square inches would hold up but if I were to build one, i'd over build. but that is just me I have read a lot about bio pellets and I think the idea of giving bacteria a media to grow on and then consume some of the waste products is a sound idea. really not different than a sand bed except the pellet is an additional food source. all I have in my 210 for my FW fish is an undergravel filter. bacteria take care of the waste, we all know that.
I think my fuge helped my reef a lot. I think the "bubble scrubber" is a compact version and could do the same thing. I wouldn't put it in my display, to many bubbles that would go everywhere and be a pain. in my future I may be back into saltwater and will be keeping it smaller, so a "bubble scrubber" could be in my future. the original turf scrubbers might be better as it wouldn't produce so many microbubbles. i'm not sure which I might choose to use.
having lived through plenty of hair algae I think either "scrubber" would be a better choice than the biopellets, at least they work the same way as nature does.
I wonder if getting your skimmer working better will solve the problem over time? when nothing else helped I found that phosphate pads did the trick for me. are you still doing continuous water changes?

 

[LostCreekReefer]

Hi Rob...I guess I remember your refugium as a large water trough, maybe 125 gallons? That would be great, like Devon's 90 or Charlie's 70 gallon aquariums for refugiums. I have a 120ish gallon sump and I'd bet the refugium, is around 30 - 35 gallon volume, so not so much help there. What I read about using algae vs using bacteria, the bacteria grow much faster, a shorter doubling time, and for each gram of bacteria you grow you suck up about 40- - 50% more waste (nitrates and phosphates). It just looks better, Dr Tim has a very nice presentation about it. No Lights needed.

I have been doing continuous water changes for > 2 years with the LiterMeter III, works out to 5 gallons a day (20 liters), or ~150 gallons a month for a ~35% water change monthly?

 

[sarmo]

as the theory goes, the bacteria are removed by the skimmer and eaten by sponges and other filter feeders? it's been a while since I read about the biopellets but that's how I remember it, is that right? only the bacteria that are removed from the water by the skimmer will export their nutrients. I think you could do a turf scrubber in your sump, but you are right they will need a light, are you heating your system or do you have to cool it? if you're heating then adding another light is not really a problem. as I remember the pellets are not cheap, maybe they have come down in price? and don't you need a fairly good sized pump for the reactor to keep the pellets suspended? in the end it's all dollars and cents, electricity for pumps, lights, money for biopellets, reactors. I would look at ease of maintenance, cost and which system you feel comfortable with. seems like people have success with things or systems they like. not me, I never could grow Montipora but I really like it you are a smart guy, which one would be cheapest to operate and easiest to maintain assuming similar performance?
I have also read that some people accomplish the same thing by dosing Vodka? no pump, no light.

 

[LostCreekReefer]

I was working on switching out my T-5 lights last night. NOW I remember why I don't like doing this much and how heavy those fixtures are! I also experienced something new to me, that is better than a paper cut, and it is even better than a corrugated cardboard cut (now those really hurt!), which is an ACRYLIC cut - 1/8" acrylic has an excellent cutting edge if used just right.

 

[CarlaW]

Pics or it didn't happen

 

[DevonM]

I love that new light smell... I mean look!

 

[LostCreekReefer]

I love that new light smell... I mean look!

Lights are in and work fine; for the break in period (as in please don't fry the corals period) I'm going from 2 layers of screen over the tank (for the last 4 days), to a single layer of screen for 4 more days. No problems so far.

I am trying the Dr Tim's bacterial products to work on the algae problem:



The Refresh is the initial treatment, dump it in every other day for 4 days, then start with the Waste away. No Carbon dosing or bio-pellets at this point, they advised me to start w/ minimal doses, work up to full doses. Skimmer is off for the 1st 12 hours after dosing, then turn it on and see what gets skimmed out. I'm on my second dose of Refresh and the skimmate is thicker and darker than it has been in the past (forever) so I take that as a sign I am skimming out something new and exciting, like bacteria that are eating the wastes out of the water. Maybe it is just food coloring, though...ya never know! :eyebrows:

@ Charlie: the acrylic cut did happen pic 1.) the day after , pic 2.) is a week (I think) larer, just today:





I have been preoccupied on a dog hunt for the last week. I had to put my black lab, "Ellie" to sleep last weekend due to multiple orthopedic problems on top of the rest of her orthopedic problems after she fell half-way down a flight od stairs. it pretty much defined totally sucks for me. She's been through enough in life and I was not going to subject her to another major surgery with a long recovery but this time with an iffy prognosis, so sadly, it was time.

So I've been looking at puppies (on Craigslist, Ha!) and got this guy from some folks north of Rocker, MT over by Butte:





So we are on day 2 of semi-sleep deprivation; his name is Marco, he is actually a pretty smart pup for <9 weeks of age, gets along great with us, the other dog and the cats are not so sure. Marco is clueless about any fish.:noidea:

 

[CarlaW]

Kevin, the cut looks kinda nasty, take 3 adult beverages and call me in the mornin

I see the new pup is well on his way to $4000 worth of doggy toys. Hide your shoes, the kids shoes, your wifes shoes, oh hell, hide everything you can't tie down, he has yet to go thru the chewies

Good luck with the treatments and take pics, if for nuthin else to keep us retired folks interested..............lol

 

[LostCreekReefer]

Kevin, the cut looks kinda nasty, take 3 adult beverages and call me in the mornin

Our new pool is open, so the cut is in the water several time weekly for swimming which is maybe slowing the healing down a bit. It'll get there. I bled rather profusely at first though!

I see the new pup is well on his way to $4000 worth of doggy toys. Hide your shoes, the kids shoes, your wifes shoes, oh hell, hide everything you can't tie down, he has yet to go thru the chewies

Oh, now $4K of dog toys will never happen! He just needed some of his own to play with, as Roy (the 3 yr old dog at home) was getting rather bent when Marco would have the gall to pick up one of his many toys. So I got Marco 2 (two) toys. At home last night Roy was stealing the toys from Marco, and Marco was chewing on cardboard boxes that he found who knows where and towels that he just figured out how to pull off the towel rack.....we have the chewies going on! Shoes are easy to protect, we just shut a door.

I'll be cleaning the skimmer tonight...some pictures of skimmate to liven up your evening???

 

[CarlaW]

Well........................ at least you know you got enuf blood to bleed profusely and live thru it .

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Doggy toy wars, isn't that just fun and innovative. pretty soon tho they will be playin tug o' war and then you get to the growling and snarling. God how I miss those days..................................... NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh hell yes, a little bit of skimmate to brighten the evening is always more fun than a barrel of dead coral.

 

[LostCreekReefer]

Oh hell yes, a little bit of skimmate to brighten the evening is always more fun than a barrel of dead coral.

I hope I NEVER have that to show you!

 

[CarlaW]

Been there done that once, I don't ever wanna go thru that again.

 

[Parrot-Head]

Awesome puppy

 

[LostCreekReefer]

As promised! after 2 days of skimming (after adding the second dose of bacteria) = more, thicker, darker skimmate, looks like we're pulling something new, additional out of the water. 3rd dose in tonight. :tongue:

 

[CarlaW]

Reminds me of an old beer commercial.............................. drink deep thru the foam .

 

[LostCreekReefer]

Reminds me of an old beer commercial.............................. drink deep thru the foam .

It did not at all smell like a beer commercial....kids were in the basement, then running away screaming...like I've never cleaned out the skimmer before?

 

[CarlaW]

Well......................... that is one way to be by yourself . I used to dump mine outside until the squirrels complained.