My DIY "algae scrubber" prototype attempt

[FishFanMan]

So I'm trying to get rid of BGA (just did a chemiclean treatment) and have had brown algae in my tank for a long time and I've seen countless discussions about too much nutrients in the water or not enough CO2. I started liquid CO2 and I do see my plants responding but brown algae is still around. So I'm creating my version of an algae scrubber to see if lowering nutrients in my display tank might help.

I started with a dinky breeding box (I only have space for this size) and a CFL light. I was thinking of LED but ACE had this CFL on sale for 50 cents and so CFL it is! The box was on sale at Petsmart for $12.



Went looking for any kind of floating plants but 3 LFSs didn't have any. So I bought a good sized crypt plant at Aquarium Adventures for $6 and put it in the box. It's taller than the box, so some of the leaves sticks out of the water, and as some of you mentioned, the plant should be fine with that.



I also bought a basic light socket with cord from ACE for $7 and used a heavy wire, pole and duct tape to position the CFL over the box. As a temporary housing I used heavy duty foil to make a housing to concentrate/contain the light.







I'm hoping with 18 hours of light that algae, moss, and other nasty things will grow in here along with the crypt! Will my main tank be clear of algae? We shall see!





If it works, I'll probably switch CFL for LED to reduce the height of the light housing.

 

[jpappy789]

Not sure how well the Crypt will do long term not rooted in something and being contained like that, but will be interesting to see. You'll definitely need to mist the leaves often though since it is open-top and you're concentrating the heat/light over a small area. High humidity is key for growing "aquatic" plants emersed. In all honesty you would probably get more of an effect using a faster growing stem/floater like Anacharis or hornwort given the space.

Good luck though, will keep an eye on how this progresses.

 

[fermentedhiker]

I agree with Jpappy789 that a crypt is not a great choice. Their growth is relatively slow and they are primarily root feeders whereas you want something that is fast growing and pulls most of it's nutrients from the water column. The two that he mentioned are good choices for that, or jump right up to terrestrial plants that don't mind wet "feet" like Golden Pothos or Philodendron both of which any greenhouse should have for cheap. Have fun with the experiment.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

That's more of a refugium by definition than an algae scrubber. I agree with the others in that you'd do better with a different choice of plant.

 

[ROYWS3]

I would definitely put a crypt that nice in my display tank. I agree with the others on all accounts - the crypt should be rooted, there are better, faster growing plant choices that will take up excess nutrients quicker but I do like the idea and will definitely keep tabs on how this progresses

 

[huapala]

perhaps duck weed (Wolffia globosa) or frog bite (Limnobium spongia)
They propagate very well and float on the surface. My LFS cant sell duck weed and rarely have frogbite, but maybe yours will.

Sent from my VS920 4G using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[dhvService]

I thought an algae scrubber was just a brightly lit area away from the main tank in the flow of water where you let algea grow. What is the purpose behind adding a plant?
i like the idea, Mind If I give it a go?

 

[FishFanMan]

I agree that a crypt is not the best choice. I went to 3 lfs but none had anything better and the lfs that I trust said to try the crypt for this purpose. I created the box and wanted to put something in it to get it going. I'll let this run for a month and see what happens. Btw, if you want to try it please do so you certainly don't need my permission!

 

[jpappy789]

I thought an algae scrubber was just a brightly lit area away from the main tank in the flow of water where you let algea grow. What is the purpose behind adding a plant?
i like the idea, Mind If I give it a go?

As slappy said it's more of a refugium...in theory it's used, mainly in SW, to encourage more nutrient uptake so that algae don't proliferate in the main tank.

 

[dhvService]

Why does the algea scrubber need a live plant?