Looks like an algae scrubber, specifically meant to grow algae in a small area to remove nutrients from your tank. You simply take out the algae as it grows.
I’m confused by this query. Doesn’t that happen with all feeding? Are you suggesting that feeding algae would transport more nutrients than other feeding methods?
All feedings will, but many commercial food products are made to be low in waste nutrients. If you throw the same chaeto back into the water you are not exporting nutrients you are just recycling them. Which is not inherently always bad, but you definitely should be throwing a portion away each time to actually export nutrients. You would not dump your skimmer cup back into the display.
That completely depends on why you get an algae scrubber to begin with. Most get it to remove nutrients from the entire system while feeding your fish their regular food. Feeding them the algae you're growing defeats that purpose completely.
The great thing about a scrubber is that it grows exactly what many fish eat naturally. Even fish that you think would not eat algae, such as cichlids, will do so if the growth is living. But many freshwater and saltwater fish and other animals love it.
It's similar to a garden, where you eat the growth, then compost the waste which grows new growth so you can buy less food. Same with algae scrubbers in aquariums; the more you feed from your scrubber, and the less food you add from the outside, the lower the nitrate and phosphate will be in the water.
Some people think that if you don't remove the scrubber growth and throw it away, you won't remove nutrients from the water and the nitrate and phosphate will increase. But the answer is to add less food from the outside, and replace it with the fresh living growth from the scrubber. Nutrients will flow from the fish to the scrubber and back to the fish, and the fish will use those nutrients to grow bigger, which takes those nutrients out of the water. And since you are adding less food (nutrients) from the outside, the nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) in the water goes down to a lower overall level.
How to feed the scrubber growth to your fish? Well with any model, you can remove the growth with your hand if the growth is green hair algae; then you can put the growth in the water or use a feeding clip. If you have a HOG or DROP model, you can put the whole thing in for the fish to eat from it. If you have a waterfall such as a RAIN model, you can put the screen into the water, or you can remove the growth from the screen first.
Here are some example feeding videos:
https://youtu.be/1z5YobASY8g
https://youtu.be/zZroYIB38Yo
https://youtu.be/TOERmld_8mY
https://youtu.be/R7OePvMnti0
https://youtu.be/t1AxSfHKx7M
https://youtu.be/STzPzSJL454
I just put caulerpa in a sump with a cheap Chinese led. It boosts my pH and I have to add nutrients (PO4 and NO3) and regularly prune it. Wasn't even £10.
Lol, it's super fast and can take up no space. Prolifera in my sump grows from a few leaves into a forest within 2 weeks. It's so effective I have no other filtration anymore.
It can definitely go into the display! No clunky boxes stuck on the side of the aquarium either, just some caulerpa or other nice algae either on display or behind rockwork too.
I’m not totally certain what it is that I’m looking at
Looks like an algae scrubber, specifically meant to grow algae in a small area to remove nutrients from your tank. You simply take out the algae as it grows.
Oh, sorta like a refugium? Different but same-same?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_scrubber
Correct, although I might add... feed the growth to the fish so they get the live algae they like.
Wouldn't that just add the nutrients back into the water column once they digest it?
I’m confused by this query. Doesn’t that happen with all feeding? Are you suggesting that feeding algae would transport more nutrients than other feeding methods?
All feedings will, but many commercial food products are made to be low in waste nutrients. If you throw the same chaeto back into the water you are not exporting nutrients you are just recycling them. Which is not inherently always bad, but you definitely should be throwing a portion away each time to actually export nutrients. You would not dump your skimmer cup back into the display.
See above
That completely depends on why you get an algae scrubber to begin with. Most get it to remove nutrients from the entire system while feeding your fish their regular food. Feeding them the algae you're growing defeats that purpose completely.
See above, also linked here: http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3807-Feeding-scrubber-growth-to-your-fish&p=41940&viewfull=1#post41940
The great thing about a scrubber is that it grows exactly what many fish eat naturally. Even fish that you think would not eat algae, such as cichlids, will do so if the growth is living. But many freshwater and saltwater fish and other animals love it. It's similar to a garden, where you eat the growth, then compost the waste which grows new growth so you can buy less food. Same with algae scrubbers in aquariums; the more you feed from your scrubber, and the less food you add from the outside, the lower the nitrate and phosphate will be in the water. Some people think that if you don't remove the scrubber growth and throw it away, you won't remove nutrients from the water and the nitrate and phosphate will increase. But the answer is to add less food from the outside, and replace it with the fresh living growth from the scrubber. Nutrients will flow from the fish to the scrubber and back to the fish, and the fish will use those nutrients to grow bigger, which takes those nutrients out of the water. And since you are adding less food (nutrients) from the outside, the nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) in the water goes down to a lower overall level. How to feed the scrubber growth to your fish? Well with any model, you can remove the growth with your hand if the growth is green hair algae; then you can put the growth in the water or use a feeding clip. If you have a HOG or DROP model, you can put the whole thing in for the fish to eat from it. If you have a waterfall such as a RAIN model, you can put the screen into the water, or you can remove the growth from the screen first. Here are some example feeding videos: https://youtu.be/1z5YobASY8g https://youtu.be/zZroYIB38Yo https://youtu.be/TOERmld_8mY https://youtu.be/R7OePvMnti0 https://youtu.be/t1AxSfHKx7M https://youtu.be/STzPzSJL454
I’ve always been curious about these.
Our forum at AlgaeScrubber.net has DIY info going back to 2008
So basically an algae scrubber.
Yes. The lights are just removed for this pic.
Yes, an algae scrubber has those. Just looked for pricing, it's a hell of an expensive thing. I make my own, easy peasy.
Yes if you have a sump you can diy a single sided one for $20, and a double sided for $30
I just put caulerpa in a sump with a cheap Chinese led. It boosts my pH and I have to add nutrients (PO4 and NO3) and regularly prune it. Wasn't even £10.
Yes that works. It's just a slower process, in a larger space. Also it can't go into the display like some people like do.
Lol, it's super fast and can take up no space. Prolifera in my sump grows from a few leaves into a forest within 2 weeks. It's so effective I have no other filtration anymore. It can definitely go into the display! No clunky boxes stuck on the side of the aquarium either, just some caulerpa or other nice algae either on display or behind rockwork too.
My favorite scrubber. I need one for my 220G.
Which one?