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Algae Filter Installation

The primary maintenance issue with live reef tanks is algae growth. The introduction of food, water supplements and light from the tank encourage algae to grow in what's called an organic soup. Much like fighting forest fires with fire, algae growth can be abated using an exterior algae reservoir. The algae filter reservoir contains plants that compete with the algae in the tank, stealing nutrients and thus reducing the amount of algae within the reef tank.

Things You'll Need

Algae reservoir system
Algae reservoir stand
Tank water vacuum
Algae scrubber
Purified tank refill water

Instructions

- 1
  Scrub the walls of the tank with an algae scrubber.
- 2
  Vacuum the rocks and sand to remove as much algae from the tank as possible. This process will remove 10 to 20 percent of the tank water, so be prepared with extra purified tank water based on the gallon size of the tank.
- 3
  Place the reservoir on the filter stand, ensuring it's above the elevation of the sump pump for the tank. The sump is usually placed near the ground behind the tank, so keeping the reservoir above the sump is usually not difficult to achieve.
- 4
  Disconnect the sump pump line from the main filter (algae filter is secondary) and screw it into the base of the algae filter reservoir. This will send water into the algae filter reservoir before the water dumps into the main filter's reservoir, through that filter and back into the tank. This refill is a 1/2- to 3/4-inch diameter depending on the size of the tank.
- 5
  Run the 1-1/2 inch algae filter drain line from the base of the algae filter reservoir, into the filter sump. As water drains from the larger reservoir pipe, it's introduced to the main filter, at which point it will be reintroduced to the tank via the filter return line.

Animals & Science