Whats an algae turf scrubber?

[muhli]

I see people talking about it from time to time. Its something with a drain (from the display tank?) to the sump where it goes though this needlepoint screen where algae builds up. Am I right in thinking its a bit like a refuge where the algae growing absorbs other stuff like phosphates and etc from the water? If its like chaeto, whats better?

 

[Plumstr8]

Its a flat panel of glass or acrylic installed into your filteration system sump, bucket, etc. Its design as follows.
Water from the tank is slowly run across the panel, then a small light (yellow spectrum) the kind that causes algea to grow quickly is placed very close to the panel. This causes the algea to grow on the panel and not in the tank, once the panel is covered it can be cleaned as needed. The algea also remove other nutrients in the water.

 

[muhli]

But wont this hinder the growth of Coraline algae?

 

[rygh]

I started a thread on turf scrubbers a while back. I have been using them for a few years.
A quick way to think of it chaeto on steroids.
What they do very very well is remove nitrates.
But unfortunately, they are often rather badly over hyped as some miracle.

Some reading here:
http://www.bareefers.org/home/node/12042

 

[Plumstr8]

I havnt had the chance yet but I would like to play with the idea. Its a pretty good concept.