Best Aquarium Filter

Words of gratitude to Paola for the idea and special thanks to Bryan from Santa Monica Filtration for providing and allowing me to review my experiments with the algae scrubber.

I like the idea of using the same natural filtration processes in aquariums as in ocean.
Using the algae scrubber HOG.5, provided kindly by Santa Monica Filtration, for over a month proves it to be the best aquarium filter and much more!

July 13th, 2017
I get the algae scrubber by mail.
It comes in a timely manner, packed in a mail box.

Here is the manual (here is YouTube channel), with an attached accessory and the algae scrubber HOG.5.

The accessory is a syringe.
I may need it later.

The manual turns out to be very handy and a must read!
The HOG.5 can be used in aquariums with salt or fresh water.

The HOG.5 has two parts and an electrical power cord.
The air tube is already attached to the part that goes into the aquarium.
The two parts of the HOG.5 are attached to each other with magnets.

Here is a black cloth.
The part with white rocks.
And the part with LED.

I wash the part that goes into the aquarium.

The air tube has cuts on the bottom part of the scrubber.

Every aquarium houses a unique and continuously changing ecosystem.
I want to test run this HOG.5 in my newly built HD aquarium.

This model's algae scrubber magnets hold parts together through walls up to 6 mm thick.
I can hang it in different ways on any wall of this tank.

I use my decades old Whisper 10 air pump with an air control valve.

Connect the air tubes through the air control valve.

Power up the air pump to check it out.
I can adjust the air flow.

All works fine.

The manual suggests for the first installation to partially cover the LED.

The magnets are strong enough to drag the inner part as I move the outer part.

I place the algae scrubber on the furthest side from the window.
This way, the aquarium gets the most of the natural light coming from the window (on the right) and a nice front view.
This is my new aquarium filled only with gravel and water for now.

I made a top cover for this aquarium to reduce water evaporation.

It also prevents water from splashing as it comes out along with air bubbles.
I keep the algae scrubber running for 18 hours a day, as suggested in the manual for a new setup.

July 15th, 2017
I added plants, snails, little water critters, and a pair of guppies.

Power up the algae scrubber and the air pump through timers.

July 17th, 2017
The first green algae spotted inside of the scrubber!

July 25th, 2017
The LED is on for 20 hours a day.

I feed this pair of, 2 cm each, guppies with a pinch of fish food flakes per day.
The HOG.5 can handle a fresh or salt water aquarium with up to 5 pinches of fish food a day!

July 27th, 2017
The algae grows faster inside of the algae scrubber as more fish food and waste accumulates in the aquarium.

Algae consumes all "bad" things dissolved in water, making water clean.

From now on I keep the LED on for 22 hours a day.

July 29th, 2017
The aquarium is clean.

The algae grows attaching to the white rocks and on the wall (glass) inside of the HOG.5.

The first algae harvest!

Pull out the algae scrubber along the wall trying to scrub algae from the wall.

Guppies love algae snacks!
Algae is the fundamental base of food pyramid in nature.

There is not much algae to harvest yet.

All little water critters and snails depend on algae.

I use a toothbrush to remove the algae from the glass.

Rinse off the algae of the toothbrush in a cup of dechlorinated water.
Repeat it to get most of the algae.

I brush off the tiny remains of algae from the glass right into the aquarium.

Pick up any pets (snails) from the scrubber and drop them back into your aquarium.
Brush off algae from all surfaces of the scrubber and the air tube.
Rub the algae in all white spots - it will boost algae growth on those spots.

Rinse off the scrubber under running water.

Put the clean HOG.5 back in the aquarium.

Connect it to the air pump and turn on the LED.
All set to grow new algae.

This time I am going to use the collected algae to feed my little cleaning crew that I keep in this nursery aquarium along with land moss converted for underwater life.

July 31st, 2017
The algae grows noticeably better after the first harvest!

August 2nd, 2017

August 6th, 2017
It is a harvest time.

This time I get much more algae.
I clean up the scrubber, collecting all the algae for later use.

Collect some algae from the glass.
We can use all the algae to make fish food, completing the natural cycle!
It deserves a separate video which I hope to make later.

In the meantime, I am curious to see how the HOG.5 can handle algae infested aquarium.
For the purpose of this experiment, I release algae back in my aquarium - watch it get green and cloudy!

I am going to share results of this experiment with you in one of my future videos.

I am very impressed with algae scrubber's abilities and potential to handle needs of all types and sizes of aquariums and ponds.
Have fun and happy aquariums :)