the new greates diy in the aquarium hobby

[Samantha_p]

you can built them yourself,they can be use in both fw,sw aquariums,they go by a few different names(algae scrubbers,algae turf scrubbers,algae filters)their are a few youtube videos of diy algae scrubbers.people who used them, swear by them,saying that you dont need a skimmer when using one.i read about them on other forums and on algae scrubber.net. maybe is just new to me and most of you guys know about these. if you have used them before ,what are the pros and cons? of using them,and your experience,is it really worth building?
can you really go skimmerless?

 

[Jimbo7]

There actually was a big discussion about these here a couple weeks ago. They are marketed as an end all be all and much easier, but in reality they have their own downfalls. They have to be cleaned off weekly in order for the algae to not back leech what they absorb into the tank. Skimmers (depending) have to be emptied much less then that.

They practically do the same thing, its just a cost/maintenance argument.

 

[Ziggy953]

I agree with Jimbo on this one. The algae scrubber is not a new idea at all, they have been around for years and years, they just recently been revived on a smaller scale.

 

[cabezon]

If i could run one outside, I might. But it looks too messy for under the cabinet.