IceCap Turf Scrubbers - Product Spotlight

One of the most common problems in aquariums is high nitrate and phosphate levels. There are many ways of lowering nitrate and phosphate. One of the simplest and hardest to mess up is an algae turf scrubber. For years algae turf scrubbers were DIY projects or custom builds, but now IceCap has some plug-and-play super easy-to-use turf scrubbers that let anyone try this technology. Here are some of the reasons we love the IceCap Algae Turf Scrubbers.

What is an Algae Turf Scrubber?
Before explaining what makes the IceCap Algae Turf Scrubbers some of the best you might be wondering what an algae turf scrubber is. Essentially, an algae turf scrubber (sometimes called just an algae scrubber or turf scrubber) is a filtration device that grows turf algae in order to filter the aquarium water. Turf algae is the stringy hair algae that can grow in both fresh and saltwater aquariums. If you have had aquariums for some time then you know that when nitrate and phosphate levels are high, algae growth increases. A turf scrubber creates the ideal environment for algae by spraying water over a mesh sheet that is lit from both sides by intense lights. This gives the algae plenty of light and plenty of CO2 from the atmosphere so that lots of algae grows on the mesh sheet. The mesh sheet is removable and easy to clean with a couple of scrapes from a credit card. When algae grows on the sheet it removes nitrate and phosphate from the water. By removing the easy-to-remove algae you remove nitrate and phosphate from the water. This keeps the water clean and prevents nuisance algae from growing in the tank.

Why a Turf Scrubber?
There are a lot of ways to remove nitrate and phosphate from the water. The various methods include frequent water changes, organic carbon dosing, and refugiums. But turf scrubbers have some distinct advantages.

Turf scrubbers require no chemicals such as bio pellets or liquid organic carbon.
Turf scrubbers don’t require you to buy some algae to get them started, as you need in a refugium.
There is no risk of adding pests from algae that you bought to start your refugium.
Turf scrubbers keep your sump or filtration area much cleaner than a refugium.
Turf scrubbers only need to be cleaned every few weeks. This is much easier than adding liquids every day, or hauling buckets for a water change.
Turf scrubbers have no risk of overdosing, unlike algae solutions that involve adding chemicals.

Why the Ice Cap Turf Scrubbers
IceCap turf scrubbers have some distinct features that make them our favorite turf scrubbers:

Included Pump
Many algae scrubbers do not include a pump. They require you to figure out how large of a pump you need. If the pump is too small, then the algae screen won’t stay wet and the scrubber won’t work properly. If the pump is too large, the scrubber will create loud splashing noises, and the flow will blow so hard algae can’t attach to the screen. The Ice Cap Turf Scrubbers take the guesswork away and provide you with the correct pump right out of the box.

Hang On or Drop In Models
The first turf scrubbers used drop buckets that needed to be placed above a sump. Then there were water fall style scrubbers that required you to build a platform to elevate the scrubber above the sump or aquarium, and then plumbing to move the water to and from the scrubber. This made installation very difficult. The IceCap Turf Scrubbers have drop-in models that sit inside of a sump or hang on models that hand onto the side of the aquarium. This makes installation easy and removes the need for extensive plumbing or modifications.

Water Resistant Lighting
When you are spraying water on a screen with lights on either side, those lights are bound to get wet. Many of the first scrubbers did not have water-resistant lights, not only did the lights not last long, it was really dangerous and risked electrocution or a fire. The IceCap Scrubber uses low-voltage LEDs that are tightly sealed and kept in a separate compartment of the scrubber. This keeps the lights safe and water resistant.

Easy to Remove Algae Screen
Some of the first algae scrubbers had screens attached with zip ties that you would need to cut and replace after each cleaning. The Ice Cap scrubber has an easy-to-remove screen with unions to quickly and easily remove both the spray bar and screen so you can take them to the sink for cleaning.

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IceCap Turf Scrubbers - Product Spotlight

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