Get the no-overflow advantage of an upflow scrubber: since it is ALL underwater, it can't overflow onto your floor.
This HOG1 scrubber (tm) has over 24 square inches (150 square cm) of algal growth surface, which is designed to absorb the nutrients from this much feeding per day:
1 Frozen cube, or
10 Pinches of flake, or
10 Square inches (62 square cm) of nori, or
2.8 grams of pellets
The number of gallons or liters of water in your tank or sump does not matter. If you feed more than the above amounts, you can get multiple HOG1 units; multiple units are preferred over one larger unit because you can clean one unit per week, and because you'll always have one unit filtering while the other one starts growing again after a cleaning. Multiple units are also good for backup. The magnets attach the outside cover to the inside cover, through the aquarium wall, and can be used on glass or acrylic 1/4 inch (6.25 mm) to 1/2 inch (12.5 mm). Not more. If your aquarium wall is 3/4" (19mm) or bigger, then put the HOG1 on your sump instead; it will work the same. Or get the suction cup version; it's not listed separately, so just order this magnet version and make a note that you want the suction cups instead.
This is the first algae scrubber with Green-Grabber (tm) growth surfaces. Green-Grabber surfaces are so rough and prickly that they might be the roughest thing you've ever felt. A cactus might be sharper, but that's about it. Rough surfaces are critical for allowing algae to attach and grow and thus provide strong absorption of nutrients. The rock-hard protrusions stick straight out 1 to 3 mm. Conventional algae scrubber screens are made from "slippery" plastic canvas that is used for sewing and knitting; algae takes a long time to attach to it. Green-Grabber (tm) growth surfaces are not plastic at all; instead they are rock hard and have jagged rough edges and points (don't let children play with them). Green-Grabber surfaces are so good at grabbing algae and letting it grow that you may starting seeing tiny growth spots within hours, instead of days. And the white color of the Green-Grabber surface reflects as much light as possible, getting almost the effectiveness of a 2-sided screen even though it really only has a light on one side of the surface.
No electrical parts go inside the aquarium; only air. And the air bubbler is already supplied (its sealed behind the growth surface), so you don't have to get an airstone. The bubbler is simply vinyl air hose that has been cut lengthwise, and with cross-cuts, to form little flexible segments that are both adjustable and open-able to allow for easy cleaning. This HOG1 will run on both 120V and 240V, and comes with a 10 ft (300 cm) power cord with a U.S. plug. If you require a different plug you can get an adapter at any local hardware or travel store, or online, or you can cut off the U.S. plug and install your own plug from a hardware store.
Comes with 3 ft (90 cm) of vinyl airline, but requires a small air pump that can pump at least 1.0 liters per minute (.03 cfm). You can have as much air as you like, however; 5 lpm pumps are no problem (although it will be louder). One nice pump is the Whisper AP 150 from Tetra, although you may prefer a pump with a control knob to reduce air flow. Make sure to put the air pump above the aquarium so that it will not drain any water if it shuts off, or use a one-way valve on the airline if the pump is lower.
Comes with 2 red (660 nm) 3-watt LEDs, which are attached to a heat sink inside the cover; the cover gets warm on the outside. The LEDs will give the aquarium or sump a slight red color at night when the aquarium lights are off. You will need to get a timer so you can run the LEDs for up to 18 hours per day (not 24!). The LED never needs replacing.
The HOG1 growth surface will need to be cleaned every 7 to 21 days, by removing the inside cover, disconnecting the airline, and taking the inside cover to the sink so you can brush the algae off of the growth surface and bubbler with a toothbrush. No hard scraping is needed; just brush it with a toothbrush. The Green-Grabber growth surface is permanently glued to the inside cover using epoxy, however a few of the Green-Grabber particles will dislodge during the first few cleanings, which is normal. Cleaning the growth surface, bubbler, and the inside cover takes about a minute with a toothbrush.
The HOG1 comes with a 1 year warranty: Warranty is for replacement or repair only; not a refund. Costs for shipping back to us are not covered; you will need to ship the entire unit back to us before we can ship a replacement. Warranty is limited to repair or replacement, and does not cover fish loss, personal injury, property loss, or direct, incidental or consequential damage arising from the use of it. The warranty and remedies set forth above are exclusive and in lieu of all others, whether oral or written, express or implied. We specifically disclaim any and all implied warranties, including but not limited to lost profits, downtime, goodwill, damage to or replacement of other equipment and property, and any costs of recovering animals, plants, tanks or other aquarium related items and/or equipment. We are not responsible for special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any breach of warranty, or replacement of equipment or property, or any costs of recovering or reproducing any equipment, animals or plants used or grown with this product.
Can be shipped to any country; you can find shipping costs by using the shopping cart; be sure to click "display rates". If you don't have a zip code, enter "zip code" instead. Note that shipping outside of the USA will probably require you to also pay an import charge when it arrives. We cannot mark it as "gift". The lowest cost overseas shipping is generally USPS First Class Mail International. The size of the shipping box is 10 x 7 x 5 inches, 25 x 17.5 x 10 cm).
This is the first Green-Grabber (tm) algae scrubber available, and will be undergoing changes as improvements are found.
HOG1 size: Each cover is 5" wide x 6 5/8" high x 1" thick (12.7cm wide x 16.8cm high x 2.5cm thick). It requires at least 5" (12.5cm) of water to operate in. The size of the suction cup version is the same as the HOG.5 suction cup version.
Comments:
"The HOG1 it's the same thing [as a SURF2] on a smaller scale, it depends on the amount of food that you distribute" -- Eric75003 on the RF site
"Implementing the [HOG1] was really easy. My water parameters have not changed since turning my skimmer off. I'm still at 0 Nitrates and .00 phosphate, and I'm still feeding twice a day approximately 2 frozen cubes" -- bpitts2 on the INDMAS site.
"This [HOG1] is going great guns, so I ordered another one yesterday. I have seen plenty of pods hanging around the one in the sump too. Is definately dealing with my nutrients, though I havent changed water in ages and my water is at really stable low nutrients". -- Bangalang on the MASA site.
"[HOG1] is one of the few, if not the only, nutrient removal system that gives me something back: Growth. It's a no brainer" -- Jim Stime, LA Fishguys.
"I clean my [HOG1] once a week. Definitely helped lower my nitrates." -- Nagrom on the MR site.
"pleased with the product [HOG1]" -- chomble on ebay.
"[HOG1] is working incredible well. Went from constant algae outbreaks (3-4 per year), to no algae at all. 10 yr old 250 gal reef tank, started developing blooms at year 7. Nothing else worked, even breakdown and rebuilds." -- Joe Lopez
"Everything is working great, got two of them [HOG1, HOG1x] on my system" -- Kenneth Salomon my reply?
"The algae scrubber [HOG1] is working great; is consistantly growing a nice batch" -- Morgan Kelsey
"Great looking device, great instructions, very very happy" -- Pygmey on the R2R site.
"I love the [HOG1] and in the short time it was on the tank its positive impact was without question" -- Joseph Grillo
"The scrubber worked great. I may be checking out your new surface scrubbers for a new tank once I move into our new house" -- Zack Shaffner
"Growing thick green hair algae that I have to clean every week no matter what; It is doing a great job at keeping phosphates at 0.00. I am extremely satisfied with the product!! I have recommended it to numerous people and I plan to buy as many more as I need when I upgrade my tank in the next few months." -- Derrick Dawsey