Pico algae scraper?

[Mihai]

You pico owner out there, what do you use to scrape algae on your pico (<1gal) acrylic tanks? I find that the Kent pro scraper is way too big. Hell, even a credit card is too big. A bamboo skewer is too thin... any ideas for something in between (that also doesn't scratch the acrylic)?

Any ideas welcome (no matter how wacky).
Mihai

 

[Anonymous]

A soft bristle toothbrush.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Unarce]

What happened to the tiny nubs I sent you? :lol:

 

[Mihai]

I have the nubs and I love them for the loose film algae. They do 80-90% of the job. However, I have some algae that just don't get off with the nubs. Those and some that look a bit like coraline algae, are hard and would not get off either with the nubs or with the toothbrush. I need something hard to scrape them off - the credit card works fine (slow, but fine), but it's too big for the tank - besides to reach to the botom I have to stick my hand in and the pico overflows...

David, I guess that the brush works well for the loose fine algae that I get, but not for the hard ones...

More input needed...

Thanks,
Mihai

 

[tinyreef]

try the opposite end of a disposable plastic spoon or knife.

basically, you can use any plastic piece that's softer than acrylic but still stiff enough to be effective against coralline/scale, e.g. polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS).

 

[Mihai]

Now we're talking! I can probably even cut half of the cup of the spoon. I think that this will do, thanks!

M.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Plastic spoon/knife is a great idea. You could also cut the credit card to size and use some epoxy to attach it to a bamboo skewer. Mini Kent pro scraper ghetto style.

 

[Mihai]

You could also cut the credit card to size and use some epoxy to attach it to a bamboo skewer. Mini Kent pro scraper ghetto style.

It crossed my mind, but I think that the skewer is not rigid enough for the job (some of those algae are really tough) - the plastic spoon usually has a sturdy handle.

M.

 

[Anonymous]

Take a 1/4 inch dowel from the hardware store and epoxy a piece of a wilkenson double edged razor blade onto it on a slight angle so that you can scrape the side with the dowel almost standing straight up.


not sure if that is a good idea for an acrylic tank, but it does great on a small glass one.

 

[Mihai]

I'm sure it's not for my acrylic: I managed to scratch my glass display, I'll mess the pico up in no time. But it's something to keep in mind for the JBJ 6 gal I see in my future .

M.