Modern algae scrubber designs use upflowing air bubbles to generate turbulence; when illumination is added, algae grows inside the unit and consumes nutrients.Commercial floating surface algae scrubber uses red LED lights and up-flowing air bubbles to cause algae to grow in the growth compartment. Inside of the compartment is lined with rough textures which enhance algal attachment; ribbons/strings allow further algal attachment.Periodic removal of the algae that has grown inside of an algae scrubber removes nutrients (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate) from the aquarium water, thus providing the needed filtration.
An algae scrubber is a water filtering device (not to be confused with a scrubber pad used to clean glass) which uses light to grow algae; in this process, undesirable chemicals are removed from the water.[1] Algae scrubbers allow saltwater, freshwater and pond hobbyists to operate their tanks using natural filtration in the form of primary production, much like oceans and lakes.
^Morrissey, J.; Jones, M.S.; Harriott, V. (1988). "Nutrient cycling in the Great Barrier Reef Aquarium". Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium. Vol. 2 Contributed Papers. Townsville, Australia. pp. 563–8. Archived from the original on 2021-03-04.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)