Algae Magnet Recommendations?

[WeehawkenFish]

Hey all, I recently bought a paint scraper from the hardware store that has worked great for scraping algae, but it's already chipping after only a couple weeks.  Does anyone have any recs for any of the magnet ones?  Or is there any reason to stay away from them?  I'm sure I'll still have to go in there with my hand to get some hard to reach areas, but it'd be nice to have the magnet do the bulk of the work.

Any brand suggestions?  thanks.

[MickS77]

I really like the Algae Free brand, strong magnets, replaceable pads, floating scrubber, and a nice looking wood exterior magnet.

[Pete]

I've used a couple. The best I've found is the Mag-Float. Alone, it's a good product. Add on the scraper blade and it's a game changer.

Mag Float Cleaners

WWW.AQUARIUMCOOP.COM

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Mag floats are great for touching up on algae. Typically they won't get that hard green spot algae, but they can take care of other types. These are for glass aquariums only. Only the large comes with the blade scraper included...

Mag Float Scraper Blades Glass

WWW.AQUARIUMCOOP.COM

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These scrapers attach to the small and medium mag floats. The scraper is used to get harder algae off the glass and reduce cleaning time in general.

 

[Kelly S]

I'm looking at Mag Floats. If I get one that's undersized according to recommendations, will the magnets be too weak? I've never used one; maybe I'll decide they're worth their weight in gold, but they seem expensive. My tanks are a 29 and a 40 breeder. I don't mind extra effort if the small will work, but if it won't stick then it's pointless. Thanks!

[Colu]

Mag float I have one on all my tanks work great

[Maggie]

I was going to suggest otocinclus catfish, but I see you were referring to a different type of algae scraper 😃

[StephenP2003]

I own a few magnet scrubbers, some of them terrible and others fantastic.

1. small Imagitarium Magnet from Petsmart/Petco or wherever -- You might as well shout at the algae. You'll get the same result for 0 dollars. Maybe works OK for the thinnest of thinnest glass?

2.  Flipper - nano size--Better than the above magnet because it at least has a scraper, but it's still too weak for 1/4 inch glass. I bought it for my Fluval spec but then realized that tank's glass is just as thick as my other tanks. 

3. Flipper - medium-- This is better, but still not good enough for any glass thicker than 1/4 inch, unless you're just dealing with biofilm. The "flip" component is more of a gimmick, and while the blade works ok, the pad is too soft. Think they over-focused on the anti-scratch aspect and not enough on strength. It also doesn't float but I think the company recently released floating versions.

4.  Hygger  - medium size (with the wood-like handle)-- I actually think this is the minimum magnet strength needed for most aquariums (10-55g). The pad is coarse, the scraper very effective, and I like the wood look. Wish there was one just as strong but more compact for nano aquariums.

5. Mag float (large with scraper) - stronger than the hygger, I like it equally though. More expensive but probably what you'd want if you're dealing with 3/8" glass or really tough algae.

6. Algae Free Hammerhead -- I use this on my half-inch glass 90-gallon. It's the strongest of the bunch, looks the best, and costs the most, but it's pretty much the minimum I'd recommend for half-inch glass. 

 

Edited January 3, 2021 by StephenP2003

[Ken]

I got a Mag Float for Christmas. I really like it.