3 Frozen cubes, or
30 Pinches of flake, or
30 Square inches (180 square cm) of nori, or
8.4 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 HOG3 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 mm) to 5/8 inch (16 mm). Not more. If your aquarium wall is 3/4" (18mm) it might work but you won't know until you try; it would be better to put the HOG3 in your sump instead; it will work the same.
Compared to the HOG1.3 and HOG2 which look the same in size, the HOG3 is meant for situations which have nutrient or algae problems, even in cases where the rocks in the display are covered in thick green hair algae. Algae-covered rocks are the most difficult situations to fix because the photosynthesis of that algae on the rocks is consuming nutrients from the water (often it measures zero), making it harder for the HOG filter to get the nutrients. To combat this you need stronger photosynthesis in your HOG scrubber, and that is what the HOG3 is designed for.
The large inside space of the HOG3 growth compartment allows for lots of build up of algae, but most importantly the 6 LED light provides the strongest photosynthesis of all the HOGs, giving it the best chance of out-competing the scrubber on your rocks. Also the 6 LED light grows green algae in situations where the lower power of the HOG1.3 or HOG2 would only grow brown algae. So this HOG3 model is great for aquariums that have been running for years and are showing signs of old tank syndrome, or in highly-fed predator or NPS corals tanks. Be sure to follow the special instructions on reducing the light during start-up (by covering the LEDs with a cloth) because the strong light and white surfaces will photo-inhibit initial growth in the scrubber if the light is not reduced..
The strings (ribbons) in the growth compartment of the HOG3 are the same strings that are in the SURF2 and SURF4, and are the heart of the ability of the scrubber to be able to use all the space for initial growth. The HOG1.3 and HOG2 have to grow outward from the textures before the open-area of the compartment is filled in; however the strings on the HOG3 allow this middle open area to start growing immediately, and to do so using 2-sided growth (strings are 2-sided in growth) instead of the 1-sided growth of the textures alone. Thus the compartment fills much faster with growth, and faster growth causes stronger photosynthesis (filtering).
The Green-Grabber (tm) algal growth surface is so rough and prickly that it 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. Old style 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 if you have high nutrients 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, for the most photosynthesis (filtering).
Comes with 3 ft (90 cm) of vinyl airline, but requires an air pump that can pump at least 2.0 liters per minute (.07 cfm), preferably more. A pump that says it can handle 2 or more airstones/outlets, or a pump with 2 tubing attachments instead of one, will be needed. You can have as much air as you like, however; 10 lpm pumps are no problem (although it will be louder). One powerful pump which works exceptionally well is the Whisper AP 300 from Tetra. You will need to combine the two outputs into one to feed the scrubber, using something such as the "Tee" air line tubing fitting from Tom Aquatics. 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 6 red (660 nm) 3-watt LEDs, which are attached to a heat sink inside the cover; the cover does get warm. 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 22 hours per day (not 24). The LEDs never needs replacing.
The HOG3 growth compartment 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 the bubbler with a toothbrush, and off of the strings with your fingers. Usually though you can just reach in an grab the growth. The Green-Grabber growth surface is permanently glued to the inside cover using epoxy, however a few of the Green-Grabber particles may 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.
This HOG3 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.
HOG3 size: Each cover is 6 5/8" wide x 8 3/4" high x 1 1/2" thick (16.6cm wide x 21.9cm high x 3.75cm thick). It requires at least 7" (17.5cm) of water to operate in.