Pod circles and not rough enough screen

Being banned from the Algae Scrubber site does have it's downside. I would really like to help this guy out

http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3077-Long-time-lurker-first-time-posting

1) screen way too big per feeding, but that's not really a big deal IMO

2) lighting is too low, but if nutrients were super low to begin with, probably not a big deal either

3) pod circles. Let's discuss this.

I am of the opinion that pod circles are a big misunderstanding. There are no pod circles. There is only inadequately roughed-up screen and localized algae growth.

What I have noticed is that on screens like n2jeeps has, the algae tends to grow in very focused clods. Most of the screen is junk growth, but where GHA actually does get a foothold, it grows very fast into an algae ball.

Back in the day when I first started paying attention to algae scrubbing, pod circles was more prevalent. People would spend 10-15 minutes roughing up a 10x10 sheet for their 100g tank. Since then the focus has been on getting the screen really, really, really rough. Really rough. I do 2 stages and spend upwards of 15 minutes on a 4x6 screen. I recently had a customer tell me that they had built their own scrubber and thought the screen was rough enough (how many times has someone posted "oh yeah, it's super rough") and when they saw the screens I send out they realized their screen was no where near rough.

This is still happening. n2jeeps screen is a clear cut case of the screen not being rough enough. Algae gets foothold and grows fast, because it's not growing anywhere else, and in no time it detaches because it can't maintain the footing.

I let most of my screens go for 14 days and when I pull them out and clean them, I get pods jumping off the screen, and I don't get any detachment.

I'm sure I could dig up a bunch of pics of algae balls. When you see what I'm talking about it makes a heck of a lot more sense than copepods eating in a circular pattern. JMO.