Algae pad? I thought your water was cloudy! If it's just the glass then, yeah. Scrub it.
Money is nothing. It's how many square inches of biomedia the bacteria have available that matter. I could buy a $1000 filter that sucks or take $50 and a rubbermaid tote and make a filter that would handle 200 gallons all by itself.
Just consider all the media you have. Lots of big sponges, ceramic bio-rings, etc. The more the merrier. But behind a clogging mechanical pad, it's going to slow down. Your marineland is rated for 530 gph. And it probably does that when it's empty and brand new. Once it's full of media and in use, expect half of what it promises. Still great for the bacteria, but it may not be enough gph to get all of your tank's water through it in time.
Money is nothing. It's how many square inches of biomedia the bacteria have available that matter. I could buy a $1000 filter that sucks or take $50 and a rubbermaid tote and make a filter that would handle 200 gallons all by itself.
Just consider all the media you have. Lots of big sponges, ceramic bio-rings, etc. The more the merrier. But behind a clogging mechanical pad, it's going to slow down. Your marineland is rated for 530 gph. And it probably does that when it's empty and brand new. Once it's full of media and in use, expect half of what it promises. Still great for the bacteria, but it may not be enough gph to get all of your tank's water through it in time.