Mild acid cleans biofouling material from plastics quickly and easily. Carbonic acid, created by high levels of CO₂ in water, hydrolyzes the glycosidic bonds of polysaccharides, thus breaking up the biofouling in a PBR. A pH below 4.0 for an extended period of time will, however, degrade the acrylic itself. So, the pH should be maintained at, or above, 4.0 during the cleaning cycle. Similar to the method for wiping eyeglasses, shear forces should only be applied with a gentle cloth material such as microfiber, because acrylic does scratch easily.

The energy that drives photosynthetic growth is called Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), known more commonly as light. As a culture of aquatic photosynthetic microorganisms grows, it becomes thick with algae, and the outer layers of the algae block light from penetrating into the culture. Known as the 'self-shading effect,' the outer layers of algae prevent light from striking the interior layers of algae, which reduces the overall growth rate of the culture.  By increasing the surface area, the AlgaTube™ reduces the self shading effect.  It allows larger numbers of microorganisms to receive the light they need to grow.  The effect is analagous to how a car radiator uses fins to increase the surface area of the radiator across which heat is transferred to the environment, thus cooling the radiator fluid.  The human body also uses a similar strategy in the small intestines, where the villi and microvilli increase the surface area across which nutrients can be transferred.  The AlgaTube™  simply applies the same scientific strategy and principles to a growing culture of photosynthetic microorganisms.​​