Algae Scrubber Basics

[SantaMonica]

Wait a few months.

 

[SantaMonica]

Growth is great for a first two weeks. If you post pics of your tank, and what you are trying to do, it would be easier to recommend things.

 

[daniel02]

https://vimeo.com/175389332
17meter tank use Lumini asta 150 light color is nice


从我的 iPhone 发送，使用 Tapatalk

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

https://vimeo.com/175389332
17meter tank use Lumini asta 150 light color is nice


从我的 iPhone 发送，使用 Tapatalk

Spammer? What does this have to do with algae scrubbers bruh?

 

[jason2459]

Not sure why santa monica didn't post this here.

His take on a pipe waterfall.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24647090

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

^

Floyd do you want to add something with Santa Monica's opinion regarding the ATS growth? Am I lacking something?

Busy week, never got back to the thread...I was waiting on more info also I guess. Nothing different to add really. Si your screen well roughed up?

Not sure why santa monica didn't post this here.

His take on a pipe waterfall.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24647090

Interesting idea, glad I didn't recommend that everyone put all their algae scrubber builds on hold for 6 months though. The only reason I haven't updated the Algae Scrubber Basics is because I haven't had enough time.

I don't know what the hold up was on "revealing" this because I don't see any new publications in USPTO or WIPO.

 

[bheron]

Hey all, following the great detail and advice here I constructed my first ATS a few months ago. Seemed to work great, got some great growth. This is the kind of growth I was getting:



Eventually I got the Algae problem in my display tank totally under control and around the same time growth on my ATS seemed to stop. I didnt do any cleanings b/c I believe its seasoned. So I let it go for a few weeks. This is what it looks like today:

<a href="http://s13.photobucket.com/user/bheron/media/IMG_2879%202_zps9xv82fkw.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a290/bheron/IMG_2879%202_zps9xv82fkw.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_2879 2_zps9xv82fkw.jpg"/></a>

Besides the color the stuff feels like hard jelly or silicone. Kinda like a jellyfish.

Is this what happens when there's not enough nutrients to feed the ATS?
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[karimwassef]

I can see this working with a ring of LED lights (inner donut ring) but with one source, it's not a large surface area or very efficient use of both sides of the screen?

Maybe if the screen rotates slowly over time to get some light all the way around? Still, the overall area seems small?

Could be ideal for a small tank?

 

[karimwassef]

Hey all, following the great detail and advice here I constructed my first ATS a few months ago. Seemed to work great, got some great growth. This is the kind of growth I was getting:



Eventually I got the Algae problem in my display tank totally under control and around the same time growth on my ATS seemed to stop. I didnt do any cleanings b/c I believe its seasoned. So I let it go for a few weeks. This is what it looks like today:

<a href="http://s13.photobucket.com/user/bheron/media/IMG_2879%202_zps9xv82fkw.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a290/bheron/IMG_2879%202_zps9xv82fkw.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_2879 2_zps9xv82fkw.jpg"/></a>

Besides the color the stuff feels like hard jelly or silicone. Kinda like a jellyfish.

Is this what happens when there's not enough nutrients to feed the ATS?
__
__

Are you feeding less? Do you have algae in your tank? How is your reef doing?

 

[bheron]

Are you feeding less? Do you have algae in your tank? How is your reef doing?

I'm actually feeding more now. I had a huge excess nutrient problem (resulting from dealing with Dino's and using the dirty method something you're well versed on ). Now that the algae is my tank is gone and no more Dino's too I'm thrilled!! My tank is just under two years old and have yet to really add my corals so technically a FOWLR and a DSB. I'm feeding every day now have about 8 fish in my 220.

So wondering if this junk is a result of high water flow and good LED lighting over my ATS but low nutrients maybe?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

That type of growth is typically indicative of too much light compared to nutrients available. So you might want to back down the light period, and intensity if you can.

 

[karimwassef]

Looks bacterial? Are you sure the dinos are gone?

Keep feeding until you see hints of hair algae in the DT.

 

[bheron]

Thanks all.

Looks bacterial? Are you sure the dinos are gone?

Keep feeding until you see hints of hair algae in the DT.

Oh yea, I got well past that I started the dirty method about 6-7 months ago and it worked like a charm. Dinos disappeared. Then a few weeks later got more than some hints of algae. The algae took over my DT. So then built the ATS. Eventually via export and the ATS the growth stopped. But wasn't until I took every piece of rock out of my tank and scrubbed it clean did I defeat it. DT has been algae free for about a month. About the same time the ATS stopped producing nice green algae. So I upped my feeding so that its normal feeding for my fish. And just today knocked my ATS lights down from 18 hours a day to 8.

 

[jason2459]

Took this video today - tutorial for making a Mortar Screen

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gxlWkBf_oUA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Damn, the mortar screen is where it's at. There's already GHA attaching and starting to grow. Thank You Turbo Aquatics for sending me this replacement Kick @55 screen!

First week and first quick swipe

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Nice start! While everyone's scrubber seems to act differently, due to many factors I presume, I still see this rapid-start happen more frequently on tanks that have already had a scrubber running on them. What's interesting about your is that you took the scrubber off while you went through your dino experiment, didn't you? Or did you leave it on there?

Anyways, more and more often it does seem that a tank that has ran a scrubber for a while gets somewhat "conditioned", such that when the screen is replaced it rapidly matures. I've seen this with the mortar screen and also without it actually (with just a roughed up canvas screen).

I'm still waiting for that lotto hit so I can research this stuff, or pay someone to do it for me....

 

[jason2459]

Yep I waited until after the dino vs metro testing.

 

[karimwassef]

hmmmm...

There is research that indicates that algae changes the environment's chemistry to suit their optimal growth. That may or may not conflict with what is optimal for coral.

Macroalgae seem to release chemicals that slow or inhibit the attachment of coral. I don't remember the article I read that, but it was recent.

I wonder if hair algae setting up shop for an extended duration in an ATS causes a chemical alignment so that the hair is well positioned in enough locations elsewhere that it can regenerate on a screen as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

I'm running three screens right now and it's interesting to watch the diversity of algae types and colors on them. One is LED lit, one is CFL lit and one is MH lit. Additionally, my quarantine tank has turned into a fourth ATS - probably due to the lack of herbivores and the strong light and constant water motion.

I should take some pictures of all four.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Macroalgae seem to release chemicals that slow or inhibit the attachment of coral. I don't remember the article I read that, but it was recent.

I hadn't read much about that, but I do think there is chemical warfare/allelopathy between different algaes. One of the reasons why carbon and/or a skimmer seems to really be helpful on heavy SPS tanks.

There is research that indicates that algae changes the environment's chemistry to suit their optimal growth. That may or may not conflict with what is optimal for coral.

Allelopathy here too quite possibly. The 'altering chemistry' would seem to fly in the face of the Redfield Ratio I would think, but if you're even seen a scrubber go through weird growth stages you would conclude that there must be conditions that tend to favor one type of algae growth over another, and you get type A growth under certain conditions, and type B under others, etc...until you hit a point of stability where one "wins"

Learning about this could really explain how some people can get growth that it knocked out of the park right away, while others take months to get there, or don't ever get there no matter what they try.

I wonder if hair algae setting up shop for an extended duration in an ATS causes a chemical alignment so that the hair is well positioned in enough locations elsewhere that it can regenerate on a screen as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

I was thinking more short term, like replacing an old screen with a new one, not sure what would happen if a scrubber were removed for several weeks to several months, then returned like a new item (bare/new screen)

 

[hkgar]

hmmmm...

There is research that indicates that algae changes the environment's chemistry to suit their optimal growth. That may or may not conflict with what is optimal for coral.

Macroalgae seem to release chemicals that slow or inhibit the attachment of coral. I don't remember the article I read that, but it was recent.

I wonder if hair algae setting up shop for an extended duration in an ATS causes a chemical alignment so that the hair is well positioned in enough locations elsewhere that it can regenerate on a screen as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

I'm running three screens right now and it's interesting to watch the diversity of algae types and colors on them. One is LED lit, one is CFL lit and one is MH lit. Additionally, my quarantine tank has turned into a fourth ATS - probably due to the lack of herbivores and the strong light and constant water motion.

I should take some pictures of all four.

Sorry unrelated but something you wrote caught my attention. Are you inferring that your QT is part of the whole system and uses water that also flows through the DT and sump? I hope not.

 

[karimwassef]

My QT can run both inline and offline (separate loop).

It's intentionally dual purpose.

This way, it has tank water ready when it's not being used as a QT. When I need QT, I close some loops and open others and it's isolated.

This makes moving sick coral or fish into it much easier (same chemistry).