srusso
Active member
Just durability
Algae Scrubber Basics
- Thread starter srusso
- Start date
Just durability
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
You can't rely on a friction fit. The eventual weight of the algae will pull it out. Get a couple of zip-ties and secure your screen.
Also it is *very* important for a variety of reasons that the slot tube be cut wider than the thickness of the screen. Remove your slot tube and trim it at least a little wider so that the screen is not pinched.
One point to make here also is that depending on your flow, you may or may not want a 1/8" slot. Ideally, you should have 35 GPH/in of screen, and that will mandate a 1/8" wide slot, absolutely. But, if you're stuck with a low-flow situation, and want to maintain even distribution of flow across the entire screen, don't make the slot tube quite as wide at first, get your screen going and filtering started and worry about adjusting the flow rate at a later point. But still plan on adjusting the flow rate!
TriggerDude
New member
Quick question which may have been answered. I currently use a filter sock, if I build a ATS will that eliminate the use of my filter sock? So my water would drain down my ATS pad, into my sump, on my LR and so on.. Thanks
maglofster
New member
Your ATS will not replace the filter sock if you want crystal clear water. I want natural water with particles (food) in it, so I removed my filter sock.
Amphiprion
Premium Member
To an extent, ATSs will actually filter particulates, like detritus. It naturally adheres to the surface of the algae, much like it does when growing in a tank. It won't strain nearly as much as a filter sock, but you get the idea.
TriggerDude
New member
Awesome thanks to both of you, I'm gonna remove my sock. Thanks again
srusso
Active member
This is not true, a mature, well built ATS screen will trap almost everything. Filter soxs are simply not needed. I have very clear water.
salty joe
Active member
That's great. Any chance I could get you to put a piece of pure white plastic in your tank at an end and view the plastic (the water) through the length to see if the plastic appears yellowish?
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
I don't know what you're hoping to see by someone doing this. I have 3 tanks, 1 with only a scrubber, one with 2 filter socks, purigen, and a skimmer, and one with bioballs, filter pad, purigen, and a skimmer. I could take the same piece of white cutting board and take pictures of it hanging in all 3 tanks and depending on the tank lighting, the flash/zoom setting, even the way the picture was taken, I can probably make it look white or yellow with my cruddy digital camera. So it's really not going to prove much. But I guess I can try to see if it works. I don't know why you are having a hard time believing that scrubbers don't turn the water yellow. Unless you clean them in the tank, they just don't.
the water looks yellow in the sump where the scrubber is because of the LIGHT, the light is 2700k which is kinda yellowish.
my DT water is crystal clear, except for the small/tiny particles of food floating around 24/7.
my tank is nutrient rich.
i got a 1 polyp space monster and in 2 weeks it exploded to 4,
i got a 4 polyp mohawk and in a month it has now 17,
i can probably go on and on...
my only problem is the red slime in my sump.GRRRRR!
my DT water is crystal clear, except for the small/tiny particles of food floating around 24/7.
my tank is nutrient rich.
i got a 1 polyp space monster and in 2 weeks it exploded to 4,
i got a 4 polyp mohawk and in a month it has now 17,
i can probably go on and on...
my only problem is the red slime in my sump.GRRRRR!
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
Hey man, as long as it STAYS in the sump, who cares?
I actually got red slime in the sump also when I ran my first all-clear ATS. Not much, just little patches here and there. When I replaced the box with a semi-black one, the light into the sump was cut way down and the cyano went away.
I am a firm believer that snails eat cyano, and will keep it away if it grows slow enough. When it goes gangbusters and blooms everywhere, that's when they can't keep up with it.
I actually got red slime in the sump also when I ran my first all-clear ATS. Not much, just little patches here and there. When I replaced the box with a semi-black one, the light into the sump was cut way down and the cyano went away.
I am a firm believer that snails eat cyano, and will keep it away if it grows slow enough. When it goes gangbusters and blooms everywhere, that's when they can't keep up with it.
salty joe
Active member
I'm not asking for a picture. Just for a look through the long end of the tank at a white piece of plastic. Then an honest assesment. Does that white plastic appear yellowish? Does it really appear pure white?
it is white, i ahve a white eggcrate used as a frag rack in the DT, it is white.
i also have an eggcrate in the sump and it looks yellowish.
redneckgearhead
Active member
easy fellas, should the sock or no sock debate be brought up in this thread?
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
Thanks redneck. Try to keep the thread on the topic of the basics, how to build and maintain the scrubber.
Although the skimmer vs. scrubber issue is really the hot button one. I don't see much harm in discussing filter socks or not as long as it doesn't get into a big debate.
Although the skimmer vs. scrubber issue is really the hot button one. I don't see much harm in discussing filter socks or not as long as it doesn't get into a big debate.
srusso
Active member
I have no problem doing that for you. Floyd is correct though, If my 10k 250w MH is on, everything in my tank looks yellow, everything look blue when... you get the idea. However when the 10k MH and 2 ATI blue plus and 2 ATI purple plus are all on I get a good mix. Tomorrow at noon while I am home(and MH is on) I will try that for you. I will attempt to get a picture but dont hold me to it if the color is off... you will have to take my word for it.
maglofster
New member
Please read what I wrote and think again.. I have never stated that a filter sock is needed. I have stated some other things which I'll try to clarify.
Crystal clear water without particles will not be achieved without a filter sock (or some other way to filter all particles out of the water, like a powerhead and a very fine sponge). I think that is a very true statement. A particle is something very small - a speck and something that is usually measured in microns, so it wont affect water clarity unless there is a lot of them suspended in the water. For me, the time I see them clearly is when i get sunlight comming in from the side into the tank, than it almost looks as the dust particles you sometimes see in sunlight coming in through the window. The food particles I'm describing here are ranging in sizes from 5 to 200 μm - as a reference a red blood cell is about 8 μm, rotifier 50 μm, brine shrimp 125 μm and a large copepod 250 μm.
It is also true that the ATS will trap a lot of stuff. But this depends on how the ATS is constructed - for example if it is enclosed and with a quarter of the media always under the water level like a SM-100 (which I have running), or if it is just hanging free (which I have running in another tank). It also depends on what kind of flow you have, i have noticed that when I ramp up the flow, more stuff gets flushed off the media again. Also, a newly cleaned media with a small amount of algae compared to a media with 6 days of growth will differ in how much detritus they catch.
So, again.. If you want water with food in it and don't need it to be crystal clear without particles, remove the sock - be happy!
As an avid diver wanting to recreate the reefs I have been diving (Red Sea, South East Asia and the Caribbean) I like my water to be as natural as possible so I never use any socks! When it comes to yellowing of the water, I would say most systems where you don't change a lot of water pretty regular will have yellowing of the water - scrubber or no scrubber. The good news is that it's very easy to solve in a lot of ways. For example, a very small amount of ozone or adding active carbon in a mesh bag will fix this yellowing.
The last thing I want to do here is start some kind of big discussion about this, but I think it is important to share as much correct information about this subject and all aspects of it as possible. Why? Well because many people still writes ATS off as something that: A. Does not work and B. Cause a lot of problems. By being as correct as possible and providing clear information maybe it's easier to gain acceptance in the wider circle of fellow reefer. I miss the more scientific approach and presentation of empirical data.
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