can you help me go skimmerless?

[mrbncal]

so the ats it self will breed pods do i need to add anything like live rock for them

Yes it will. Tons and tons. I always worried that cleaning the algae off the screen would kill pod production but it doesnt. The live rock in your display should be fine. I have "left-over" rock thrown in the corner of the sump and it is very active with pods and shrimps. I dont need it in there but I use it for frags and aquascaping if I buy something new.

 

[frankpayne32]

I've decided to bite the bullet and build my own ATS to supplement my current filtration scheme. I will post progress on here as well as document it on my build page. My goal is not necessarily to go skimmerless (although that would be nice) but instead to further reduce N/P and produce more pods. Hopefully it will work out as well for me as it did for those posting here!

 

[syrinx]

The way these guys are running a ATS is not as it was intended by the originator. This is fine, and in my opinion a better way to use the filter. That being said- there is no increase in pod production with the system as it is being used- compared to cheato, rock rubble, dsb etc etc. The original setup for the ATS was above the tank- or in a surge system which dumped the pods directly in the tank- and this greatly increased the pod population of the display tank. I think over the years people have forgotton this, and kept the idea that ATS increases pods. When people brought the ATS down to the sump they made it palatable for the average persons asthetics,but did lose much of what the benefit was to be-wave action and live food directly to the tank.

 

[spamreefnew]

I get much more pods and shrimp in my display tank than ever ,and my ATS is all the way in my basement!

 

[flare1185]

I'm curious since I don't wan to redo my plumbing can I use a maxijet in my return section of the sump and hook up the ATS to my return pump section of my sump? That would mean fresh water from the display would pump into the maxijet and fall into the return pump to send it back to the display.

 

[syrinx]

I get much more pods and shrimp in my display tank than ever ,and my ATS is all the way in my basement!

Very likely true- but for unknown reasons. One could be from not having a huge skimmer chopping them up-or more tiny food in the tank as a byproduct of not skimming,the tanks matured now, etc. It may be due to the ATS- but that is unknown. With addys` or inlands true ATS setup there is no question where the pods come from because they are grown and introduced into the tank directly without being exposed to pumps etc. Obviously there is no way to compare short of doing a count-changing methods and doing a recount-so its ancedotal- but the original is proven.

 

[mrbncal]

I'm curious since I don't wan to redo my plumbing can I use a maxijet in my return section of the sump and hook up the ATS to my return pump section of my sump? That would mean fresh water from the display would pump into the maxijet and fall into the return pump to send it back to the display.

Yep. Just need a screen that is about 8-9 inches across if you are using a maxi1200. (35gph/ inch of screen) Thats width across (side to side) not length.

 

[rysher]

a bit out of topic but sinc eit has to do something with ATS, i might just ask it here.

if you go ATS, would you still get the clean up crews, like the hermit crabs, snails, shrimps etc,etc,,,.?

 

[rhdoug]

a bit out of topic but sinc eit has to do something with ATS, i might just ask it here.

if you go ATS, would you still get the clean up crews, like the hermit crabs, snails, shrimps etc,etc,,,.?

Yes you will need that regardless of the type of filtration you use. The ATS is just an alternative (or additional) form of filtratiton.

 

[rysher]

Yes you will need that regardless of the type of filtration you use. The ATS is just an alternative (or additional) form of filtratiton.

your clean up crews eats algae, what will feed them if no algae is growing in the DT?

 

[apt220]

It all depends on the efficiency of your ATS at handling whatever bioload you have. If your ATS is built right for your system, you probably will only need a small clean up crew.

If I was to start a tank with an ATS right away, I'd start with maybe 1 snail per 10 or 15gallons and add more if you need to later. Just trying to throw a number out there...

 

[srusso]

your clean up crews eats algae, what will feed them if no algae is growing in the DT?

Algae will always grow, just not at that crazy amounts that we all hate to see. That small amount not really visible to the human eye is what they will eat. I have read that people tend to go over board with hermits. I read that its a bad rule that loads of people follow which is 1 per gallon...
The book expressed that a better number is 3 or 4 for a 75 gallon... And about 10 - 15 snails. With the lower number of hermits they will not out complete for food and will leave snails a lone.
In my 70 gallon I have one blue leg one red leg and one Halloween hermit.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I breezed through this thread and just had to throw in my 2 cents. I'm a kool-aid drinking Algae Farmer to those of you who think this is over hyped. It's a great system. I started on on a 120 reef on 10/10/10 and won't ever turn back. Here's pics of the screen growth and last few harvests.

1/6

1/13

1/20 (changed the ATS box out to a better version)

I took video of the 1/22 screen cleaning. Will put that on next post (hitting the pic limit)

1/29

 

[Mandragen]

so what's the best way to make one of these, that cuts down on salt creep/spalsh, easiest to remove/collect

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

1/22 screen cleaning process & tank tour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9q6exxX2Hs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbwAyVu87fk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb_kSnS8Tcc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJOx1KsQHIE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FOFZMBQI0k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdH2I8RWNFs

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

so what's the best way to make one of these, that cuts down on salt creep/spalsh, easiest to remove/collect

It all depends on your specific setup. As far as salt creep/splash, if you build an enclosed acrylic box then you don't need spray guards. If you don't, then you can use a sheet of hobby plastic like this:

cut it in a strip, punch a hole in it, and thread the zip-ties that hold the screen in the tube through the holes, and adjust it to 'hug' the screen. I never tried it because I had an enclosed box. You could also cut slits in the edge (like when you post a piece of paper with your phone # on it on a bulletin board when you're selling something) and that would allow the water to flow by it without being pushed out to the edge. Also this acts as a lgith shield to keep algae from growing into the slot, that way you don't have to put in crosscuts (those are not recommended anymore)

Hope that helps

 

[Mandragen]

I'm still trying to figure out if this is worth it. It seems as though you have to plumb it in, build this box, get lights on both sides, some have a pretty extreme light source rigged in. Seems to me if you have enough chaeto in your sump it will do the exact same thing, maybe not the exact same way or as efficient, but the same all together.

 

[mrbncal]

I'm still trying to figure out if this is worth it. It seems as though you have to plumb it in, build this box, get lights on both sides, some have a pretty extreme light source rigged in. Seems to me if you have enough chaeto in your sump it will do the exact same thing, maybe not the exact same way or as efficient, but the same all together.

I used cheato early on when I started this tank back up. I put it on a shelf about 11"x 12" and only let it get 2" thick. So it was like a mat of chaeto instead of a ball. It worked ok, in fact I think it was the only reason my tank didnt crash when I turned off the skimmer. But my tank still battled hair and bubble algae and I would see an increase in algae growth when I tried to feed my fish regularly.

After taking the plunge and making the simple bucket skimmer I am glad I went to the trouble. You may not get it exactly right the first time, but keep trying its worth the effort. If i OVERFEED now I get more growth on teh glass and I end up having to clean teh glass every 4 days instead of every Sunday.

It doesnt have to be complicated. Put a screen in your sump fed by a pump with two clip on reflectorss with cfl bulbs.

 

[mrbncal]

Nice video series Floyd. I like your filter box, and your tank is looking good. You seem to be disproving the "Xenia doesn't do well with algae filters" mentality. Yours is out of control in that tank. Lucky guy.

 

[CLINTOS]

Algae will always grow, just not at that crazy amounts that we all hate to see. That small amount not really visible to the human eye is what they will eat. I have read that people tend to go over board with hermits. I read that its a bad rule that loads of people follow which is 1 per gallon...
The book expressed that a better number is 3 or 4 for a 75 gallon... And about 10 - 15 snails. With the lower number of hermits they will not out complete for food and will leave snails a lone.
In my 70 gallon I have one blue leg one red leg and one Halloween hermit.

I use to have shrimp's and hermit's. Now I only rely on worm's,snail's,chiton's copepods etc.

with out the hermit's/shrimp imo you will see a mass increase in worm's,pods,snail's,chitton's etc which imo should make up for the hermit's/shrimp's not be added.