Mountains of sawdust (360g plywood, LED, Arduino build)

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I'm not a fan of mechanical filtration on reef tanks. IMHO it removes stuff you don't want removed (plankton) and can cause nutrient issues if you don't clean the media often enough.

Before I became interested in turf scrubbers, my "favorites" of the tanks I've had over the years were the ones with a macroalgae refugium and a smallish skimmer. That's the approach I'd probably use here if I wasn't planning on using the TS.

 

[TheFishMan65]

Does your turf scrubber have the water flow go on and off> There were comments about needing that to get the right kind of 'turf'.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

No, it's a constant flow, 24/7. If you search the web for "SantaMonica scrubber FAQ" you'll approach I'm using pretty well laid out. It's pretty different from the old-skool scrubbers, which resembled a horizontal dump-bucket that had varying water levels creating alternate air/water exposure as you're referring to.

 

[TheFishMan65]

I read a thread here by him a while back. Maybe it was not updated or I am remebering wrong. So I guess I need to go read some more. Thanks

 

[Rybren]

If you don't have room for a full-blown TS, you can add some screen material to the baffle between the fuge and return area in your sump.

Like so...

Mine was initially just lit by the spill over from the fuge and didn't do very well. I've since added a 3W 6500K led bulb and the algae has really taken off.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Rybren, that's definitely creative. How does the growth compare between the 'fuge algae and the turf scrubber? I've seen reports that when people added large enough scrubbers, the macro in their 'fuge stopped growing.

Speaking of growth, my turf screen colored up over night!

 

[Rhodes19]

The first TS screen has been running since yesterday:

This was really so pitifully easy/cheap/quick to build, anyone with half an ounce of interest should at least try it. I'm playing with the flow rate trying to get an even sheet of water, and I will be putting reflectors on the CFL lamps. But otherwise, it's pretty much "in business."

Hi wille,

I love the ATS. :thumbsup: Thats awesome. Now I want to do one for my 180. How did you cut the grove in the pvc for the screen? Is the end cap on snug or did you glue it in place? How do you get the screen off? Do you have to unclip it and drop the screen or does it drop down and then slide off with the loops in place? Thanks.

Chris

 

[Rybren]

DWZM

I have noticed a bit of a slow down in my Chaeto growth. I have also noticed a significant increase in skimmate production.

I'm not sure whether the change in skimmate and chaeto is due to the TS or to an increase in Kalk dosing and subsequent rise in pH. I had been using a less-than-saturated (1 tsp/gallon) Kalk solution in the top-off but my pH never went above 7.9. At the same time that I illuminated the TS, I switched to a 2 tsp/gallon Kalk solution in an attempt to raise the pH. The pH now peaks at 8.2 but I don't know whether the change would affect skimmate or Chaeto production.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Chris,

I cut the slot in the pipe on a table saw. I would not suggest this unless you've got experience/tools to do it safely - otherwise, a Dremel with a cutoff wheel or something like that would work.

The "clips" are really narrow slices of 1.5" pipe with a cut to split them. So to get the screen off, I rotate the clips until the slot is down and then the screen pulls out of them.

The endcap is "snugged" by several wraps of teflon tape around the pipe before the cap was plugged on. I basically wanted to keep the whole thing modular until I was sure I liked it. There's actually an annoying leak out of this joint so I need to re-do it or just suck it up and glue it.

I wouldn't consider this a final build yet. There are a few modifications I have in mind:

1) To create a "splash shield" and prevent algae from growing up into the pipe and clogging things, I'm going to split a 2" pipe and slide it around the main pipe.
2) There's a union at the supply end of the slit pipe, barely visible down at the other end in that photo. I'll probably replace this with a threaded ball valve or gate valve. I don't need the easy disassembly of a union anyways. And I currently have one ball valve on the supply line to control flow rate, but since there's only the one valve, if I want to shut it down, I have to either shut that valve (which loses my setpoint) or shut off the return pump, which I don't like to do unless required. So I want two valves - one as a shutoff, and the other as an adjustment.
3) I haven't fooled around with the reflectors yet. I have a flat sheet of reflector material from an old hood that I'm going to cut to shape to slide behind the CFLs.

At that point I'll probably be mostly done until if/when I convert it to LEDs. I know we spoke of enclosures earlier in the thread but I'm not convinced it's a high priority yet. I'm not getting THAT much splashing/noise and think I can tune it out via other methods. And anecdotally, evap doesn't seem like an issue yet. I don't have solid data but can't tell that the ATO is running that much more now vs. before it was online.

I took a photo of the algae growth on it this morning but it's on the DSLR which means I'm too lazy to upload. :lol: There's also a lot of diatom-like growth in the sump itself, thanks to the ATS lights. I may do a water change this weekend and try to scrape it off to help with nutrient removal. The DT is pretty much free of growth of any kind at this point but of course the tank is still young, and I've got plenty of targeted "pest algae" grazers if/when growth does start.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

DWZM

I have noticed a bit of a slow down in my Chaeto growth. I have also noticed a significant increase in skimmate production.

I'm not sure whether the change in skimmate and chaeto is due to the TS or to an increase in Kalk dosing and subsequent rise in pH. I had been using a less-than-saturated (1 tsp/gallon) Kalk solution in the top-off but my pH never went above 7.9. At the same time that I illuminated the TS, I switched to a 2 tsp/gallon Kalk solution in an attempt to raise the pH. The pH now peaks at 8.2 but I don't know whether the change would affect skimmate or Chaeto production.

Interesting observations.

My chaeto seems to have really taken off since the livestock was added, it's probably doubled in mass in the last few days. AND the TS is seeding in well it seems. I'll probably leave both unless I notice one or the other slowing down.

That tiny little skimmer is producing zero output even with the collection cup all the way in the "skim wet" position. This reinforces my perception that nutrient export/waste remediation is doing fine on this tank so far.

 

[noahm]

I have been playing with the idea of a TS for a while using rope as the substrate. Your build might be my inspiration to actually try it. I was thinking of using about 1/2" rope (maybe hemp, maybe synthetic, not sure) in 5-10 lengths hanging from a length of pvc using landscape irrigation bubblers to control flow. Tank is looking great btw.

 

[username in use]

Hey Dwiz, lovin the progress on this tank. I was reading a back issue of "Coral" and I came across a fish that I think you might like for this tank. Its a little harder to find, but isnt all that expensive. It does however meet your requirements for being tiny and maybe not seeing it again haha.

Belonepterygion fasciolatum
AKA:Barred Spiny Basslet and Banded Longfin Basslet

http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productDetail.asp?did=1&pid=2030&cid=11

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

That's an interesting little guy.

I'm still interested in getting some chalk bass. And I was browsing in the Reef Fishes forum the other day (yes, I do go outside of DIY) and saw a thread where someone had kept a large harem (like, more than a dozen) of royal gramma basslets. That would be really cool, though I'd rather try it with something a little less common.

As it is I'm still really pleased with my stocklist so far. I'm glad I went with liveaquaria as the livestock was high quality, and the Diver's Den section had some really cool/different stuff at reasonable prices.

 

[kcress]

You guys realize that that TS screen has to be roughed up? And I mean roughed up! To perform well it has to be so roughed up that it actually hurts to touch it. So roughed up, that it takes hours of hard work to get it that way. That's why if you buy pre-made screens they are surprisingly expensive. It's due to the labor of roughing them up.

If you don't rough them up they work poorly. The algae will slide off in large clumps which defeats the purpose since the algae goes back into the water column. When you go to scrape off the TS huge bare areas will occur that have to restart from scratch. Starting an un-roughed up screen takes vastly longer because the fine turf hairs flush by the screen instead of hanging on to it.

One of the current best ways to rough up a screen is to us a hole saw without the centering bit. Use it by hand without a drill to scrape the screen until you're blue in the face.

Warm whites work better than cool whites on the bulbs. So always try for the pink-er colors.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I scraped a hole saw over these screens until my arms hurt the other day, so I'd say they're pretty rough!

 

[Rybren]

+2 I used a hole saw as well.

 

[digitalchrisg]

What is the sheet made of, it looks like you are just using plexiglass? I was thinking of doing one with a painters canvas, but plexi sounds a lot easier.

 

[Rybren]

I'm using pvc canvas from Michael's

 

[kcress]

Sounds like everyone has properly scratched up their screens. Great.

What is the sheet made of, it looks like you are just using plexiglass? I was thinking of doing one with a painters canvas, but plexi sounds a lot easier.

Are you talking about mine or Willie's?

I tried using acrylic. I routed hundreds of slots in it and then I scratched it up so bad it was reduced from its original thickness. I can now confidently say - acrylic is worthless for a screen.

 

[Briniel]

I love the turf scrubbers, please keep reporting how they work for you. I was looking into ATS when setting up my tank but then decided against it because I couldn't find the screen material anywhere (one of those moments where I wish I lived in the US ).
How does the screen look now?

Oh and your aquascape is great! Great mix of caves to hide, open space to swim and room for corals