Waterfall Turf Algea Filter: CHEAP and EASY to build

[Bonneville08]

I scrape them regularly. Not much of a chore, although the system is three and a half years old, the tank is less than six months. I kind of like the blue background too much to let anything clutter it. I've got a good imagination, so when I look at it, I can imagine it goes forever.
Thanks for the compliment, it means a lot here.

 

[Michael]

very nice clean looking tank, is the scrubber easy to get at under there? and how much muck do you get from it weekly?

 

[waynem]

Nice tank Bonneville.

Does the performance of you ATF change if you change the increase the bio load? More / less fish / more / less food?

 

[Bonneville08]

I only harvest once a month and probably take out 1/2 liter of wet algae. I can reach very easily, and pull out the grids and replaced them by feel.
The scrubber will deal with more than my current feeding regime, but longer photo periods were used at the time. Now on RDP, it's tough love for everyone. Corals are fed zooplankton once a week, the fish get some shrimp, cyclops, plankton, etc. daily and I harvest the GHA from my overflow every day for the Tang. The GHA is kind of a freebie.
When I first started this system, I easily fed three times as much as I do now, but photoperiod was 24 hours. The was also a lot more film on the glass. Never really had one of those OMG scenarios with algae.
I only have four fish (I used to keep only one), and don't have experience with lots of SW fish.
Thanks Michael and Wayne for the compliment.
Gotta got to work now.

 

[juliovideo]

Excellent thread SantaMonica !! ..............









------------------

 

[customcolor]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13867068#post13867068 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by juliovideo
Excellent thread SantaMonica !! ..............









------------------

he cant hear you cuz he was paned from rc

 

[manuelink]

i´m with santa monica and im sure that he will know about who is with him!
thank you for bring us your knowledge
this filter must be named Santa Monica in spite of algae scrubber!!

 

[Eduardo B]

"Santa Monica thanks for your research work in this hobby."
Excellent thread!!!

 

[Michael]

whats the point of this, if you have some more info to add to the thread then lets see it, sm isnt posting anymore so whats with the fan club now months later, why dont you google his name and join 1 of the other 60 sites hes a member of where he shows the same messages and info as here, you can always congratulate him there, good luck, also it cant be called the santa monica scrubber as it belongs to dr adey, heres a copy of his patent, try thanking him

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...0&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1="Algal+Turf+Scrubber"&OS=

 

[GoBigOrGoHome]

Wow. He has quite the loyal following. A bit ridiculous. I gotta hand it to him, he was extremely zealous about getting the word out, and I'm probably going to try it, but that has nothing to do with him, really. Conceptually an ATS can be an extremely efficient, though somewhat high maintenance filter. It doesn't matter if he's the first person you heard it from. It wasn't his idea. Props to him for making a couple modifications to it that make it run less efficiently though. Nice job.
The most efficient way to run an ATS was discovered years ago, and now it's been modified to run more conveniently and less efficiently. Wonderful.

 

[onetrickpony]

Wow an egomaniac, good thing we never see that often in reef keeping or on web forums

An idea is an idea, is an idea, we are all trying to copy something that works

:

 

[reefworldaq]

hai everyone, in here i don't find the screen grid, can i use the 1 mm acrylic and make a lot of hole. thank's

 

[Bonneville08]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13885917#post13885917 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefworldaq
hai everyone, in here i don't find the screen grid, can i use the 1 mm acrylic and make a lot of hole. thank's

Hi,
Can you find fiberglass window screen? You could also use the acrylic without drilling the holes. Just use sand paper to roughen the acrylic surface to allow the algae to stick.
God luck

 

[das75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13879982#post13879982 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Michael
whats the point of this, if you have some more info to add to the thread then lets see it, sm isnt posting anymore so whats with the fan club now months later, why dont you google his name and join 1 of the other 60 sites hes a member of where he shows the same messages and info as here, you can always congratulate him there, good luck, also it cant be called the santa monica scrubber as it belongs to dr adey, heres a copy of his patent, try thanking him

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...0&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1="Algal+Turf+Scrubber"&OS=

:thumbsup:

good on SM for promoting but credit should go where it's due.

 

[gwrulzmylife]

Inland aquatics still has the algae and screens available. They use "algae screws" I believe, but the process is the same.

 

[herring_fish]

No one has anything to say since SM left?

 

[CLINTOS]

Here's a sneak peak of a design I copied it will be in a acrylic box
approx 24"Lx12"Hx4"W and light's will be approx 2 1/2" from screen

I'll be installing it as the only filtration on my 90G/25G sump besides a phosban reactor with carbon and critters etc of all kind's
as a natural scavenger filter

Will also dose approx 5 cups daily of phytoplankton using a drip and have a small to medium fish load and large coral load

A.T.S for me is probably the best thing for what I am planning because I want to keep the light frosting I get on my glass from dosing large amount's of phyto off the glass and on a screen that I can periodicaly just scrap off weekly

all the while I want to keep in the phytoplankton and not suck out the food that feeds my critter's/coral's

screen x3: approx 22"Lx8"H

pump: 750gph

light: dual t5-h.o approx 2700K-3000K

dual 2" return bulkheads

I'll be finishing it off on October first when my phytoplankton station is complete and copepod,crustacean,sponge etc natural filter is up to par

acrylic box is all I have to complete I'll get it all pre cut and glue it myself later

 

[Joekneebone]

CLINTOS, How is everything going? Have you got it setup yet?

 

[Zire]

I'm preparing to add a ATS to my 95 gallon tank shortly(I'll post before and after pictures assuming I'm not too lazy/have the time). I'm not at all ready to ditch my skimmer, which has served me well, but this D.I.Y seems safe, cheap and appears to have good potential for N and P reduction.

Anyways though, the real purpose of this post is to show you guys a tank, which I dare say appears Reef Central T.O.T.M quality, based completely around an ATS, and completely devoid of a protien skimmer. I'm not here to preach, but this should at least serve as evidence that this system can be used to create a beautiful system. So, without further adieu-

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/showthread.php?t=12182

 

[Paul B]

I must admit that I did not read all 28 pages of this thread but I did see some algae scrubber designs on here.
Any algae scrubber will be a benefit to our water. Algae is the best way we have to remove nutrients, even better than water changes because algae also put some things back into the water. No, I don't kniow what that is but from experience I can say that whenever my tank has had an algae cycle, the inhabitants looked better.
Anyway, I like algae. Today I ran my hand through my algae trough and came up with this.
Yes, disquesting, I know, but it only grows in the trough (or tray)
One big benefit of an algae scrubber (or trough) is that we are forcing algae to grow where we want it and not on our corals. It grows on all healthy reefs in the sea and if no algae is growing in your system, then I feel you have a problem. Thats just me though.
I want it growing in my system, but not where I can see it.
My system works for free and costs less than $10.00 to build but you do need room for it above the water. It will work anywhere but I want the waste lighting in the tank to power it as well as the outflow of the skimmer. It is a no maintenance, free, system that I find, works. As I said, any algae system is better than none.