Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everything

[Bearjohnson]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Josh, maybe start your own thread so others can chime in instead of all of us responding to your ATS on SantaMonica's thread?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Josh, the white spots are where you let it grow too long and it got so thick that it started to divert flow around it, then the LEDs basically burned the algae dead. You need to clean no less often than 14 days.

The top of your screen should not be roughed up at all. I leave at least 2 rows below the slot/screen junction smooth as well. You should not need to widen your slot because of the streamers (that's what I call it when you have spray from the slot) you just need to keep that free of growth. The best way to do that is with some kind of light blocker, if you have a lid for this, bond some pieces of black acrylic to it that hang down a bit below the screen/slot junction and that can also help, along with the smooth screen. You can also drape the pipe and top edge of the screen with a piece of a black plastic garbage bag. This will keep the flow going and not restrict the slot.

Always scrub the top edge (smooth area) free of all algae every cleaning. I do this with a grout & tile brush. The rest of the screen I just scrape with a plastic pan scraper, no scrubbing.

As far as your LEDs go, I think 2 per side is way to little but I can't argue much with your growth. What are your screen dims? My formula for LED arrays is one 660nm Deep Red 3W LED on each side, running at 700mA, for every 4-8 square inches of screen material (so LEDs in a pattern that puts them roughly 2-3" on center). LEDs at around 2" from the screen. For a brand new screen, use a diffuser for the first 2 months and run lights 9 hrs/day. If no diffuser, run them at 350-400mA.

Your LEDs look like they are a lot closer so I would run them at no more than 350 mA but I still think more LEDs would give you better coverage and better algae production.

That's my 2c....

 

[Bearjohnson]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

+1^

I use duct tape to block the first inch or so down from the supply pipe to block the light. I draped about a 7" piece all the way down the length of the pipe and also a short piece over the sticky sides of the original so it wouldn't stick to anything like the pipe every time I cleaned it. Then I trimmed the tape on both side with scissors to the desired length.

 

[StirCrayzy]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Josh, maybe start your own thread so others can chime in instead of all of us responding to your ATS on SantaMonica's thread?

I've been meaning to start a new build thread to document the process of building thru functionality, but it seems daunting so I've been postponing. This thread has so much experience and exposure, I figured it would be the best place to add to the public info and stay on topic with tuning information.

Josh, the white spots are where you let it grow too long and it got so thick that it started to divert flow around it, then the LEDs basically burned the algae dead. You need to clean no less often than 14 days.
Check, cleaning routine in process
The top of your screen should not be roughed up at all. I leave at least 2 rows below the slot/screen junction smooth as well. You should not need to widen your slot

Too late on widening, and the top 1/2" under the slot is unroughed smooth screen .

because of the streamers (that's what I call it when you have spray from the slot) you just need to keep that free of growth. The best way to do that is with some kind of light blocker, if you have a lid for this, bond some pieces of black acrylic to it that hang down a bit below the screen/slot junction and that can also help, along with the smooth screen. You can also drape the pipe and top edge of the screen with a piece of a black plastic garbage bag. This will keep the flow going and not restrict the slot.
Always scrub the top edge (smooth area) free of all algae every cleaning. I do this with a grout & tile brush. The rest of the screen I just scrape with a plastic pan scraper, no scrubbing.

+1^

I use duct tape to block the first inch or so down from the supply pipe to block the light. I draped about a 7" piece all the way down the length of the pipe and also a short piece over the sticky sides of the original so it wouldn't stick to anything like the pipe every time I cleaned it. Then I trimmed the tape on both side with scissors to the desired length.

It is smooth, but I like the draping idea, I'll bond some 1mm ABS down the lip of my lid to cover the smooth portion of screen.

As far as your LEDs go, I think 2 per side is way to little but I can't argue much with your growth. What are your screen dims? My formula for LED arrays is one 660nm Deep Red 3W LED on each side, running at 700mA, for every 4-8 square inches of screen material (so LEDs in a pattern that puts them roughly 2-3" on center). LEDs at around 2" from the screen.

The screen is 12"x4" and the LEDs are 2 per side 6" apart on 700ma driver dimmed to about 70%

For a brand new screen, use a diffuser for the first 2 months and run lights 9 hrs/day. If no diffuser, run them at 350-400mA.

Your LEDs look like they are a lot closer so I would run them at no more than 350 mA but I still think more LEDs would give you better coverage and better algae production.

I will look into diffusers, kinda forgot about that option. but the diodes are literally 1/2" from the acrylic by design(1.5 " from screen) so I don't know that is an option.
I could add more bulbs and lower the power, see pic,( I did actually drill &wire for three LEDs 4" on center) but being tied into the UVs for the DT, I'd rather not drop below where they are set now. I get some good glow from my corals.

That's my 2c....

I appreciate it !

 

[SantaMonica]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

Growth looks great, just go through a few cycles and see how it develops.

 

[Bearjohnson]

Re: Mega-Powerful Nitrate and Phosphate Remover Replaces Skimmer, Refugium, Everythin

+1^

The first few scrapings are always kinda ugly until it breaks in.

Once the ATS catches up to the tank then you'll be able to look at the growth better and make adjustments as necessary.

 

[Steve Lane]

If you just wanted to install an algae scrubber under the tank, how would it return to the tank at the exact same flow-rate as it leaves?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

You would need a sump and either feed the scrubber directly from the overflow (ok, as long as you have overflow protection in place) or have a dedicated scrubber feed pump, or tap off the return pump.

I wouldn't put one under the tank without a sump personally. I'm not even sure that you could design a way to make that safe. Even just a rubbermaid tub and a simple in-tank overflow box is good enough, then put scrubber in the tub (above it)

Other option is to run the scrubber on top of the display tank. I do this on my 120. Not ideal though, it presents a different set of issues.

 

[SantaMonica]

The upflow versions take care of this problem:
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/...green-hair-bubble-turf-and-slime-algae.77363/

 

[Steve Lane]

I did have a mild dose of the brown stringy/slime algae which disappears after lights out and then re-appears through the day but after a coupld of weeks of running the ATS it`s almost gone.

 

[SantaMonica]

Yes the brown dustings/coatings on the sand (dino's, diatoms, etc) are usually the first to go when you start exporting.

 

[SantaMonica]

Coming in 2016:
Waterfall algae scrubber
Version 2

After I invented the waterfall scrubber in 2008, it's great that so many people got to DIY it, and it's also great that lots of builders/sellers used it as their design up until the current day. It's had over 7 years to gather hobbyists.

2012 was a good year though, when I introduced the upflow scrubber. It's only had 3 years to gather hobbyists, but offers them what they did not have before: a compact place where they can put a scrubber that does not spill over when it fills up.

Now that the upflows are established, it's time to do some more work on the waterfalls. They've been unchanged since 2008, and almost every part of them can be improved. So over the next year or two I'll post up the improvements piece by piece. Hopefully the improvements will be useful to all.