Algae Turf Scrubber (ATS) DIY build

[Floyd R Turbo]

EDIT: Oh yeah I did have that backwards

http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm

60 gallon [UK] = 72.056 995 53 gallon [US, liquid]

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

So that would be 84 square inch = 541 square centimeter

 

[David S]

Ok cheers,I have about 450 gph from my return pump,will that suffice?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

It all depends on how wide your screen is and what your ACTUAL GPH coming out of the tank is. Don't rely on pump rating, measure the rate of flow actually coming into your sump and use that for your design.

 

[David S]

that is the rate from the tank,my pump is rated a lot higher than that,so 541 is the total area so 270 per side of screen,correct?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

No it is not per side. You need 1 square inch of material (not side) per gallon of water. So if you have 100 gallons, you need a 10x10 screen.

 

[David S]

Ok cheers for your help,good luck on the reef build I'll be watching

 

[maxst2]

Hows this coming along floyd?

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I just took my PE test yesterday so I've been slacking on this thread. I'll post an update soon. I switched out the return hose and doubled the flow to the screen, which prompted me to widen the slot to allow more flow, and this week will be the first full week of maximum flow across the screen. After I upped the flow, the harvest was mega. Here's YouTube shots:

YouTube - 125 Reef Algae Screen Cleaning 3/27/11 Part 1

YouTube - 125 Reef Algae Screen Cleaning 3/27/11 Part 2

YouTube - 125 Reef Algae Screen Cleaning 3/27/11 Part 3

And a quick tank video

YouTube - 125 Reef Video 3/27/11

 

[FTMMWS]

I'm still trying to convince people this is the best form of filtration
AWESOME growth too...I don't get anywhere near that much..I still use CFL's,,i wonder if that has a lot to do with it,,but it works ,so i won't mess with success

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Yes, I think so too. In case you didn't see it, I put together a DIY summary here:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f20/algae-scrubber-basics-163817.html#post1484152

and started up one of these on a bunch of other sites.

CFLs are generally spotty because of the nature of the lamp shape, but mounting them sideways with a good reflector will get you a very long way to even coverage, which is the main issue.

Also I have variances in growth. In the above thread link, I had massive thick green growth for 3 weeks, and now I'm getting more brown slimy growth and a dino outbreak, which I had once before and it eventually went away. So I'm watching it closely to see what's going on (I had let the lamps go almost 4 months).

 

[FTMMWS]

Yes, I think so too. In case you didn't see it, I put together a DIY summary here:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f20/algae-scrubber-basics-163817.html#post1484152

and started up one of these on a bunch of other sites.

CFLs are generally spotty because of the nature of the lamp shape, but mounting them sideways with a good reflector will get you a very long way to even coverage, which is the main issue.

Also I have variances in growth. In the above thread link, I had massive thick green growth for 3 weeks, and now I'm getting more brown slimy growth and a dino outbreak, which I had once before and it eventually went away. So I'm watching it closely to see what's going on (I had let the lamps go almost 4 months).

Wow,,i'll go through all that later,,but good job putting that together..

Good point on the lights..I think mine are actually 3+ months old...
I get the brown slime sometimes too..i think the key there is to remove it ASAP...which i try to do

Pretty sure i've seen your vids on youtube too,,,very nice

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

The brown slime is generally nothing to worry about, I get it too. That's diatom growth, which is the quickest algae to grow and is really always there. It's when you get the black (or really, really dark) slimy growth that you have to clean it of every 3 days, because it effectively blocks light to the lower layers and leads to detachment from the screen. You can tell if this is the case because you will get bald patches.

Black slime should eventually go away when the nutrients in the system are sufficiently reduced. If you're getting it consistently, then you need more light and probably more flow. If you want to post pic and a description of your system and screen (right before cleaning) then I might be able to give you a pointer or two. Post it on the summary thread.