Algae Turf Scrubber.

[SRV]

First of all, I did not add an ATS to eliminate my skimmer. My intent was to add another way to harvest excess nitrate and phophates from my system. I have been doing battle with bryopsis in my system almost since the day I set it up. Rather than try to burn it out by raising my Mag to 1800 PPM, I have decided to go after/eliminate the reason it does so well in my system to begin with. We'll see.

For any of you interested in an ATS, I built this for around $50. The SCWD eliminates the need for fans.

FYI - After I built this, I thought there is no reason to use two buckets. Run both screens in one bucket and the SCWD in from both sides. One bucket, one lamp and no fans. Hind sight is always 20/20.

The screen after two weeks. I have too many fish and I feed too much. And yes (before anyone goes there), I need a bigger skimmer!

 

[Dr. Dee]

That looks great,because I have not seen a alage scrubber in 20yrs the first Refugium

 

[SRV]

I remember back some 20+ years ago when I ran a ATS above my tank using a long, 3" deep, flat tray with dump buckets on both ends fed with power heads. What a salt creep mess that was!

 

[WPH]

Hey thanks for the info.....I have never seen one of these before...I think I may just build one for my 300 gallon holding system since I have a scwd lying around....my holding system is outside under a big tent instead of using the lights I may just use the natural sunlight since it gets really hot here during the summer...mahalo and Aloha les

 

[WPH]

First of all, I did not add an ATS to eliminate my skimmer. My intent was to add another way to harvest excess nitrate and phophates from my system. I have been doing battle with bryopsis in my system almost since the day I set it up. Rather than try to burn it out by raising my Mag to 1800 PPM, I have decided to go after/eliminate the reason it does so well in my system to begin with. We'll see.

For any of you interested in an ATS, I built this for around $50. The SCWD eliminates the need for fans.

FYI - After I built this, I thought there is no reason to use two buckets. Run both screens in one bucket and the SCWD in from both sides. One bucket, one lamp and no fans. Hind sight is always 20/20.

The screen after two weeks. I have too many fish and I feed too much. And yes (before anyone goes there), I need a bigger skimmer!

BTW a buddy of mine closed his shop(he used to sell show sized fish to public aquariums)anyways he has a 5 ft tall Burmuda skimmer lying around. this one is exactly like the one Im using on my holding system (I have attached a picture) you want me to ask him how much he would sell it for? Im sure he will let it go for pretty cheap...Its sad to see such a great skimmer just sitting around for months in his shop...he also has big pumps,a large blower,and tanks sitting around as well and I'm maxed out on space and holding capacity where Im at so I cannot use them...

 

[Myteemouse]

big skimmer UUUGG

 

[WPH]

works fantastic when your holding 100+ fish at a time(Im cleaning that collection cup out every week....LOL!!

 

[SRV]

BTW a buddy of mine closed his shop(he used to sell show sized fish to public aquariums)anyways he has a 5 ft tall Burmuda skimmer lying around. this one is exactly like the one Im using on my holding system (I have attached a picture) you want me to ask him how much he would sell it for? Im sure he will let it go for pretty cheap...Its sad to see such a great skimmer just sitting around for months in his shop...he also has big pumps,a large blower,and tanks sitting around as well and I'm maxed out on space and holding capacity where Im at so I cannot use them...

You may want to make a list of equipment w/prices and post it here on the Equipment Forum. If that doens't work you might try Craig's List.

 

[WPH]

You may want to make a list of equipment w/prices and post it here on the Equipment Forum. If that doens't work you might try Craig's List.

problem is it's not my equipment so I can't just put it up for sale....I just thought that someone can make good use of this stuff and if they made an offer for the equipment I could ask my friend if he will sell it since he has no intention of using it again because he is no longer in the fish business....but no biggie if it sells or not I just thought you needed a skimmer for your tank so the skimmer at my friends shop came to mind...aloha Les

 

[apollothesun]

hey rick, do you have a before and after tank pics? i started running a ATS 2 weeks ago and im finally starting to win the battle with bryopsis. i also feed lots in my tank.

 

[SRV]

hey rick, do you have a before and after tank pics? i started running a ATS 2 weeks ago and im finally starting to win the battle with bryopsis. i also feed lots in my tank.

I would like to tell you I've been documenting the entire process, but since I've been battling this bryopsis problem for so long I frankly didn't think the ATS was going to do much to help especially since the square footage of the ATS was so small in comparison to my 450 gals. of system water. That being said, I've been running the ATS about 9 weeks, I will tell you that lately the amount of time I've spent harvesting the bryopsis is now replaced with cleaning the ATS. I used to harvest bryopsis from my system twice weekly. I now harvest weekly (plus clean the ATS). The bryopsis is not the lush green as before, it seems easier to pull from the rock and it definitely doesn't return as fast as it has in the past. BUT, I can't say it is just the addition of ATS that has led me to this conclusion. I use a 5 stage RO/DI, I run two 30 gal. fuges, I have recently added a carbon/GFO reactor and I recently did an upgrade/improvement to my ETSS 800 skimmer converting it to a Becket downdraft, so my conclusions at this point would be purely anecdotal or possibly just wishful thinking.
When I test for nitrate it is somewhere between 10 & 20 PPM. Again, the color chart is subject to my wishful thinking. I don't test for phosphate since the test kits for the aquarium industry give you a minimul guess at the inorganic phosphate at best.
So now that I've gone through this long litiny of B.S., the short answer to your question is "No", I don't have any before and after pics, just a whole lot of wish'in and hope'in this crap will go away. Sorrrrry!

 

[salmonslayer]

Thanks for posting Ric. You did a good job on the scrubbster and hope it works out.
I will keep a looky on this one. Battling this bryopsis crap my self. It seems to hang out at the over flow fins and at the top of the tank.
PS thinking about selling it as Cheato .

 

[SRV]

I will keep a looky on this one. Battling this bryopsis crap my self. It seems to hang out at the over flow fins and at the top of the tank.
PS thinking about selling it as Cheato .

Tracy,
At this point, it is still just an Algae scrubber. There is nothing that makes me believe that any real "Turf Algae" has started to develop yet. Once that happens we'll see.
PS How Much$$$$$$$$$$. You could have a gold mine here.
I'll keep in touch.

 

[salmonslayer]

Lets see a update.

 

[SRV]

Lets see a update.

Tracy,
I'm having to clean it more often, but I'm still not seeing any Turf Algae yet. I am definitely scraping out a LOT of a red slime algae, in fact I should be cleaning it twice a week. Still not seeing the bryopsis go away, but it does seem to take longer for it to return after I siphon it out (wishful thinking). Maybe not enough sq. ft. of turf scrubber for the amount of water in the system.

 

[Darthv247]

maybe you should try a raceway nutrient scrubber instead of this old style. they seem to be more effective and achieve the same goal. you can even grow clams in them. but mostly filter feeders grow in them and the nutrients have no chance of escaping. hell if its packed with apstasia no nutrients will escape it.