OK so what is stopping you installing an Algae Turf Scrubber on your system?

[teller]

Your nutrients don't have to be low, My ATS was pulling out just as much algae at 2ppm NO3 as it was with 25ppm NO3. I would definitely up the lighting.
7 days growth with my Atlantis 2 since when the amount produced has increased significantly. On Wednesday I harvested 338 grammes of algae 7 days after my last harvest.



I harvested 338 grammes of algae 7 days after my last harvest. I seeded my screen and from the first week and almost immediately it took off.

Hi @atoll .
From your pictures (algae export) it seems you are using your ATS as a macro-algae reactor - not really a classic micro turf or micro green filamentous algae.
Is it not a little cheat when you present some calculations on "inch by inch" eficiency when you are growing macro algae in your ATS?
Please do not take my opinion as a provocation, I am just a little confuse.
Thanks.

 

[atoll]

Hi @atoll .
From your pictures (algae export) it seems you are using your ATS as a macro-algae reactor - not really a classic micro turf or micro green filamentous algae.
Is it not a little cheat when you present some calculations on "inch by inch" eficiency when you are growing macro algae in your ATS?
Please do not take my opinion as a provocation, I am just a little confuse.
Thanks.

I have bothMacro as in Ulva and micro as in GHA and a couple of species of GHA it would seem at that. To be perfectly honest I care little about the actual algae my ATS is growing as long as it is reducing and keeping my nutrients low which of course it is doing, surely that is all that matter.

My PO4 is a little higher than I would like at 0.05ppm measured this morning but I can deal with that using GFO. If you look closely at the attached pic you will see a close up of the algae my ATS is growing.

It seems my Ulva may be starting to grow less while GHA appears to becoming more prevalent on the screen, I will tell better when I am next due to harvest my ATS on Wednesday, perhaps if GHA becomes the dominant algae it will be more efficient at reducing my PO4, we shall see in due course.

 

[atoll]

Sorry if i missed part of this thread atoll; are you saying you seeded your new screen with algae supplied by the above company? If yes, how exactly did you go about seeding it?

OOOps seems I missed your post, sorry.
Yes I asked them for a small amount f the algae they grew in their ATS as I wished to use it to seed my screen. Although they said sure they also said they doubted it would help. well I can tell you they were wrong in fact they now supply a small amount with every ATS they sell so impressed they were with my results.
Here is how I went about seeding the screen. I took a small amount and made it into a ball, no more than 1" diameter and rubbed it hard over both sides of the screen. I then took little more algae and squeezed it into anther ball then using a cocktail stick pushed algae into the holes in the screen. Most of the algae will fall off and even more when water is flowing over the screen but there will be enough micro parts left to kick start the screen and speed it up by quite a few weeks in some cases. Since I reported my findings and how to others have reported similar results after seeding their screens similarly.

 

[mcarroll]

The thought just crossed my mind:

"Is an ats just a substitute for massive coral growth?"

"Could a tank full of coral consume the same no3/po4 as an ats?"

"Is an ats just a "crutch" until corals take over?"

Wish I woulda seen this when you posted it.

+1

I think once we're all finally post-ULNS that this will be the next wave.

 

[atoll]

Well my tanks not looking too bad using my Atlantis and corals alone did not keep nutrients as low as I would like. My params are all good now, however.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Well a purchased an AS-3 large from 302aquatics and it has not been up for even 4 weeks. Already see an improvement in PH and reduction in cyano. Corals are starting to look better also. Did not seed screen, anyone know where you can get ulva intestinalis in the U.S.? Just before cleaning at week 3.

 

[Rakie]

I don't want undetectable nutrients, I already struggle to keep no3/po4 in my tank without any algae scrubbers or fuge.

 

[atoll]

I don't want undetectable nutrients, I already struggle to keep no3/po4 in my tank without any algae scrubbers or fuge.

Fine don't employ one then and save yourself a few $. However, for many, an ATS is a very good way of keeping nutrients down to acceptable levels

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I don't want undetectable nutrients, I already struggle to keep no3/po4 in my tank without any algae.

That is the thing about growing algae if nutrients get too low algae stops growing or slows down growth. Algae will not completely strip the water of nitrates and phosphate

 

[atoll]

Well a purchased an AS-3 large from 302aquatics and it has not been up for even 4 weeks. Already see an improvement in PH and reduction in cyano. Corals are starting to look better also. Did not seed screen, anyone know where you can get ulva intestinalis in the U.S.? Just before cleaning at week 3.

If you are not too far from the sea you may find it in rockpools or ask if anybody who lives close to the sea if they could send you some.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

Algae will not completely strip the water of nitrates and phosphate

For a while, the tide was "get these to 0/0" and that has shifted really from what I've seen. It's not necessarily good to strip the nutrients down to nothing. Keep in mind that 0/0 means it's just below the detectable range of hobbyist grade test its. That being said, I have one tank that shows up 0/0 on a regular basis with only a scrubber on it.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

If you are not too far from the sea you may find it in rockpools or ask if anybody who lives close to the sea if they could send you some.

Ulva Lactuca is easy to find but intestinalis seems to be hard to find more common in poor water quality areas.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

For a while, the tide was "get these to 0/0" and that has shifted really from what I've seen. It's not necessarily good to strip the nutrients down to nothing. Keep in mind that 0/0 means it's just below the detectable range of hobbyist grade test its. That being said, I have one tank that shows up 0/0 on a regular basis with only a scrubber on it.

But since you are feeding the tank it is not really at 0/0 if you were at true zero which like you said is below the test kit ability on both phosphate and nitrates the algae would not grow or survive. it took me a bit to realize that you can use various methods to keep them low but may not make for healthy system, be to much work or cause sudden changes that can hurt or kill your livestock. A refugium will grow a lot of micro fauna but I think BRS showed that the algae in a refugium needed a lot more light than what most people were using. I am now seeing more people using a combination of refugium, chaeto reactor and ATS some using all three. I would love to remove my skimmer but I have lines running outside because of high CO2. May start to reduce amount of time running to see how ph does.
My phosphates were at zero on Hanna and Nitrates were .02 before I ever added scrubber. have not checked them since adding scrubber but things are looking better

 

[Ru_dark]

CHAETO REACTOR!!!! Done, algae scrubber is a bust, takes up Way to much room

 

[Bruce Burnett]

CHAETO REACTOR!!!! Done, algae scrubber is a bust, takes up Way to much room

Well even though some people don't recommend it my scrubber is remote install. You might also be surprised how little some of them take up. My problem is bad back makes it hard to get under the stand.

 

[Ru_dark]

Well even though some people don't recommend it my scrubber is remote install. You might also be surprised how little some of them take up. My problem is bad back makes it hard to get under the stand.

Chaeto reactor takes up as much as the diameter of a reactor? 6in diameter at most? pump from the sump into the reactor drain line back. Can literally put the reactor anywhere you want. Stand, shelf, kitchen table for an awesome nightlight if it pleases you xD less maintenance, open canister throw some chaeto away, close canister. IMO it blows an algae scrubber out the dang water

 

[atoll]

Ulva Lactuca is easy to find but intestinalis seems to be hard to find more common in poor water quality areas.

I am reliably informed Ulva intestinalis is widespread without many of the oceans and seas of the world. However, if it is more abundant in poor water quality areas then perhaps that is a good thing for us. As far as I am aware I was the first to use this Ulva to seed an ATS as up until that time waterfall ATS screens were not seeded but GHA just encouraged and allowed to form. Intestinalis is certainly found in many rock pools around the UK in both clean and not so clean areas.
More info here.
http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1469
and
http://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=12904&sk=0&from=results

https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/gre...1714&Potential=N&Type=0&HUCNumber=DGreatLakes

 

[atoll]

CHAETO REACTOR!!!! Done, algae scrubber is a bust, takes up Way to much room

Not so. Mine takes up no room in my sump, it sits on top of the sump. However, both have their pluses and minuses. I know somebody who runs both very successfully together.

 

[atoll]

My weekly ATS harvest and yes I cut it right back almost to the screen.

 

[Ru_dark]

Not so. Mine takes up no room in my sump, it sits on top of the sump. However, both have their pluses and minuses. I know somebody who runs both very successfully together.

I bet it takes up more room then a single reactor [emoji23][emoji23]