Algae Turf Scrubber

Joe Lydon

Joe Lydon

New member
So, since I don't have much for corals yet, I've decided to use the ATS I made before setting up. I removed the skimmer, socks, gfo and carbon. I will update the thread as time goes by. This is my original design, but I've already got plans for a new one using 630nm, 660nm and a 455nm LED setup and acrylic housing.

I am running the ATS with a split from my return, so I can easily adjust flow without worrying about pump sizing. Pretty simple, 6x8 screen and two 23w CFL bulbs. I am running the bulbs very close, nearly 1.5" from the screen. Everything inside the box is adequately sealed with silicone. I have holes drilled about 1.5" up from the bottom. This allows the sheet of water coming off the screen, to touch and minimize splash. Holes drilled up top to draw air in for cooling.

Closed setup contains the light.
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4 days of growth. I run the lights all day, turn them off when I climb into bed.
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fwadiver said:
nice, any reason you went trickle instead of upflow?
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Just preference. I use rubbermaids as sumps, so I can really only light the screen out of water. Plus, I don't like the idea of using airs stones and replacing them all the time. This was a really cheap prototype I built in November. $15 tool box, some pvc and cfl's. I'm gonna play with some acrylic for the first time in the next week or so and see what I can come up with for a nice enclosed unit.
 
nice, there are alot of good custom build examples on the scrubber forum. Looks good, i look forward to seeing what it ends up looking like in the end :)
 
Thats awesome... I know some folks have discontinued using there skimmers because the Tuff Scrubber does a very good job at keeping nitrates down
 
Tank2379 said:
Thats awesome... I know some folks have discontinued using there skimmers because the Tuff Scrubber does a very good job at keeping nitrates down
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Yep! I love the concept of a complete bio-system. It just makes sense. Plus, the added benefit of leaving more food in the system for coral growth. I'm looking forward to seeing the results first hand.
 
fit said:
I heard you wont have to make as much partial water changes. True?
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It depends on the reason. "Supposedly" it exports all nitrates and phosphates, so water changes are not needed to dilute the concentration of those nutrients. This will not change the fact that calcium, magnesium, strontium, iodine, along with other trace elements will need to be replaced. Unless you test and dose EVERYTHING you get from new salt, I would maintain your regular water change/dosing habits. Just my opinion.
 
FWIW, I set one of these up, and my fuge out-competed it for nutrient export, and my skimmer never stopped skiing. This is a great way for nutrient export, but I wouldn't throw all your eggs in one basket. That, and a skimmer gets the stuff out before it has a chance to break down. I'd much rather that than waiting for it to break down and then pull it out of the water column.

I loved my scrubber, but its a glorified fuge, nothing more.
 
Of course your skimmer never stopped working, it removes food and waste before it's able to break down. The whole reason for an ATS, is to leave the food in the system and allow it to be broken down and exported biologically.
 
Joe Lydon said:
Of course your skimmer never stopped working, it removes food and waste before it's able to break down. The whole reason for an ATS, is to leave the food in the system and allow it to be broken down and exported biologically.
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why wud you let food rot in your system?
 
Tethered_Limbs said:
why wud you let food rot in your system?
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Whether anyone likes it or not, you can have the biggest skimmer in the world, if you have substrate and live rock, you have food rotting in your system. Luckily, you have bacteria that turns it into harmless substances. The difference in a skimmerless system is, I have more bacteria to handle the bio-load and an ATS to export the nitrate and phosphate.

The upside to leaving it in the system is more food for coral.
 
Poop/rotting food is the enemy.....why dont you just clean up the mess before it has time to break down instead of being dependent on your ATS system
 
But if a fuge and a skimmerless system isn't the best, then an ATS and skimmerless won't be much different. That was my experience at least. Like I said, I'm a believer in the ATS, but as a fuge replacement, not as a stand-alone option.

Sounds like you drank the kool-aid though ;)
 
rotting food in the sand is something that i always talk about and one of the main factors why sand will never be in my systems. a meaningful amount of rot going on in my LR? kinda doubt it. i feed tons, but i have tons of fish and baste my rocks religiously.
 
Wait so the bulbs get wet? Im so confuse on this one . I never heard of this gonna have to google it
 
More than one ways to skin a cat, right? I have seen some absolutely beautiful SPS ATS only systems. To me, it just makes sense. I'm going to put it to the test. I actually enjoy the DIY end of this hobby. I have a lot of projects I plan on working with. I might not be as bold if I had established systems like you guys. In the end, maybe I will go with a skimmer?

superslinky911 said:
Poop/rotting food is the enemy.....why dont you just clean up the mess before it has time to break down instead of being dependent on your ATS system
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Why is poop/food the enemy? Not because you worry about nitrite/ammonia, that's why your tank was cyclced in the beginning. It's because of the accumulation of nitrate and phosphate. When an ATS is sized correctly, it is the most efficient exporter of the nutrients you fear.

madjoe said:
Wait so the bulbs get wet? Im so confuse on this one . I never heard of this gonna have to google it
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In my first build, they do. Just poor design. It was basically a "how can I build an enclosed ATS with the least amount of money?" . I'm revamping the setup once the LED's I ordered, come in. Our GAH grows best under a mix of 630nm, 660nm a touch of 455nm and an even smaller amount of 425nm. Basically, you run water over a ROUGH screen at a specific flow rate, while exposing it to the optimum color spectrum and intensity for extended periods everyday. You force the algae to grow on the screen, it out-competes with the algae in your tank and will consume the fertilizer aka nitrates/phosphates.

Tethered_Limbs said:
rotting food in the sand is something that i always talk about and one of the main factors why sand will never be in my systems. a meaningful amount of rot going on in my LR? kinda doubt it. i feed tons, but i have tons of fish and baste my rocks religiously.
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If you have no waste, you have no biological filtration. You may not see it, but it's there. No matter how much you baste your rocks, you don't get it all.

6 days of growth.
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