Questions from Greece!

[skourkou]

Hello from Corfu-Greece!
After hours studying your forum I decided (you persuaded me) to create and put an ATS filter in my new tank. The actual capacity is 130 liters. The size of my scrubber I believe that it should be 20x22, the watts with cfl lamp at 2700k warm should be 24 and the flow about 1200lt/h. My scrubber will be one side. IS THAT CORRECT???

I have one more question, should I make a DSB for my sump??? I am thinking to create one in these dimensions: 40X40X12. Do you believe that I will face problem with low nitrate (NO3) at my scrubber?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!
Spiros.

[iggy]

I will make it to Greece someday. I am under the impression all the women look like my wife's exercise video on bodyrock.tv

Flow through sump is generally 3-5X main tank volume. This is too fast for DSB. Deep sand bed in a buck or remote is a better idea if you have problems. Not really needed for ATS tank though.

I have run one since September. Very forgiving system as long as screen is kept up. Many comment that SPS respond well.

[SantaMonica]

For one-sided, you need 213 square cm if vertical, or 853 square cm if horizontal.

If vertical, you need 17 total (real, not equivalent) watts minimum, or 34 total watts for maximum filtering. If horizontal, you need at least 50 total watts.

If your screen is 20 cm wide, flow is at least 1200 lph. If your screen is 22 cm wide, flow is at least 1320 lph.


Do you believe that I will face problem with low nitrate (NO3) at my scrubber?

If you mean will you still have high nitrate if you have a scrubber, the answer is: If you build and operate your scrubber correctly, nitrate will be "zero".

If you mean will your nitrate be "too low", the answer is: No.

[skourkou]

Dear Santamonica.
At your Scrubber Quick Guideline you report:
2.0 square inches of screen per gallon, if vertical but lit on just ONE side. [3.28 square cm per liter]
So, for my liters i must have 3,28 x 130 = 426 square cm. You propose me 213. Why? I will make my scrubber one-sided vertical.

Also, when i say
“Do you believe that I will face problem with low nitrate (NO3) at my scrubber?”
i mean if i will have problem with the scrubber growth because the DSB absorbs all the NO3 of my tank (i meane IF...).

Dear iggy i wise you can visit Greece some day, its really wonderful! I agree with propose “Not really needed for ATS tank though.” For this answer i looking for.

Thanks for yours answers!

[SantaMonica]

You are correct with size.

DSB will not slow down a scrubber.

[skourkou]

Thanks a lot. I will be back when my scrubber will be ready!!!

[iggy]

Curious to see your results.

[skourkou]

Hello again! My reef is ready and my ATS filter too! The filter is in the 8th day function. Its size is 20 x 23 with a 36 watt bulb and all the water of overflow is running through it (about 1400 lt/hr). What do you think of that?

[skourkou]

some more!

[SantaMonica]

Nice acrylic box, and nice reflector.

Make sure you clean out the pipe so the holes don't clog up.

[skourkou]

Thanks!

[skourkou]

Hello! I am at the 12th day and my film is like the previous photo. Just brown. Is it ok? I have no fish in my tank, just LR. I think that I have a little bit more flow but I have strong light.

[SantaMonica]

It is good for no-fish.

Start adding fish if you can.

[skourkou]

What do you think about my ATS. Thats my first cleaning after 10 days after my first green algae.

[SantaMonica]

That is very good growth for the first week (10 days). Needs to be cleaned a bit sooner than 10 days in your case, however, because it's going to be so thick that the roots of the algae are going to be blocked from light and flow.

[skourkou]

Should i use any trace elements or aminoacids or vitamins whith ATS? Does ATS absorves all the previous from the water for its growth?
Regards!

[SantaMonica]

The scrubber does not absorb them, it produces them. Algae is what puts proteins, amino acids and carbohydrates into they ocean in the first place. It's only people who don't have scrubbers who need to dose these things.

[skourkou]

Ok! Thanks a lot!

[skourkou]

Hello again!
My ATS works very well. I have 0 No3 and Po4.
I’m cleaning it every 7 days with a lot of green algae. I have not yet removed the skimmer and the carbonate, only the antiphos.
My first question is, why after the cleaning, the first days, the screen looks too yellow?(that happens only the first days, then it becomes green.) Should I use iron? I can’ t increase the flow (I use all the flow of the overflow, about 1500 lt/h for 20 cm screen) and I don’ t want to put a smaller bulb (I use a 36 watt bulb) because I prefer to have stronger filtering.
The second question is, is it ok to have very small algae the first 5 days (almost nothing) and the last 2 days the growth is very fast (about 4-5 cm)?Should I clean it every 7 days or let it more? I switch off the lights for 6 hours (7 now because it is very yellow).
And the last question is, if it would be better to cut the algae (and leave only 1cm) instead to “shave” it?

Thanks a lot!

[SantaMonica]

It is yellow because it is not receiving light and flow, when the growth gets long. Yes the long growth filters more, but the bottom layers will start dying. So you have to experiment to see how many days you can go before filtering starts to drop off.

You will probably want to do full cleanings, not part cleanings.

[skourkou]

Ok, thanks! I will check it!

[skourkou]

Hello!

Everything is going good with my ATS. The last month i start to clean only the half screen every week and I believe is better now. All the days of the week I have algae. My No3 and Po4 is ZERO.

Thanks!

[skourkou]

more...

[SantaMonica]

Wow that is dark. Can you double the wattage?

[skourkou]

Why is it bad the dark color? My No3 is about 5 and no Po4. My screen is 20 x 23 for 150 liters main+sump, flow is about 1300 lt/h and i use 36 watt bulb. I thought I have a strong light. The real is that I have it about 5,5 months. I have to change it.

[SantaMonica]

Green will occur when nutrients are lowest. It requires stronger light, even if used less hours.