From SGreef (strange can't seem to attached pictures there)

[Keithtanbb]

Hi, I am very impressed by all the experimentation works going on here ! Really inspired to work on one for my own 7 footer ! with modified designs from all your inputs- kudos to santa monica and mudshark

Ok, here it goes (btw I've been following this thread for a week! so reading up alot of the works of mudshark and santa monica.....
My Original Plan A was using a large grey "Toyogo" (local plasticwares brand) laundry basket as the ATS box, good capacity but takes up alot of space and is not opaque....otherwise material was cheap plus I already got it.

[Keithtanbb]

I think this is a better alternative-as it is opaque -so when I have my lights on at night on a reverese photo period-it will illuminate my porch! so that i can make my way to my door after night out clubbing with the boys!

[Keithtanbb]

I am going to put Plan B into action ; I didnt want any splash effects -so decided to go with the enclosed concept-
the ikea laundry basket -is made of plastics (will illuminate nicely in the dark) with an orange glows.
On the extreme right -plastic mesh from DIY shop 50cm by 2 metres ;will keep excess as spares
I thought of using 2 x 23 watts ES bulb from MEGAMAN -UK -got it from local agent here in singapore -but having tested it out on a dry run
1 is sufficient. (keeping 2nd as spare.
Socket the fixtures be out ,bulb will go into the empty DVD diskettes box.
I am using smaller pipes as I intend to use a smaller pump -white to blend in......will try to catalogue this as i go along
The top of the ikea basket can come off and has a lid.-great for maintenance-now I need to think about water proofing the fixtures

[kcress]

That's neat blending a Turf Scrubber in with porch lighting.

I have to admit that is one angle that completely passed me by on my design. :lol:

[Keithtanbb]

Well better to put idea on paper-so as not to miss out minute details ,before cutting ,slicing, joining with glue! Basic concept- was thinking of alternatively using glass jar -will explore that later....welcome any constructive inputs here please. (off to the pub now-my day in the office over.......

[SantaMonica]

Nice concept. Raise the bulbs up though to the center (or add another on top of that one.)

[Keithtanbb]

Will be using this weekend to built my ATS ; have most of the materials and researched this here-so hopefully all goes well,
1) plan to use 4 sided but with 4 corners fee( where the elbow pipes meet )
as I thought of incorporating Phytoplankton cultivation later -I had some good experience/results there!
2) will add a collection tray at the bottom -as I intend to cut only 1 big drainage hole -ATS water goes there-leads to a pipe that carry water to the mouth of the return pump.
3) will raise the lights up by way of additional DVD disk holder- sitting on egg crate and a piping support- guess cable ties my solution ; dont inted to glue anything up -to facilitates cleaning

[SantaMonica]

If your phyto reactor is going to be lit from the scrubber bulb, you'll need to have a place for the light to shine through, since when the algae fills in, all light will be blocked.

[Keithtanbb]

ok guys,getting down to work on saturday morning-made several trips to the hardware supplier to get my materials-initially stuck to my plan and came up with the contraptions like this (bottom centre) INVEST in a pipe cutter !!! the yellow pipe cutter (centre of picture) was really useful.

[Keithtanbb]

built the support frame, but then it took up took much valuable space in side the tiny confine of the ATS box-so changed my mind-thats a piece of sand paper on the ATS box ...(to smooth out the edge of pipes after sawing -you wont need that if you use the pipe cutter!

[Keithtanbb]

manage to make modifications was able to hook up the ATS - here's how it look -Asthetically pleasing? and yes I am running 2 protein skimmers ....maybe I wont need it after this!

[Keithtanbb]

took a picture this morning -5.30 am!

[Keithtanbb]

The heart of the ATS ! I am directing the water flow off the ATS box via piping to main return pumps (6 o'clock position)that way the good stuffs get fed directly to my main tank,I am experimenting with green macro algae I pick up from the beach (11.00 o'clock) Planned to stuff them into the mesh ...seeding the ATS ..Yes I have a hugh sump! Live rocks.marco algaes, and my more aggressive fishes are housed here ,oh and 3 anemones too! with a aggressive tomato clown

[Keithtanbb]

Another picture taken early this morning! nicely illuminated...wont need a torch light to check on my tank/equipments now.ATS is sitting on a industrial strength plastic crate "TOYOGO' from a factory in Toa Payoh (for those here in Singapore) -I cut a side up to release space for fishes to move around in my sump.

[kcress]

Looks like some infernal reactor! :lol:

[Keithtanbb]

Looks like some infernal reactor! :lol:
yes, I am trying to scare the neighbourhood... :lol:

[Keithtanbb]

so far it had been 4 days since I started the ATS , 16 hours photoperiod and as this is near my glass sliding door, I left the box uncovered so that it can catch the rays of the sun......

[Keithtanbb]

I have previously set up a plankton culture station, in March 2005...but stopped after a year.I still had 1 last plankton disk from Florida Farm.It was sitting in my fridge till yesterday morning, after so long in the fridge the jelly was completely dried up- I only had a thin film of the green harden algae on the plastic disc.....after scraping that residue off into the bottle fortified by miracle grow plant fertiliser, this is how it looks like after 1 day.....so I think it will be okay!


my previous post on plankton culture

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.p ... opic=30212 (http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=30212)

[kcress]

Neat. Tally ho!

[Keithtanbb]

I upgraded my Dymax 2000 pump to a ehiem compact 5000 on Sunday- that nearly filled up my ATS to the brim! so I had to cut 2 new outlets to release the load off the ATS.....I cleaned the ATS prior to restarting after the new cuts (smell of th ocean! as I had been feeding blended shellfishes to my stocks

[Keithtanbb]

now I have 4 sides covered by the flow from the ehiem pump.....looking good..except the lighting, I am presently using a ES Megaman 23watt ,6500k bulb. SM do you think I need to double the lightings?

[kcress]

You could use a better color! 2700K is much better.

[Keithtanbb]

now that the ATS is running -I guess I should post a picture of my main tank (I bought and stock up on SPS on Saturday morning (there was a good shipment from Fiji) - Please take note I had revamped my tank -with new sump and added another protein skimmer, so this is like a before /after pictures to relate to my ATS system in operation as of now!

[SantaMonica]

You could add three more bulbs if you want. Just depends on how much filtering you want.

Try for 3000K

[kcress]

I like your tanks look!

[Keithtanbb]

thanks man, heres another -waiting for a school of :apogon Parvulus =50 of these babies ,thats why my main tank is so sparse..Got some growth on the ATS ..maybe Cyno's .Will wait till weekend to see results of this and if I need the extra bulb

[kcress]

Love schools. Hope you can get a nice picture of them once they show up. With your nice coral that should be really nice.

[Keithtanbb]

so far so good- the cyano's algae are collecting....I place the ATS near the window to alllow natural lights in during the day..we get alot of sun in singapore.The ehiem pump is working like very well. (am working on a filtration system for natural sea water collected from the beach- will probable incorporate an ATS in ..thats another story

[SantaMonica]

Time for cleaning

[Keithtanbb]

finally , manage to get my school of red spot cardinals....

[Keithtanbb]

as you can see from my previous tank pictures,..starting t o have cyano algae growth on bottom left due to my feeding every other day......I added additional bulb and had those attached to egg crate lid...just washed my ATS ,alot of waste and only growth are these.......will monitor closely as I just added the 2700k; 23 watts ES bulb.....so top (daylight 6500k/ base is 2700k "warm white" if either show better results, I will change the bulb accordingly

[Keithtanbb]

so far slimy deposits on screen........will increase photoperiod as well

[dkk08]

Hi Keith, that's a really nice tank! Can you post a close up of those Apogon Parvulus? Mind PM me how much you got them and from where? Thanks!

[SantaMonica]

Definitey not enough growth, and surely because of lack of light (one of those bulbs should be focused on just a 10 X 10 section, not 4 sections.) A second bulb will help, but will still be low. Remember that for average filtering, you need 0.5 total watts per gallon, and for high filtering you need 1.0 total watts per gallon. Those screens should be 1" thick at the bottom, every 7 days.

[kcress]

They look surprisingly fresh water like. Like Tetras.

Nice.

[Keithtanbb]

are these filaments algae what we are after? they are growing off my return pipes,very near MH lights (250watts),if so will "seed: onto my screens. changed lower bulb to be same 6500k

[SantaMonica]

No you do not want to seed it. Just remove it from the display. Also if you turn off one of the MH, the display algae will die quicker, and the screen will grow faster.

[Keithtanbb]

...checked the growth this morning -looking better (think I need to increase photo period to say 18 hours now) the additional bulb did expedite the growth rate.

[Keithtanbb]

close up of the growth so far.......I placed a few "bio-balls" behind the nets, to help support and allow air pocket behind the nets