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want to build a ats for my 125 tank do it above tank useing the return pump to power it and my 400watt metal haide
what i need to know is
how big going vertical being light from one side ?
how close/far from light should i be?
how to fig flow?
i'm going spit the return so extra flow go to tank
pump is about 700 gph at the tank.
any help will be greatly appreciated
just want build this right
How much feeding?
i plan on a cube a day when fully stocked
so if i have it right screen would be 8x8?
since its one sided
and i dont run hailde all day since nothing in tank that needs them
It's very difficult to figure out how many watts of the halide is reaching the screen. The only way is to run it for a week and see if there is green; if not, try to move it closer to the bulb, and/or get reflectors behind it.
This might be a tank suitable to Pauls set up. A trough along the back.
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/show...o-s-(ATS)-Reef
1 cube/day screen, double sided, would only be 3x4. single sided 4x6 (24 sq in). 8x8 maybe since it's horizontal.
ok so what bad with screen being over sized?
oversized screen will basically spread the same amount of algae nutrient absorption over a larger area. The algae will become nutrient deficient and turn yellow or caramel colored and rubbery/gooey. And it smells bad when you clean it. reducing the screen to the size proper according to feeding forces the algae to grow more concentrated and then it will go green better. Green filters better, so this it what you want. Also green algae has sort of a beach-like smell, much better then the putrid yellow stuff.
ok ty
is there a big differences in useing metal halide vs cfl bulbs?
with halide i can only light from one side i do have aluminum foil used as a cheap reflector on back side put fair amount light back to it .
this how i got it set up right now seeing if i can get work right before i build a nicer set up but if cfl bulbs work alot better i'll change
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Might be easier to figure out how to do it if you use a dedicated light rather than trying to use the 400W MH.
One cube a day isn't much for a 125 if it is well stocked. I'd plan on 3 or 4 cubes.
If nothing really needs it, sell the 400W MH and use the proceeds to build/buy a standard vertical scrubber.
wasnt sure on feed load want keep it lightly stocked mixed reef tank when im done came by theses light for 100 bucks :)
had nano tanks for last two years to frist big tank i had.
right now all i have is 3 clowns and some zoa's so fig i'd try ats with what i alrdy had try get it working if i like it then build a full set up
i have no plans on adding fish anytime soon tell i can get tank under control
so if i go for 3 cubes a day and change to cfl bulbs on each side i need screen ?x? and how many watts?
You'll probably only feed 1 cube.
The biggest difference is spectrum. The MH light will not be the right spectrum. Also hard to tell from your pics but it doesn't look like the screen is getting a lot of flow.
I would downsize that guy to 4-6" wide and put an 11W CFL floodlight on each side. Leave the extra length on the screen so that the water doesn't crash down into the sump. Leave it 6" wide if you plan on doing more feeding later then you can up the light and position it in the middle of the screen, or add more lamps.