New to the ATS

[pyrocide]

Hello all,

My name is Tony, I have been in the fish keeping for a little over 3 years, reef keeping for the latter 2 years of that.

I have been wanting to try the ATS for a while now and just read through the word document on Algae Scrubbers, and went through tutorials on Acrylic casting and various other things. However, I have a few questions first. As with most aquarists, the large amount of left over parts from past tanks is abundant. I have an extra Rio 1400 that I wouldn't mind using in the tank, however as per the word doc, the screen for a 90 gallon should be around 90SqIn and only push 35G/Sqin. Since the Rio does a little over 100 G more than what is adequate would this be too much flow for the scrubber? Could I increase the screen size to adjust for the higher flow? Put a ball valve or some sort of valve on it?

Also, some of the examples I have seen, when cleaning it are removing only the PVC that has the rip through it and am curious as to how, without the obvious absence of PVC Cement, can keep the junction from the pump through the elbow to the ripped PVC leak proof-ish (prevent salt creep) for easy removal of the screen for cleaning without having to remove the pump and the rest of the fixture?

Also, I see a lot of what look like industrial lamp housings. But I cannot seem to find simple lamp housings that provide adequate reflectors that are not ridiculously overpriced for fancy swing arms, or this bell-whistle and what not.

I just need a few decent clip on lamp fixtures that give good light spread that aren't an arm and a leg.

Also, I was planning on making a splash shield out of acrylic, are there any tutorials for this?

Thanks again, and I apologize for the overload of questions.

[Rumpy Pumpy]

Greetings Tony.

The 35 gallons/hour per inch guideline is, I think, per inch of screen width , not per square inch, so if you have a screen, say, 10 inches by 10 inches (making 100 inches square) you'd need 35 x 10 gallons per hour of flow or 350 gallons.

Your Rio 1400 pump is rated for 420 gallons per hour (max) which would give you enough flow for a 10 inch wide screen (assuming that's what you end up with) [also, I believe that the calculation SM has done on flow are based on Imp gallons rather than US gallons (because that's what they seem to correspond to on his conversion to litres) while I think that the 420 gallon max rating for the Rio 1400 will be in US gallons (I stand to be corrected on both) - 420 US gallons = 350 Imp gallons, so if I'm right your pump will give you only just enough flow and only if you are not pumping any head of water at all]

However, that would depend on the head of water you need to pump (i.e. how far upwards you need to pump the water to reach the screen). The higher you have to pump it, the less flow you will get.

I suspect that the Rio 1400 is not going to provide enough flow for a scrubber screen for a tank your size.

[pyrocide]

I would really rather not buy any new equipment, minus the materials to make this thing, until I am for sure it would work.

I also have a spare 2500 Rio that i use to mix salt with. But that is a little over double the GPH needed for a 10" screen at 748GPH. I could add a ball valve to lower it but even still the Rio pumps as I am told, are not that great when you hinder the amount of water they are rated for. This could all just be hokum but just covering my bases.

I found the clip on utility lights at home depot. 8 1/2" lights, hoping to get some good light spread at 2in.

Also, question on the bulbs. I understand that the flood lights are not good due to the fact that they focus light. So I was considering doing CFL 85W 5100K. Would this be acceptable? Or would something else be better?

I was thinking the pump would have to get water at least 14" upward to hit the elbow going to the horizontal ripped PVC.

[pyrocide]

Anyone else have any input?

[bucks448]

I would start with the RIO 1400 first and see how it works out.

The reflectors you mentioned are good and wide, but 2" from the screen is too close and will burn the algae, 4-6" is where you should be.

The bulbs you mention probably aren't 85 real watts, and 5100K is on the high end of the spectrum you'd want.

For the size screen you're building one of these bulbs on each side would be the minimum http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053 , two on each side would be better, or with those wide reflectors you could go with one of these on each side http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

[SantaMonica]

Yes, an 85 watt cfl would be bigger than your head. It's probably only 18 watts.

[pyrocide]

This is just a very rough drawing I came up with with MS Visio 07.



Please critique it. The dimensions are guesstimates, the actual project might be a bit larger

My sump comes with 1/2 and 3/4" holes in it so i can use those to support the legs. I have the Crystal Elite 30.



At the top right hand corner of the pic is where i was considering placing the pump, running PVC through the filter sock holes and up and over into my refugium area.

EDIT: Picked up 2 of the higher wattage lights to go with my new light fixtures. Also I am getting another Hamilton Light Timer to time 18 hours daily on - 6 hours off.

[pyrocide]

Any suggestions on the build?

[bucks448]

It looks like your idea should work.

The other option you have is to T off the drain with a union and a couple valves instead of having to use the RIO.

[pyrocide]

Considering this is just a test mostly, and my drains aren't hard plumbed, i am just using the Rio as a test to see if it will even work in my sump. Once I move at the end of April and this bad boy takes off in the 2-3 weeks its supposed to I will hard plumb everything and make a ATS from the drain lines instead of using an extra pump.

When would it be a good time to considering removing the skimmer? Its not that its taking a lot of power to run it or anything, but just one less thing running in my tank.