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Thread: how ATSs improve water clarity (warning: long and science-y)

  1. #11

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    Re: how ATSs improve water clarity (warning: long and science-y)

    I do have prior experience in Fresh Water planted tanks with only mechanical filtration. This is not to say I ran a turf scrubber. The emphasis of the display were on gardening and not on filtration studies. Freshwater vascular planted tanks are not nearly as difficult to control algae as reef tanks, as long as growth is P limited. I have found Java Moss to be an excellent phosphate sponge that can be exported from main tank. They are also more work in some ways than reef tanks as growth of plants is amazing and a great display may only last for a few weeks before it is overgrown again.

    Using Sears-Colins nutrient studies, I was easily able to promote vascular freshwater plant growth. Many others have had great success with the basic recipe of macro and micro nutrients. However, I learned that these displays were ALWAYS more forgiving when the bog plant java moss was present. It was exported directly from the display tank much like a turf scrubber is scraped, but far less messy, and not unpleasant in primary display.

    On a practical level fresh water displays need very little testing as you can look at the types of algae growing and determine waht to do. For example tiny tuft of micro algae as little dots on glass indicate conditions are near perfect for plants. BlueGreen Algae are indicative of excess phosphate. Pale yellow indicate iron deficiency. Planted tanks also become phosphate limited easily and phosphate can be spiked. Never do this in a reef tank! Even a type of algae is present when too much iron is present.

    ATS will always make great sense in ponds and monster fish tanks but in planted tanks Java Moss is a great substitute for making system more forgiving.

  2. #12

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    Re: how ATSs improve water clarity (warning: long and science-y)

    Your point about java moss is a good one.

    I have a shrimp colony living in an unfiltered 10G tank with a shallow sand bed -- there's an airstone in there for circulation, but that's it -- that's literally almost half-full of java moss, and I wonder if the stuff isn't a naturally designed 3-D scrubber... Not only is java moss wildly concatenated, with multiple criss-crossing strands throughout its volume, but the individual strands have a rough, comb-like texture that seems to catch detritus. I've long suspected that one of the advantages enjoyed by filamentous and brush algae is that they trap drifting detritus in their strands, and by virtue of proximity and the dynamics (or lack thereof) in the boundary layer, the algae gets first crack at the nutrients released from decaying detritus. Java moss seems to follow this design philosophy, as well, even to the extent of providing habitat to recruit small animals that groom the moss and eat the tasty bits, thereby speeding along the process of their decay.


    Quote Originally Posted by iggy
    On a practical level fresh water displays need very little testing as you can look at the types of algae growing and determine waht to do.
    I'm currently intrigued by something I picked up from Wetzel, the freshwater temperate lake guy: diatoms will outcompete green algae for phosphorous at high Si:P ratios.

    Could explain why diatoms were the algae that appeared when your scrubber started to weaken...

  3. #13

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    Re: how ATSs improve water clarity (warning: long and science-y)

    Java Moss is a bog plant and is a a great filter in conditions that are not ideal for more sensitive plants. I know frog tanks use it as well as wet mats to reduce waste.

    I can only speculate that silica is a limiting nutrient for diatom growth and my tank is stirred by strong healthy clam and decorator goby. I can also confirm that new Sylvania 3000K 4X24" bulbs on ATS within a week after replacement. This is second time it occurred.

  4. #14
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    Re: how ATSs improve water clarity (warning: long and science-y)

    What occurred?

  5. #15

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    Re: how ATSs improve water clarity (warning: long and science-y)

    question for me?

    I got healthy diatom bloom on sand only as this set up is prone to it. New T5's and heavy scrubbing on screen fixed problem. I had aged bulbs and increased feeding of Elegant Foxface.

  6. #16
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    Re: how ATSs improve water clarity (warning: long and science-y)

    A very informative thread!! I will have to read it a second and third time to consume it all LOL.
    150G. Reef/Mix
    125G. 3 Regular Oscars/1 Jack Dempsey
    75G. 20+ Africans
    40G. Fish/Reef. Algae Scrubbers on ALL my SW
    10G. SW Fish/Reef.
    10G. SW Hospital/new fish quarantine/pod breeder tank
    6 stage RO/DI system 200 GPD.

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