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Thread: ATS: Pushing the Limits...

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    ATS: Pushing the Limits...

    When i first read about SM's ATS article in another site a couple of years back, i instantly got hooked. There are numerous claims on the web about the wonders of this filtration method and i wondered since then if these claims were true. Fortunately, i now had the chance to experiment on this through my daughter's investigatory project. So, on to the experiment...

    DIY ATS specs: single screen (~10" x ~6"), 4 T5 NO's warm white, fed by a 2000lph pump
    DIY ATS Thread >>> http://www.reefphilippines.com/forum...hp?f=8&t=12984

    AUG 1/11
    since some of the claimed benefits of an ATS system is that it can also filter out heavy metals and provide the numerous vitamins and minerals needed to support demanding organisms , i decided to make the sw solution out of an ordinary saltmix and tap water...


    inside the ATS...


    AUG 4/11
    i did some tests...






    ...frankly i was a bit frustrated when i saw the readings.

    AUG 11/11

    after 10 days...


    no screen growth yet

    AUG 13/11
    i put this jar with organic waste in it... kitchen wastes, pingpong ball-sized dog poop :shock: , 2 tablespoons of fertilizer.


    and after a couple of hours here's what happened...


    AUG 14/11
    readings...






    since i can't get the reading that i want, i added half of this to the water...


    the back label says:
    urea nitrogen = 19%
    nitrate nitrogen = 19%
    ammoniacal nitrogen = 2%
    total phosphorous = 19%

    AUG 16/11


    algae are now visible...


    AUG 17/11
    readings...






    screen growth...


    AUG 20/11

    readings: ammonia continued to rise so as nitrite. but phosphate dropped from 10 to 5 in 3 days since the screen had almost tripled its growth.






    tank:


    algae growth: dark green & slimy


    AUG 21/11 (cleaning day)

    algae growth (before cleaning the screening)...


    after scraping the screen...




    the screen chamber (before cleaning)


    all cleaned up:


    AUG 23/11

    readings: ammonia is at exactly 8.0 compared to the last reading which is darker than 8.0 color guide...


    the tank: coloration of the tank is still dark even after removing the jar last saturday (AUG 20)...


    screen growth: algae is starting to build up again...


    AUG 24/11

    screen growth:


    suggestion are very much welcome. i'll post more details later. thanks for viewing!
    Beyond Concepts...

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    Re: ATS: Pushing the Limits...

    Interesting that it grew green even with high N and P. The difference here is that urea/ammonia is high too. Of course, that is algae's favorite food.

    It will take 5 or 10 screen cleanings to get that many nutrients out of the water.

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    Re: ATS: Pushing the Limits...

    yeah i figured that's the reason. i was actually expecting a dark growth...

    btw, thanks again for helping me with the design and for sharing this very simple and yet efficient technology to us. more power!
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    Re: ATS: Pushing the Limits...

    That...is...gross...and hilarious! The dog poop scrubber!

    That screen material doesn't have much surface area. I take it plastic knitting canvas is hard to come by in the Philippines?

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    Re: ATS: Pushing the Limits...

    Quote Originally Posted by Floyd R Turbo
    That...is...gross...and hilarious! The dog poop scrubber!

    That screen material doesn't have much surface area. I take it plastic knitting canvas is hard to come by in the Philippines?
    hahaha!! i was under the impression that the ats are now being used to treat waste water. so we've thought of simulating the water in the sewage...

    yeah the screen lacks surface area compared to the knitting canvas even after achieving the cactus effect. we have the knitting canvas here but the thing is, i haven't found the chance of going to any store that has it yet due to work. but i'll change them soon.
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    Re: ATS: Pushing the Limits...

    Yes, algae growth is a standard part of sewage reclamation, coming after the biological filtering stage.

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    Beyond Concepts...

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    Re: ATS: Pushing the Limits...

    I like that scrubber tower in that last article. Now that's a large scrubber!

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    Re: ATS: Pushing the Limits...

    i'd like to do the RAC some time... anybody did this before?
    Beyond Concepts...

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    Re: ATS: Pushing the Limits...

    Quote Originally Posted by Floyd R Turbo
    I like that scrubber tower in that last article. Now that's a large scrubber!
    That guy in the picture and the system behind him looks a lot like the guy in this video.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OebPtG6J-dg

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