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!