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Thread: need some advice... new to ATS

  1. #1

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    need some advice... new to ATS

    so I set up an algae scrubber. Its a single sheet 13.5 x 8 two sided using 6500 CF. have it up and running 5 days now and off the bat I'm getting some nasty brown algae with bubbles on it. Now I read that the first week you will get the brown stuff. to be clear It looks like cyano but brown only with bubbles like you sometimes get with the red cyano... does not look like the tough brown stuff though. on monday I will be cleaning it for the first time and will know better then.

    1. am I supposed to clean the brown stuff off completly in order to get the green hair algae?
    2. why is this stuff spreading to my Main display? I see it mostly on my glass with bubbles attached. it has ot spread to the rock or sane but I thought the whole idea is to have it grow in the ATS and it would outcompete the main display.

    any and all thought would be appreciated... thanks in advance.
    Mondays has become a highly anticipated day, as that is the day that I scrub my turf

  2. #2
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    Re: need some advice... new to ATS

    It's not "spreading". Give it a few cleanings and then post pics.

  3. #3

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    Re: need some advice... new to ATS

    Quote Originally Posted by SantaMonica
    It's not "spreading". Give it a few cleanings and then post pics.

    Thank you SantaMonica for your imput...However, so far it sure looks just like the stuff growing on the ATS and I did not get this before implementing the ATS... its just my observation so far.

    How about some idea on question #1 above... anyone. Thanks
    Mondays has become a highly anticipated day, as that is the day that I scrub my turf

  4. #4
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    Re: need some advice... new to ATS

    Yes clean it off.

  5. #5

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    Re: need some advice... new to ATS

    Quote Originally Posted by SantaMonica
    Yes clean it off.

    thanks but I guess I wasn't clear in my responce... what I meant was how much to clean??? scrape off all or leave some. I did see one of your other posts that sais the first week is a light cleaning shich is what I did and then rinced it with fresh water.

    hey when can I expect the rgeen stuff? just wondering? thanks again santamonica.
    Mondays has become a highly anticipated day, as that is the day that I scrub my turf

  6. #6

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    Re: need some advice... new to ATS

    I'm still struggling to get my ATS going... I'm 1.5 weeks into it and do see a small amount of something on the screening... However, it continues to be brown... I think I'm doing something wrong... I've read so many posts here the my head is starting to spin...lol. anyway. I have seen Santamonica post that flow should be at 35 GPH per liniar inch of screen width. However how do you determine this? I don't own a flow meter and the problem for me is that My pump is doing double duty and I have it tee'd off to handle my tank and scrubber. My question is if you have lower flow what wouyld happen? would you expierience what I am? brown algae ect? and for that matter what is too much flow for the ATS? everything that I have read that santamonicas resurch states makes total sence to me and I really would like to get the ATS working where its growing the green stuff. any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks
    Mondays has become a highly anticipated day, as that is the day that I scrub my turf

  7. #7
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    Re: need some advice... new to ATS

    I would not bother until 1,5 month (and not weeks). You can measure flow using bucket with known volume + stopwach+ calculator. There is no more precise device for free :lol:

  8. #8
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    Re: need some advice... new to ATS

    Brown is mostly from weak lights.

  9. #9

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    Re: need some advice... new to ATS

    First, Thank you soooo much for all the advice...

    what I have is (2) 36 watt CF bulbs...which are 6500k pink spectrum grow lights. one on each side of a ATS. The bulbs are 15" long and I have reflectors behind them which sould be focsing the light on the 8" hight. The bulb are 2" from the center of the screening as well. the effective (area that should grow algae) area of the screen is 13.5" long x 8" High. which for a double sided screen should be enough to scrub upto 108 gallons... 13.5 x 8 = 108. My tank is 115 gallon custom so the scrubber will be overworked slightly or underdesigned slightly (depending on how you look at it). The more the scrubber becomes occupied by algae the less I intend to use skimmer, ferric oxide, carbon ect. also intend on increasing feedings slowly as needed.

    Is there a formula for how much light (wattage, spectrum, intensity ect) that you need for the scrubber? I chose CF due to space restriction in my sump area. I really don't have much room for anything else. Please let me know if you think this is sufficient or if I should be adjusting anything.

    I realize this is still early but would rather make adjustments now rather than wait 1.5 months and have to make it then and waste all of this valuble time and PO4, NO3
    Mondays has become a highly anticipated day, as that is the day that I scrub my turf

  10. #10

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    Re: need some advice... new to ATS

    Quote Originally Posted by kotlec
    I would not bother until 1,5 month (and not weeks). You can measure flow using bucket with known volume + stopwach+ calculator. There is no more precise device for free :lol:

    I'm going to do this... will report back here. I'm not smart enough to think about this on my own, so thanks
    Mondays has become a highly anticipated day, as that is the day that I scrub my turf

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