Ok, it's been a while since my last post so first a few weekly cleaning shots:
12/29/2010
1/6/11
1/13/11
On Saturday 1/15 I replaced the ATS box with the new design. Here's a set of pics after I assembled the new unit:
And here it is, installed and running
And the screen in the box (with the reflectors turned)
The bottom 2" of the screen is completely submerged all the time in this design. I had to trim a strip about 1/4" wide and 2" long off each lower corner of the screen to allow for the drain pipes in the box. When I replace the slot pipe, I will decrease the width of the screen and increase the size of the return pump tubing and this should result in better GPH/Inch flow.
There were only a few flub-ups with the design. The screen box is removable, but I had to flip the drain on one side so that the shorter side is down because the box is tight to the cabinet top with you lift it out. Also, I forgot about the pipe sitting on top of the box, so that has to be removed before you can get the box out, which means I have to remove the zip-ties and take the pipe out before a cleaning. Oops. I can get the box back in with the screen attached to the pipe as long as I hold the pipe off to the side with the screen hanging in the box. I may be able to correct this by removing the piece of acrylic on the end, but then I would have to install some kind of support piece between the front and back of the frame. I might do that anyways.
One thing I noticed is that the inner box bows outward in the middle already. It doesn't affect anything, but I just found it interesting. It might have been that way before installing, but I don't think so, the moisture and heat from the light is making it bow I'm thinking. I might install a top cover piece or something, but we'll see.
Since I had to re-assemble the whole thing, I used new end caps and siliconed the bottom of each (where the wires are inserted), cleaned up the wiring (the last pic before install shows 4 wireway loops), and replaced the 3-month-old lamps, per the new standard.
So, I went to check on it on Sunday (1 day later) and already saw some 3D growth in the submerged section.
I took the following pic today, 3 days after installation:
1/18/11
It's a little hard to see, but the entire bottom 2" that is submerged has filled out with 3D growth, the left side a little more than the right. Also, the center of the screen has 3D growth all the way up to the slot pipe.
The owner mentioned this morning that he noticed all of the corals have opened up much more just in the one day (Monday) that he looked at it since installation of the new box.
It's a little early to tell, but I would have to say that this style of design is hands-down the way to go. There are definitely major advantages to an enclosed-box design, the main one being better growth with 3D, and it keeps entire systems cleaner (no worries about spray, spray blockers, salt creep, corrosion), and the screen box can be cleaned more easily. I should have taken a picture of the old box after I took it out, it was caked with coraline and other algae, I had to scrub it hard with a toothbrush to get all the gunk off to keep it from smelling up the house as it dried up. There was no way to clean that out each time I cleaned the screen, I tried to wipe it out with a rag but there was always pieces that broke away and got into the sump.
I can definitely see why the SM100 design is made the way it is. If anyone is weighing the costs of a DIY version of the SM100, I would strongly consider just getting his because now I can see why it works so well.
I haven't cleaned the sump in about 2 months, there is algae growth down there, a couple patches of cyanobacteria actually, and some other fuzzies, but the gunk level is down quite a bit since I removed the foam over the pump intake. I will likely siphon out the sump when I replace the return pump tubing.
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