ATS and Macroalgae

[Bridgeport]

Just wondering if its possible for macroalgae and an ATS to survive in the same system, such as a separate refugium.
One of the reasons I'd like to do this is I miss having the larger pods for my fish and anemones.
Also I like growing it. I know the they be competing for the same food.
Would this help to speed up the process of getting rid of hair algae?

[SantaMonica]

If you run your scrubber correctly, the macro will die. The scrubber will get rid of the nuisance algae, however.

You can always reduce the hours of the lighting on the scrubber, but that will not remove as much nuisance algae. A better solution is to remove all of the macro, and use rock rubble instead. This still gives lots of space for the pods to grow, while allowing your scrubber to work full power.

[Bridgeport]

Thanks for the reply SM.

[TankTinkerer]

My newly installed ATS has about an inch to 1.5 inches of water in the bottom of the plastic bucket (trashcan) below the bottom of the outlet bulkhead, because I didn't drop the screen down low enough before I glued it into the upper tube. It was partially by design.

Basically I wanted something more sturdy than the flimsy plastic canvas I found at the Michael's Arts & Craft Store, so I bought two pieces of plastic canvas and super glued one piece of plastic canvas to each side of some eggcrate from an old Wet-Dry filter. This made the screen about 1/4 inch thick with the screens. I cut the hole in the pipe so the eggcrate ONLY would slide into the pipe and so the top edge of the plastic canvas touches the bottom of the outside of the pipe, making the top portion of the screen about 1/8 inch wide. After I cut the hole in the 1 inch PVC, I placed glue on the bottom of the pipe (now the top of the pipe) on the opposite of the hole and slid the screen down into the pipe and let the glue dry for a day or two. After the glue dried, I flipped the screen 180 degrees (pipe up, screen down) and the pipe rests on the top edge of the trashcan. Because of the length of the canvas and the trashcan I was using, the screen doesn't touch the bottom, so I drilled the outlet hole about 1.5 inches from the bottom.

Everyone keeps talking about growing copepods. If you design your ATS so that the screen touches the bottom of the bucket/box and there is only about 1/8th of an inch of water or less in the bottom, where do the pods live and congregate?

Will having 1 to 1.5 inches of water standing in the bottom of the bucket cause problems later on down the road?

[SantaMonica]

super glued one piece of plastic canvas to each side of some eggcrate

You don't want to have anything between the layers. Actually a single layer is best.

I placed glue on the bottom of the pipe (now the top of the pipe) on the opposite of the hole and slid the screen down into the pipe and let the glue dry for a day or two.

You can't glue the screen to the pipe. You have to remove it for cleaning.

If you design your ATS so that the screen touches the bottom of the bucket/box and there is only about 1/8th of an inch of water or less in the bottom, where do the pods live and congregate?

On the algae on the screen.

Will having 1 to 1.5 inches of water standing in the bottom of the bucket cause problems later on down the road?

No. Just clean out the bottom when it gets built up.

[chrissu]

If you run your scrubber correctly, the macro will die. The scrubber will get rid of the nuisance algae, however.

You can always reduce the hours of the lighting on the scrubber, but that will not remove as much nuisance algae. A better solution is to remove all of the macro, and use rock rubble instead. This still gives lots of space for the pods to grow, while allowing your scrubber to work full power.

Hello SM, You mentioned using rock rubble. For a refugium/sump they don't have to look pretty so would you recommend cheap rock rubble from a place they sells rock for landscaping (like home depot) or spend the cash to buy large sized display rock from an LFS?

[SantaMonica]

I've never done it, but I think the idea is to use small pieces like pebbles or smaller; not big pieces. Of course I'm sure you'd want it to be cured, or else you might get nutrients.

[chrissu]

OK, thanks. I'll let you know how it turns out.