Acroholic's Algae Turf Filter Build

[acroholic]

toeside;474445 wrote: I never that knew sunlight is 5500K... good to know. Yeah, read some more tonight, and the same guy is actually using 5100K CF floods in his own setup.

I'm not really using the 6700K PC light out of choice. I had it lying around. I think his setup is more of a home depot light system. Nothing wrong with that.

Algae are just like regular FW aquatic plants in that they need three things to grow: Light, CO2, and micro/macro elements in proper proportions. More light doesn't necessarily mean more growth if there is not adequate CO2 or Micro/macros to support the increased light level. In other words, the absence of any of the three becomes the limiting factor for growth in the plant (algae). The goal in FW planted aquaria is to balance the inputs to get the best growth possible. That is why in high tech plant tanks with halide lighting, you also need to use CO2 injection (fertilization) and supplement N-P-K or you might as well not use halide lighting.

So in an ATF, you should strive for enough light in balance with the CO2 and the micro/macros available to the algae from the tank water. Most folks will probably find a bulb that allows algae growth without trying higher/lower wattages to see if there even is a difference in growth.

The 96 watt CF Coralife fixture I am using seems to be doing OK right now, so I don't see a reason to add the other one I have. 96 watts seems strong enough, but not blasting. A decent wattage between low and high light levels.

 

[weaglereefer]

So I wonder if running CO2 for a CA reactor would help with algae growth? Surely some of the CO2 stays in the water as it's circulated through the tank.

 

[acroholic]

blu_devl_06;474057 wrote: I knew pods ate the algae, but wouldn't think they would have such an impact.....I guess maybe starting off so the algae will have a good healthy start, but later on, after the turf algae takes hold? You don't scrape th turf off, you just trim it a little right?

You do scrape the turf off, but there is enough residue in the nooks and crannies of the mat that it grows back. Scraping it off is how the NO3 and P is exported.

The posts that show people scraping off their ATF mats shows a pretty thorough scraping, and the stuff always grows back.

 

[acroholic]

au01st;474474 wrote: So I wonder if running CO2 for a CA reactor would help with algae growth? Surely some of the CO2 stays in the water as it's circulated through the tank.

There's always going to be some CO2 in the water (form of carbonic acid, at least in FW-don't know about saltwater). I'm sure the CO2 in a CR helps somewhat.

Really, outside of the position of the mats and the amount of flow over the mats, the only thing really left up to the reefer is what kind of light they will use.

After the ATF is going a while longer, I may double the wattage and see if that does anything for the algae growth. I think the faster the algae grows, the more nutrient export there will be.

 

[jbadd99]

How's this coming these days Dave?

 

[ksauerb322]

How is this working for you Dave? I am tempted to pick up some mesh, and plumb in a setup off my return to the sump (a horizonal setup 14x10), with my return water flowing over a cutting board(mesh will be on top), back into the sump ,with a grow light 24/7. Any suggestions/input would be appreciated

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Thanks,
Kurt

 

[acroholic]

ksauerb322;489995 wrote: How is this working for you Dave? I am tempted to pick up some mesh, and plumb in a setup off my return to the sump (a horizonal setup 14x10), with my return water flowing over a cutting board(mesh will be on top), back into the sump ,with a grow light 24/7. Any suggestions/input would be appreciated

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Thanks,
Kurt

Hi Kurt,
Sorry, I just now saw this post of yours. Otherwise I would have responded earlier. I don't see why this would not work, but I have just redone my lighting setup because although I have had good brown colonization of my algae mats, I have yet to see any green hair algae succession. And from reading the other ATS threads on other websites, I think this should have happened by now.

I am changing the algae mats orientation from an angled on glass setup to a hanging type, and also replacing the single 96 watt PC light with the 23 watt 2700K CF spotlights from Home Depot and Lowes

So in the next post I will document what I did to basically mimic other scrubbers lighting setups, and how this has also doubled the surface area that can now grow algae on the mats.

If you want to try an angled type ATF mat, Kurt, I would look at using a clamp lamp fixture ($6.49) and a 23 watt 2700K CF spotlight ($9.99) from Home Depot. These bulbs are compact flourescent, but are encased in a glass shield, and screw into a standard light bulb socket. Pics in my next post.
Dave

 

[ksauerb322]

thanks Dave,

I actually started mine on the 31st, and heres what I have

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I used 2 clip on lights from Lowes, and running them 4 inches above 2 mats. I'm trying out a daylight 6500k on one side, and a 2700k in the light closest to the camera (just trying to figure out which will work the best) and it looks like I'm getting more growth with the 2700k but not by much.

My first cleaning will be this upcoming wednesday, nothing green yet just this brownish/yellow growth.

 

[toeside]

ksauerb322;489995 wrote: ...with a grow light 24/7...

I think you want some dark time, like 18 on, 6 off.

 

[acroholic]

The 2700 K is recommended most often, I assume the PAR is better. Also, as toeside said, you want to do 18 on, 6 off for a photoperiod. What I do is have the lights come on when my display lights go off, in RDP type setup.

ksauerb322;491782 wrote: thanks Dave,

I actually started mine on the 31st, and heres what I have

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I used 2 clip on lights from Lowes, and running them 4 inches above 2 mats. I'm trying out a daylight 6500k on one side, and a 2700k in the light closest to the camera (just trying to figure out which will work the best) and it looks like I'm getting more growth with the 2700k but not by much.

My first cleaning will be this upcoming wednesday, nothing green yet just this brownish/yellow growth.

 

[down and outman]

Been battling cyano and algae since moving the tank. Read up on ATS and decided to give it a shot. I like the idea that it will deal with the biggest problems, N & P, while letting food and nutrients be available for the corals and fish. I didn't want to have a 5 gal bucket in my family room or another pump and plumbing, so I ran it off the return in the sump. Took a dremel to it to cut out the slot, and sanded down the end to fit the P-Trap on it. I put a P-Trap on the end in case it plugs up. It will overflow into the sump. Starting to get some algae growing on it.

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Algae starting to grow!!!

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Looking forward to going au natural. Once I get the first scrubber going I can add a second. the pods will just have to deal with the pump to go to the tank. I'm planning on a seahorse tank for my daughter as well. If this works I will set up one for her tank to feed the horseys pods.

 

[morganatlanta]

I didn't see this thread until just now, but I've got a similar setup just starting. I got the plastic canvas mat from Michaels today and roughed them up with a hole saw. The plumbing is done and I've got a 24" T5-HO 48 watt light coming early next week. My sump is a 20H. I've got my mat hanging the long way across, so it's around 20" long. I've got it hanging down to the water level (around 8") so that the water runs smoothly in with very little noise. Not as pretty as Dave's, but I hope the algae won't care. We'll see how it goes...

 

[down and outman]

Algae is growing good now. I can see a reduction in cyano in my tank already. I hope it's not wishfull thinking. My overflow P-trap worked good. I opened it up and jiggled the mat to restore flow thru it. Incidentally, I broke one of the daylight bulbs when I first set it up, so I grabbed a different CF bulb out of a lamp. I can see the difference in algae growth. I'll have to get another one soon. This is about the cheapest and easiest way to deal with nutrients I have ever seen, and it actually works! Rock On! I'm stoked! Thanks Acro for the thread. I heard about it, but you got me to get off my duff and got it done. I may eventually change it to it's own pump system, but for now it works.

 

[acroholic]

I wanted to post to kind of wrap this thread up, although please continue to post in it.

I took my ATF down and have returned to a traditional cheato type refugium. The ATF worked. I got the green hair algae coverage on the mats that I wanted, but I saw one of the effects that an ATF can have: decreased water clarity. It wasn't bad, as I was running carbon as well. But from a distance I could see that the waster wasn't as clear as I like it.

One of the reasons I tried an ATF was that I could not get cheato to grow, and I had always thought it was because I had too low a nutrient level, but I realize now that it was the light I was using. I initially used 6700K Coralife plant fixtures I had left over from my planted tank days, but after switching to the 2700K cheapo CF bulbs and having the algae on the ATF take off, I tried it on some cheato and the cheato just grew really well. I have already harvested a lot and need to harvest more.

I switched the ATF tank to a standard bare bottom cheato refugium with a single 2700K CF bulb and noticed the water clarity had improved immensly. I may set an ATF up again, and I believe they work, but the clarity issue and learning that the cheato will grow with the proper bulb got me back to a cheato macro refugium setup. I had always wondered why I couldn't grow cheato...nice to finally know the answer.

 

[down and outman]

I took mine down as well. It grew well enough, but it spread the hair algae all over my sump and started in my tank. Def needs it's own tank to operate in. At least it was cheap. It was a fun build, so I don't feel bad at all.

 

[morganatlanta]

Mine is going. Green hair algae is starting to grow. I'm still waiting for turf algae to show up, but I've heard that takes months. 2x 54W T5 HO Grow bulbs on an 19/5 on/off cycle seem to be doing the job. So far, not much algae in the sump, but we'll see over time. I could always put some snails down there. I think using the T5s helps direct the light onto the screen and limits the light shining into the sump. Nitrates and Phosphates are both non-detect (as best I can tell on my API test kit).

 

[acroholic]

MorganAtlanta;523504 wrote: Mine is going. Green hair algae is starting to grow. I'm still waiting for turf algae to show up, but I've heard that takes months. 2x 54W T5 HO Grow bulbs on an 19/5 on/off cycle seem to be doing the job. So far, not much algae in the sump, but we'll see over time. I could always put some snails down there. I think using the T5s helps direct the light onto the screen and limits the light shining into the sump. Nitrates and Phosphates are both non-detect (as best I can tell on my API test kit).

I used CF plant bulbs initially, but got the best growth with one of those cheapo 23 watt 2700K Home Depot screw in spotlight bulbs in a clamp lamp setup. The CFs I used were plant bulbs even.

 

[schwaggs]

Acroholic;518859 wrote: ...I could not get cheato to grow, and I had always thought it was because I had too low a nutrient level, but I realize now that it was the light I was using. I initially used 6700K Coralife plant fixtures I had left over from my planted tank days, but after switching to the 2700K cheapo CF bulbs and having the algae on the ATF take off, I tried it on some cheato and the cheato just grew really well. I have already harvested a lot and need to harvest more.

I recently discovered the same thing with my refugium. I was using 2 54W 10k bulbs for the last year or so and was having trouble growing any type of desirable macro algae. I could grow Coraline on the glass and hair algae and film algae everywhere else while my 3 types of macro algae tried to compete with the other "weeds". A couple months ago, I swapped out my 18 month old 10K bulbs with Aqua Medic Plant Grow 6,500K T5 HO 54W bulbs and WOW! The Macro algae has taken off! It has out competed all the weeds and all that is left is a forest of cheato, grape caulerpa and another unidentified caulerpa.

My point is that light specturm makes a difference when growing plants!

 

[acroholic]

Schwaggs;552777 wrote: I recently discovered the same thing with my refugium. I was using 2 54W 10k bulbs for the last year or so and was having trouble growing any type of desirable macro algae. I could grow Coraline on the glass and hair algae and film algae everywhere else while my 3 types of macro algae tried to compete with the other "weeds". A couple months ago, I swapped out my 18 month old 10K bulbs with Aqua Medic Plant Grow 6,500K T5 HO 54W bulbs and WOW! The Macro algae has taken off! It has out competed all the weeds and all that is left is a forest of cheato, grape caulerpa and another unidentified caulerpa.

My point is that light specturm makes a difference when growing plants!

The fact that my 6700K CF bulbs were several years old probably didn't help matters in my case, but the bulbs that really grow the cheato for me are only 2700K. I imagine it is the PAR that really helps a lot as well.

When I am done with these cheapo bulbs over my refugium, I use them as floodlights outdoors for the remainder of their lives.