Algae Turf Scrubber (ATS) LED Cannon build - MakersLED (PICS!)

[Milad LEDGroupBuy.com]

2 weeks since my last skimmer cleaning and its about 30% full (running wet even)

[GTi]

Looks cool. I have a fuge in my sump and I am currently using one OCW and a couple of 3 up blue and white to grow Chaeto, Dragon's Breath and Gracillaria. Does the DR and RB combination work for macro algae as well as GHA? I assume so but wanted to check before ordering.

 

Will this combination also encorage GHA and red slime etc?

 

Is there a trick to getting the macros to grow without the undesirable algae? maybe if the rocks are covered with the macro the is nowhere for the GHA to start growing on?

 

Thanks!

 

[Milad LEDGroupBuy.com]

Looks cool. I have a fuge in my sump and I am currently using one OCW and a couple of 3 up blue and white to grow Chaeto, Dragon's Breath and Gracillaria. Does the DR and RB combination work for macro algae as well as GHA? I assume so but wanted to check before ordering. Will this combination also encorage GHA and red slime etc? Is there a trick to getting the macros to grow without the undesirable algae? maybe if the rocks are covered with the macro the is nowhere for the GHA to start growing on? Thanks!

Im not 100% sure of the GHA but the area of the sump this is on has only the ATS and some Macros

 

My issue currently is that the Macro has exploded and is covering the ATS

Now im cleaning the ATS every 2 weeks instead of 1 week since its growing slower because of the light being blocked by the Macro.

I may need to build a second one and somehow split up the Macro and ATS. Or maybe build a eggcrate wall

[xerophyte_nyc]

The ATS is inside an area where I have other macro and the other macro has EXPLODED.

Same thing happened to me. I had a fistful of macro that I used as the tank was cycling to help clear ammonia. They were growing under a crummy CFL bulb. After a week or so, I added a 50W LED fixture with an 8:1 ratio of 660:450 diodes along with a brand new, clean algae scrubber. The lights weren't even facing the sump directly yet the macro easily increased in size by 10x the following 2 weeks (some of the growth can be attributed to me feeding the tank and adding nutrients but I've had macro before and the growth rate was clearly accelerated).

 

And only in this past week or so has the scrubber screen been showing real green growth, while simultaneously the macro in the sump looks about the same.

 

DIY Thread Here:

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/315859-algae-scrubber/

 

 

[GTi]

Im not 100% sure of the GHA but the area of the sump this is on has only the ATS and some Macros

 

My issue currently is that the Macro has exploded and is covering the ATS

Now im cleaning the ATS every 2 weeks instead of 1 week since its growing slower because of the light being blocked by the Macro.

I may need to build a second one and somehow split up the Macro and ATS. Or maybe build a eggcrate wall

Same thing happened to me. I had a fistful of macro that I used as the tank was cycling to help clear ammonia. They were growing under a crummy CFL bulb. After a week or so, I added a 50W LED fixture with an 8:1 ratio of 660:450 diodes along with a brand new, clean algae scrubber. The lights weren't even facing the sump directly yet the macro easily increased in size by 10x the following 2 weeks (some of the growth can be attributed to me feeding the tank and adding nutrients but I've had macro before and the growth rate was clearly accelerated).

 

And only in this past week or so has the scrubber screen been showing real green growth, while simultaneously the macro in the sump looks about the same.

 

DIY Thread Here:

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/315859-algae-scrubber/'>http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/315859-algae-scrubber/

 

 

 

Thanks Guys. Sounds like the colour combo definitely works for macros as well ATS. Maybe I will need to make sure I have enough macro to shade the rock in my fuge to make sure I don't end upgrowing GHA instead!

 

[jedimasterben]

My fuge light:

 

That's 28x deep red and 6x royal blue. Overkill? Mebbeh.

 

My scrubber right now has one 3700k CFL (I think it's 60w actual) and 4x deep red, 4x royal blue, 4x true violet, and 2x 5000k white LEDs on it. I've got some of the solderless LEDs from LEDGroupBuy on the way (look out for a full review once they get here!) and another Makers heatsink to change out that CFL and make my system 100% LED again.

[Milad LEDGroupBuy.com]

Same thing happened to me. I had a fistful of macro that I used as the tank was cycling to help clear ammonia. They were growing under a crummy CFL bulb. After a week or so, I added a 50W LED fixture with an 8:1 ratio of 660:450 diodes along with a brand new, clean algae scrubber. The lights weren't even facing the sump directly yet the macro easily increased in size by 10x the following 2 weeks (some of the growth can be attributed to me feeding the tank and adding nutrients but I've had macro before and the growth rate was clearly accelerated).

 

And only in this past week or so has the scrubber screen been showing real green growth, while simultaneously the macro in the sump looks about the same.

 

DIY Thread Here:

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/315859-algae-scrubber/

 

 

#FirstWorldLEDproblems I guess

 

Funny thing is I dont even feed much. 500g system and i feed maybe once a day if I get around to it.

[ModAquatics]

Pretty cool, I will put together a fuge light today with a 660nm and royal blue mix. Although I currently use cool white and get good growth I am interested to see how this mix works. I know it works great for higher plants (pot growers use this all the time).

[jedimasterben]

An update to my 4.66:1 deep red to royal blue fuge light:

 

I trimmed chaeto and gracilaria a few weeks ago to take up roughly half of my 40B fuge - and now it has already grown back to where it was. I have never had growth like this before, even with the scrubber running at full-force.

 

Also, on the scrubber, last night I cleaned out a week and a half worth of growth - with the water squeezed out of it, I had two measuring cups of thick, green algae.

[Milad LEDGroupBuy.com]

An update to my 4.66:1 deep red to royal blue fuge light:

 

I trimmed chaeto and gracilaria a few weeks ago to take up roughly half of my 40B fuge - and now it has already grown back to where it was. I have never had growth like this before, even with the scrubber running at full-force.

 

Also, on the scrubber, last night I cleaned out a week and a half worth of growth - with the water squeezed out of it, I had two measuring cups of thick, green algae.

Jealous

 

I still haven't came up with a plan for my setup. The macro has taken over the algae scrubber and the scrubber isnt getting any light.

Im thinking maybe using some mesh to split the sump up for the turf scruber and a section for the macro. how do you have yours split?

[Sailfish]

Wow, this seems to be a great option for my future sump!
My next setup has only room for a tall cube sump and I have been wondering how to incorporate a refugium chamber in it. The sump will measure 11.4"x11.4"x13.8". An ATS will take up very little ground area and can utilize the height of the sump/refugium, genious!

[jedimasterben]

Jealous

 

I still haven't came up with a plan for my setup. The macro has taken over the algae scrubber and the scrubber isnt getting any light.

Im thinking maybe using some mesh to split the sump up for the turf scruber and a section for the macro. how do you have yours split?

My scrubber is a waterfall-style scrubber, so it's actually outside of the tank where the macros can't get to. The mesh is a good idea, though - just get some cross-stitch mesh from walmart or a hobby store (will be with the sewing stuff) and you can section it off.

[Veng]

 

Ive installed one on a 14g biocube middle chamber.... is your tank larger?!

 

Basically used 4 660nm Deep Red, 1 450nm Royal and a 12V 500mA power supply to run them all.

 

It was a 10G when I wrote this. It's now a 20L with a custom DIY acrylic sump. I added a upflow AS about a week ago, but haven't seen much growth on it under the CFL. Maybe I'll put something like this together to replace the CFL with. On the other hand, the cheato has been exploding.

[stefalopod]

I built a 6" by 4" turf scrubber in 2008, and got lots of thick harry growth running CFLs. I didn't have any macro in the sump that the TS drained into, and didn't really get any algae growth there.

 

I pretty much liked it but I had to tear it down one day because my LFS called me, knowing that I had the TS and asked if they could have it to feed a sea hare that was special ordered but hadn't picked it up. I couldn't take the screen out without tearing down the TS because of splashing, but it seemed worth it. I got the turf screen back three or four days later shiny and clean and never got around to installing it again.

 

I wonder if anyone has ever nodded the overflow on a cube to grow turf?

 

(edited to correct wrong their to there.)

 

I wonder if anyone has ever nodded the overflow on a cube to grow turf?

 

(edited to correct wrong their to there.)

 

Answered my own question. Here is an awesome turf scrubber mod: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/299435-diy-internal-algae-turf-scrubber-for-biocube-29/