Algae Turf Scrubber..

[Crystal03JC]

My husband and I have been using this DIY ATS on our 200g for about 7 months now. At around 8-9wks we started seeing algae growth on the screen and at around the 3-4mo mark we had no algae in our tank at all. We had a pretty bad algae outbreak for months which is why we installed this. Just recently we noticed a couple small areas with some turf algae growth. We are getting new bulbs this weekend and to probably feed less. Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else before. Our tank has been clear from turf algae & hair algae but all of the sudden.. new growth? Any insight is appreciated, thanks!

Our ATS

Our 200g

 

[brandon429]

sure this is very easy to diagnose, great tank setup by the way. You must either manually remove it, get an urchin, or something that will graze it. whether or not any known system can keep a dt 100% free of algae doesn't remark on the overall quality of that system, its if a work load is reduced and a liking is increased that qualifies algae system X whatever that may be. it is unnatural to have rocks and corals free of algae, even if your DT formerly went clean, in nature they are mixed and grazers are nipping in between, that's called for here. change nothing about the curr setup, and simply exclude that turf. id peroxide burn it, others would urchin or tang it

 

[Crystal03JC]

Thank you! We do have an urchin but he doesn't care for green algae. We have 4 tangs but not sure if they will eat it. Hopefully feeding less and changing the bulbs helps. Just wasn't sure if anyone else had a problem where it grew back. Our tank was covered in it before and gosh we dread it if it all grew back. Have had amazing success with the ATS thus far, just odd that we have green algae again.

 

[tankstudy]

Have you harvested the turf algae?

 

[Crystal03JC]

We clean our screen every week if that's what you mean.

 

[brandon429]

also at any point how about just lift out the rock and peroxide burn it off outside the tank, harmless cheat. if its your bottom most rock I can see why not lol but any accessible rock is an easy cheat burn then its gone in about 7 days after an external treat. by acting independent of the functioning ats, you still get the benefit of 100% free dt and only 4% work to attain it. the grazers w go mad for it after the burn and the cells are loosed

at times in my tanks I lifted out rocks and literally used a grill lighter to burn off algae, then that rock went algae free and I still felt ok heh

 

[Crystal03JC]

Removing rock isn't an option lol our whole structure would fall Hoping we don't start growing it everywhere. Fingers crossed that replacing the bulbs and feeding less helps! If you only knew how frustrated we were with our tank before this ATS lol

 

[brandon429]

they are a valid system thousands like to use, and plant arrangements will have a permanent place in reefkeeping the combinations will never end regarding plants. if it ever creeps to a new rock though, an hours job is required as some posts show ATS not working 100% all the time, most algae systems wont work all the time and neither do our peroxide runs, these are just a mix of pros and cons and we select what we want to run.

if you ever had to lift your rocks out one by one to access it you wouldn't even have to keep them in water, they could sit on a towel on a counter for 15 mins while you get to the lower ones and then put them all back in without a cycle. if longer, simply mist them w saltwater. this is only if you actually see it spreading, at some point we must manage the dt its rare that any algae control system works 100% alone, that's too unnatural regarding the ability for brush algae to trap its own feed as we allow it to stay (detritus)

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Why do you harvest the algae. just curious. wouldnt more algae left on the scrubber increase the overall nutrient reduction in the tank?

Love your quote btw.

(yo Brandon)

 

[brandon429]

its surface area maxing out, as you stack algae on algae it blocks light to potentially growing algae. your major reduction isn't a mass of algae, its a removed space that is literally adding plant mass back, to go from bare--> green is way more reduction than a full mat getting a little fuller.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

its surface area maxing out, as you stack algae on algae it blocks light to potentially growing algae. your major reduction isn't a mass of algae, its a removed space that is literally adding plant mass back, to go from bare--> green is way more reduction than a full mat getting a little fuller.

Got it.
SO Increase growth by adding a better(different spectrum) light (not change to same), and harvest more weekly. Looks like theres 2 fixtures? try a different bulb. in the other one. Warm white /cool white combo.
Thats what the orchid society recommended to the mrs.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Oh, as a bulb ages it turns yellow orange red. Its actually better for the plants. It does lose some intensity. Its why reefers change the bulbs and theres little of those colors in reef bulbs.

 

[tankstudy]

The only thing I can assume is that when you clean the mat, the absorption rate of Nitrates and Phosphates will vary afterwards. If you don't have anything left on the mat because its too clean, there isn't enough turf algae to uptake your normal N and P as it regrows, meaning what is excess at that time, will be available for other turf algae elsewhere until your mat recovers.

However, even if your mat recovers, you now have a growing nuisance in your tank =d.

Reducing what you feed is definitely one way to reduce the excess nutrients in the system, its just that your inhabitants might not dig the part of no more breakfast or just half a sandwich for lunch =d. I can tell you right now, I'd riot pretty quickly as your inhabitant, I'd eat your corals, squishies, pretzels and all! =d

I think I would just add another mat. Instead of having that turf grow on your rocks, grow that excess turf algae to a second mat. That way when you clean 2 mats, you actually will have enough remaining turf between the two mats to keep up with the N and P as they grow. This way you don't have to starve me =d. This is what I would do based on the information you've currently provided.

I might do different things if I knew a lot more or could tinker/test with your tank.

 

[johne3]

My girlfriend & I built an in tank algae scrubber for our 55g and will be experimenting with a couple of Phillips HUE Bulbs set in the cloud on a time schedule set with different spectrums .... But I noticed something odd today when I turned on the temporary bulb....

 

[timkenagy]

I'm currently in process of making some big changes to mine, the old one I built worked magic but I'm re building and hoping for even better.

I just finished plumbing on it today and have a couple things to finish up before it goes back live this weekend.

The bulbs I had been using was the CFL melev has used for years over his fuge. But after a conversation with him he has me interested in trying these new Cree bulbs.

I'm gonna try each flavor over the different screens and see what results the give.