ATS too big?

[Waterjockey]

So I am thinking of building a diy waterfall algae scrubber for interest/learning sake (I have 95% of the parts kicking around)....and maybe help cut back on my carbon dosing. I've done a lot of reading and as I understand it, current thinking is sizing for amount of feeding....what I haven't been able to find, is what happens if you build it too big? Say I do my initial build at 3x the size recomended? Will it fail to work in some fashion?
Also, if I am unable to maintain the scrubber for 3 or 4 weeks at a time occasionally, can I put it in "vacation mode" (i.e., just run the lights a few hours a day to keep the algae alive, but not growing excessively)? Or would you just shut it down and start over when you are able to maintain it again?

Thanks!

 

[Cory]

In my experience the bigger the better with an ats. I get lazy with mine then it starts to decay from overgrowth. You need to clean it every 7-12 days. Otherwise it rots. Buikding it bigger kinda gives it more time and space.

You could put it in vacation mode, but it might not romove po4/no3 as good.

 

[Waterjockey]

Thanks! I'll build it big for starters then...and I'll have ample room for my slow restocking.