The future is ATs the future is here now.

[atoll]

I built my own ATS a few months ago after having issues with a low growing Caulerpa and some GHA getting and amongst my corals. Not anymore I don't both have gone to the great algae turf garden in the sky. No more pulling my hair out (excuse the pun) and damaging some delicate SPS like Hystrix.

More and more ATS are appearing on the market with ever increasing designs ins waterfall, upflow and floating scrubbers. The principle of ATS is exceedingly simple and you can make one for very little money even the LED grow lights are inexpensive. I bought the materials along with 2x 20w LED grow lights for less than $70 and built an A5 size scrubber to filter my 350ltr heavily stocked reef tank.

The ATS screen 10 days after turning it on.

 

[brandon429]

Can you show the display algae before and after the installation of the ats

 

[atoll]

Best pic I have of the before, you will have to look closely. GHA near the top slightly over to the right with the Caulerpa just under my RBT nem over on the left. I used to try and keep it down regularly culling it rather than let it grow hence the pic.

 

[brandon429]

Nice colonies there!

 

[TheEngineer]

Thanks for sharing. ATS is certainly not new, but it seems like it is coming back into its own. I'm thinking of adding one to my tank also. I wish there was a completely silent design, my tank is 3 feet from my desk.

 

[9balliw]

I built an waterfall ats also and love it! Once a week I clean the screen and have little to no algae in the display tank. I paired the ats with miracle mud and a good skimmer and do very few water changes and my tank has never been better!!!!

 

[atoll]

Sure ATS are not new but more like algae beds than what we now call ATS. The relatively compact size is a game changer however so when I say the future and it's here now I am of course referring to the new breed os ATs like the Santa Monica and others. I grew Caulerpa in a sump 30 years ago but IMO its nowhere near as efficient as the new crop of ATS. Add to that the new breed of LED's esp in the red spectrum and you have a very efficient ATS design.
Some more shots of my tank for you.

 

[chaoticreefer]

I am assuming that you are the same Atoll over at Nano-reef in the Oxydator thread (forgive me if you are not). Are you still using an Oxydator in the same system as your ATS? If I had a guess, I would say "no, you are not", but I want to see for sure that you are not.

 

[TheEngineer]

That wasn't a dig, more an observation that a lot of things are reverting back to previous technologies. I think it's interesting.

 

[thenanoreef]

I just built mine last night. Already seeing some growth, just from over night!!!

Thenanoreef

 

[atoll]

Hi, Yes same Atoll and yes I am still using the Oxydator with my ATS. I had a tank over heating issue a few months back while away and lost some stock and Caulerpa and some GHA took off. All gone now I am happy to report.

 

[chaoticreefer]

I am curious, if you don't mind me asking, what are those round things in the lower left of this picture?

 

[atoll]

Siprorax, stintered glass bio media.

 

[atoll]

 

[chaoticreefer]

Ahh okay, they looked perfectly aligned (standing straight up) that it looked like it was a new device of some sort.

 

[atoll]

They are aligned like that to facilitate easy cleaning. I can simply lift them in the crate and dunk the whole crate of them up and down in a bucket of tank water when doing a water change. Detritus and then simply be flushed off down through the tubes into the bucket.

 

[brandon429]

I support ats as a great option to consider

It meets the most important test for any filtration claim (where many do not)---> can you run it through giant threads and have the public with all their variables still post helpful outcomes...answer for ats-yes.

But I'd add, even those shots above show macro and low/controlled algae growth but in a totally controlled manner, no short claim against the system. A plant balancing point. Kept in control like that, things are perfect and the ats is making a difference. Most tanks will respond favorably.

Those corals love the feeding support and the feed web afforded by providing pod housing, those are accurate claims for ats. The only minor digression against ats comes from those who seek out alternate methods when it didn't work for them, and the type of invader matters.


For example, I'll claim its impossible to use an ats to beat a neomeris annulata algae invasion, and that not one example exists of it on the web being done. Stout claim there, puts an army of clickers on the move. Ergo, genus matters.

Since variables range among tanks and display tank conditions, ats will not remove all algae target and even all GHA for several tanks, its important that people understand they do not have a full pass rating for algae cures. They have a rating high enough to support giant threads for algae wrecked tanks, and thats what counts. They are among the top 4 online methods used for algae control, but some pm'ers from algae challenge tanks might debate if they are number one.

Fringe tanks that have GHA unresponsive to phosphate stripping and ats arrangements have in the past been historically left out of address, advisors move on.
They apply what the books say and what the general forum postings say and still lose full tanks to invasion, so a new tenet entered which covers even their tanks (and we use it in pms here to fix unresponsive tanks):

Any algae purposefully left in your display tank vs killed day 1 when you see it may take over. Killed algae cannot take over as you strive to prevent its emergence.


One can still use ats as main filtration and adhere to that tenet, it excludes only algae not anyone's base method.

There are some kill methods that work in 100% of tanks when the intended method does not, thank goodness for outliers. But as an ongoing filtration scheme, ats are great. Y'all thought I was going to go full peroxide slant heh

Ats really are good. If someone wants to build a three inch square one ill use it in a reefbowl they always like more feeding.

 

[brandon429]

The future is whatever stops green hair algae in all tanks with full coverage for the hobby. The current is a range of 75% contenders, to be in top 4 or 5 speaks volumes in my opinion. The natural reef has some mixed algae communities in good balance, divers know. It is unnatural to be barren of plant growth agreed on that as well.

 

[atoll]

Quote "But I'd add, even those shots above show macro"
Yes, but those were taken before my ATS really kicked in and completely got rid of the troublesome GHA and macro algae. I can assure you there is neither that are visible in my tank and there hasn't been for the last few weeks. I can just see a very small patch of dead GHA (it is devoid of any green colour and almost seet hrough) hanging there. Remember my ATS has only been up and running a few short months and IMO it has had a remarkable affect on both algae decline and riddance.

 

[brandon429]

I really do believe they make a difference in a majority of tanks


Plant arrangement filtration w be permanent in our hobby in my opinion because it has more of a chance of working, controlling display tank issues, than not and because its a non harmful method to try. Some of our algaecidal methods can be dangerous and no ats will hurt a tank to try, they are demonstrated successful backbones for tank designs. There really is no reason to be gha challenged post 2015

Both the ideal prevention and kill methods are shown
Why farm it anywhere its unintended