PringlesLFE
Mmm...Salty.
Ladies and gentlemen....I present to you...in my 3 years of reefing...my first ever successful DIY project lol.
Thanks to the support and suggestions of LivingReef members, I went ahead and researched further into Algae Scrubbers. Much of this information was obtained from all the stuff Santa Monica has put up on the web.:Cheers:
Random: I really miss my algae blenny....gave him away when I downsized :grumble:
I lost my camera so ended up using my blackberry...bare with me lol
-Up and running on top of the Emperor. THIS DESIGN IS MEANT TO HOUSE THE PUMP INSIDE YOUR DISPLAY TANK. (Not that difficult to hide with rocks actually) It's not ideal by any means but if you don't have the money or time for a sump right now...this is the perfect alternative.
-Inside of the acrylic box I built to fit snugly on inner lip of the Emperor. Covered all sides with 3m "Metal repair tape" from HD which makes a great reflective surface. I forget exactly what bulbs I used but I know that I followed Santa Monica's ATS guide/FAQ to a dime. Especially considering I'm not putting lights on both sides (no room)
-The light is just a ballast I cut out of a FW fluorescent fixture.
-Side view including the Emperor. (The slot is for easy access for the spraybar/algae sheet)
-Front view
-The plastic canvas ziptied on either end to the spraybar. Initially I bought a cheapo $20 Petco pump just to make sure my design worked...and it worked great...the algae buildup you see here is literally from 3-5 days. Then the crap pump died on me...and I had to wait until my Quiet One 2200 came in.
-I don't suggest using a pump as powerful as the Quiet One 2200 for my particular setup because it's beyond overkill and just destroying my electric bill...but this is temporary until the summer when I move to a new place for my last year of college and have the space/time to build a proper sump.
-the Quiet One 2200 has a 1'' diamter on both intake and output so I used a 1''x3/4'' adapter for the output (feeding to my ATS)
-Just used a 3/4'' pvc cut to connect the intake to a 90degree elbow.
-Intake/surface skimmer pvc
-Setup (it's not as crooked as it looks..just took a quick pic before adjusting)
-Note: the plastic canvas is submerged in the water of the Emperor..it just looks like it's hanging over.
I'm glad I finally finished this project...even if it's only gonna be up this way for a few months. I know that ATS are only recently gaining popularity and therefore...it was impossible for me to find examples online. The purpose of this project is for people that don't have the option of a sump to still be able to utilize the benefits of an ATS. Finally, there is an example of an ATS that is attatched to a HOB filter. Good luck for all those that give this a shot. Feel free to contact me via PM or email if anyone needs some advice.
-My one biggest complaint aside from having to get used to the rattle and noise from the pump..is that the ATS lights are flooding right into my tank and I still can't figure out how to block the light from covering the back half of my tank. The purpose of an ATS is to control the location in which algae grows so that you can reap benefits of a natural filter system without suffocating your display tank.
-Anyone have suggestions on how I can block the light from entering the tank without blocking the flow of the scrubber and emperor?
Hope this helps! (I know it will lol because in my research, I find myself pulling up forum articles from as far back as 2004)--You guys know how that is lol.
Thanks to the support and suggestions of LivingReef members, I went ahead and researched further into Algae Scrubbers. Much of this information was obtained from all the stuff Santa Monica has put up on the web.:Cheers:
Random: I really miss my algae blenny....gave him away when I downsized :grumble:
I lost my camera so ended up using my blackberry...bare with me lol
-Up and running on top of the Emperor. THIS DESIGN IS MEANT TO HOUSE THE PUMP INSIDE YOUR DISPLAY TANK. (Not that difficult to hide with rocks actually) It's not ideal by any means but if you don't have the money or time for a sump right now...this is the perfect alternative.
-Inside of the acrylic box I built to fit snugly on inner lip of the Emperor. Covered all sides with 3m "Metal repair tape" from HD which makes a great reflective surface. I forget exactly what bulbs I used but I know that I followed Santa Monica's ATS guide/FAQ to a dime. Especially considering I'm not putting lights on both sides (no room)
-The light is just a ballast I cut out of a FW fluorescent fixture.
-Side view including the Emperor. (The slot is for easy access for the spraybar/algae sheet)
-Front view
-The plastic canvas ziptied on either end to the spraybar. Initially I bought a cheapo $20 Petco pump just to make sure my design worked...and it worked great...the algae buildup you see here is literally from 3-5 days. Then the crap pump died on me...and I had to wait until my Quiet One 2200 came in.
-I don't suggest using a pump as powerful as the Quiet One 2200 for my particular setup because it's beyond overkill and just destroying my electric bill...but this is temporary until the summer when I move to a new place for my last year of college and have the space/time to build a proper sump.
-the Quiet One 2200 has a 1'' diamter on both intake and output so I used a 1''x3/4'' adapter for the output (feeding to my ATS)
-Just used a 3/4'' pvc cut to connect the intake to a 90degree elbow.
-Intake/surface skimmer pvc
-Setup (it's not as crooked as it looks..just took a quick pic before adjusting)
-Note: the plastic canvas is submerged in the water of the Emperor..it just looks like it's hanging over.
I'm glad I finally finished this project...even if it's only gonna be up this way for a few months. I know that ATS are only recently gaining popularity and therefore...it was impossible for me to find examples online. The purpose of this project is for people that don't have the option of a sump to still be able to utilize the benefits of an ATS. Finally, there is an example of an ATS that is attatched to a HOB filter. Good luck for all those that give this a shot. Feel free to contact me via PM or email if anyone needs some advice.
-My one biggest complaint aside from having to get used to the rattle and noise from the pump..is that the ATS lights are flooding right into my tank and I still can't figure out how to block the light from covering the back half of my tank. The purpose of an ATS is to control the location in which algae grows so that you can reap benefits of a natural filter system without suffocating your display tank.
-Anyone have suggestions on how I can block the light from entering the tank without blocking the flow of the scrubber and emperor?
Hope this helps! (I know it will lol because in my research, I find myself pulling up forum articles from as far back as 2004)--You guys know how that is lol.
