A Algae Turf Scrubber (ATS) is easy to build and install in just about any tank. The fact is the lights we use to grow corals are not ideal for growing algae. That applies to pretty much any algae. I am not an light expert but inexpensive grow lights work much better than most of the Refugium lights selling for much more. Just type in grow lights in Amazon and you will see lots of options. https://amzn.to/2QhmUWR They have grow lights in all sorts of configurations starting a $.01. Sort by lowest to highest to find $1 ones. Just pick the style you think will work best for you. You do not need real high wastage. The ones I use are similar to this one at only $23.99 https://amzn.to/2zIOuSd
I have 4 mangrove trees growing like weeds under just one of the above lights. By lighting the areas we want to grow algae we can grow it so it can easily be harvested and keep it out of the display tank. The lights and be mounted any way convent to light the surface you want to grow algae on. In reality it will grow on any surface including the sand bed, rocks, glass or acrylic tank or sump sides and partitions. The trick is to grow it on surfaces that are easy to remove and clean. By cleaning the mesh you will be removing nutrients via algae growth. For that we do not need a complicated or expensive ATS. A simple price of needle point plastic mesh is an excellent surface for this. In can be cut with a pair of siccors or an Exacto knife as you prefer. It can be folded and just hung over the side of your sump if you want, as long as you can light it and it has water flowing over of around it. The mesh comes in a verity of sizes and is available from craft stores like Michels for less than $1.00 a sheet or from amazon. https://amzn.to/2Ud7mlf
Roughing the plastic surface helps the algae get started and does not make it any harder to clean really. You really don’t want it supper clean any way. If you clean it to well it will just take longer fo it to be covered in algae again. You can rough it up the mesh in a variety of ways. Sand it with real course sand paper or drag a course saw blade side ways across it.
To be continued...
I have 4 mangrove trees growing like weeds under just one of the above lights. By lighting the areas we want to grow algae we can grow it so it can easily be harvested and keep it out of the display tank. The lights and be mounted any way convent to light the surface you want to grow algae on. In reality it will grow on any surface including the sand bed, rocks, glass or acrylic tank or sump sides and partitions. The trick is to grow it on surfaces that are easy to remove and clean. By cleaning the mesh you will be removing nutrients via algae growth. For that we do not need a complicated or expensive ATS. A simple price of needle point plastic mesh is an excellent surface for this. In can be cut with a pair of siccors or an Exacto knife as you prefer. It can be folded and just hung over the side of your sump if you want, as long as you can light it and it has water flowing over of around it. The mesh comes in a verity of sizes and is available from craft stores like Michels for less than $1.00 a sheet or from amazon. https://amzn.to/2Ud7mlf
Roughing the plastic surface helps the algae get started and does not make it any harder to clean really. You really don’t want it supper clean any way. If you clean it to well it will just take longer fo it to be covered in algae again. You can rough it up the mesh in a variety of ways. Sand it with real course sand paper or drag a course saw blade side ways across it.
To be continued...
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