Elos 120 - ATS only

[maglofster]

Hi!

My name is Magnus and I have been hanging around here for a couple of years, not done any posting though. Been dreaming of a reeftank for a long time and in the spring of 2010 my GF and I moved to a house were I finally got to set up a tank!

I choose an Elos 120. A bit on the expensive side, but a nice design and technology proven to work very well.

So the tank was started in late May. The scape was done with dry rock sculpted with Fauna Marine reefscape foam. After a month of cycling with only water, bacteria culture and the dry rock, I added some cured rock to get all the small stuff going, thing like Copepods etc soon started showing.

Tried to post some pics, but the limit is way to small. I guess I have to upgrade to premium membership to solve that! :)

[maglofster]

Well, cant really figure out how to post images larger than 102 Kb. But here goes..

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135394&d=1294428195

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135396&d=1294428229

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135398&d=1294428231

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135399&d=1294428239

[maglofster]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135403&stc=1&d=1294428763

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135402&stc=1&d=1294428763

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135404&stc=1&d=1294428763

[maglofster]

Scape:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135405&stc=1&d=1294428925

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135406&stc=1&d=1294428937

[maglofster]

Light:
Giesemann Inifinty 2x150 MH + 2x54 T5
Giesemann Nova 1x150 MH

Circulation:
Vortech Mp40w
Korallia 4

Salt:
Korallenzucht reefers best

Dosing:
Fauna Marin Balling Light with GHL SA4 profilux 4 channel
Pohls Extra special
Pohl's Coral Vitalizer
ZEOfood 7
ZEObak
ZEOstart 3



Other:
Ozone - Aqua Medic 50 Mg (dosing about 15 Mg/h)
Redox meter - Aqua Medic
Grotech Media reactor with NP Biopellets

[maglofster]

Acropora Tricolor frag in moonlight.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135413&stc=1&d=1294433626

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=135414&d=1294433687

[pwwfish]

Hi Maglofster. WOW great pictures. You took some amazing shots. Nice aquascaping.

Congrats on the new house and your beautiful tank.

[maglofster]

Thanks! :)

[Allmost]

Nice tank :)

any pics of the filteration/sump ? what is the skimmer ?

so from the list above, you are not running Zeoliths ?

but you are dosing Zeostart3 along with Biopellets ? !!!

[maglofster]

Skimmer is the Elos skimmer included in the 120 package, Natural Skimmer 500 I think it´s called.

Haven´t got any pics of the sump, but I can fix that tomorrow, The fish are sleeping hard now since it´s 23:00 in Sweden right now.

Ah, a misstake on my part, I only dosed Zeostart3 in the begining 2 months, then started up the Biopellets and started to gradually dose less Zeostart3 until the Biopellets was going full force. It actually took a very long time for the pellets to give full effect, I´m guessing it has to do with the ozone. So, now I do not dose any Zeostart3.

And no, no Zeoliths.

The corals also get Preis Coral-V Power about two times a week and seem to like that.

[am3gross]

looks awesome!!!

[Allmost]

Skimmer is the Elos skimmer included in the 120 package, Natural Skimmer 500 I think it´s called.

Haven´t got any pics of the sump, but I can fix that tomorrow, The fish are sleeping hard now since it´s 23:00 in Sweden right now.

Ah, a misstake on my part, I only dosed Zeostart3 in the begining 2 months, then started up the Biopellets and started to gradually dose less Zeostart3 until the Biopellets was going full force. It actually took a very long time for the pellets to give full effect, I´m guessing it has to do with the ozone. So, now I do not dose any Zeostart3.

And no, no Zeoliths.

The corals get Preis Coral-V Power about two times a week and seem to like that.

nice heard alot of good things about the elos skimmer ! would love to see a pic inside the cabinet, Im really interested in purchasing an Elos myself :)

very nice set up and loving the tri color :)

[maglofster]

Went to my LFS today to pick up some KZ products. Spoke with the Marine/Reef specialist at the store and he told me a nice bonus to NP biopellets is if you add them to a filtersock and place (out of view) in the tank copepods and other small animals seem to just "explode". I don't know is this is true but I actually spilt a handfull of pellets in my sump about 6 weeks ago and just the other day I noticed that the pods really seems to thrive in my tank. Thought it was my super husbandry of the tank, but apparantly not.. ;)

Is this old news?

[mark54321]

Great tank and awesome pictures.

[maglofster]

some crappy images of the cabinet / sump. I know it's a real mess with all the cables untied etc. But since I'm still trying things out, changing stuff. I will leave it like this for yet a while.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5338269393/" title="DSC_1048 by 70967fb60e7024edcb4ae96e4d3e110a, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5005/5338269393_09e170e671.jpg" width="500" height="331" alt="DSC_1048" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5338879674/" title="DSC_1052 by 70967fb60e7024edcb4ae96e4d3e110a, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5086/5338879674_53f17a1c58.jpg" width="331" height="500" alt="DSC_1052" /></a>
Yeah, it's not a beret on top of the skimmer. Just some carbon in a sock. :) The green tubing is coming straight from the Grotech reactor with NP biopellets as recommended.

[maglofster]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5338292795/" title="DSC_1011 by 70967fb60e7024edcb4ae96e4d3e110a, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5285/5338292795_5d49cc63ae_b.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_1011" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5338293011/" title="DSC_0719 by 70967fb60e7024edcb4ae96e4d3e110a, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5245/5338293011_c50a6fa39f_b.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_0719" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5338293233/" title="DSC_0885 by 70967fb60e7024edcb4ae96e4d3e110a, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5129/5338293233_6e2d5d4892_b.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_0885" /></a>

[maglofster]

Thinking about starting with reef pearls. I hear good things about them.

[maglofster]

After reading up on the subject I went and got me a pack of reef pearls today. Will be interesting to see the effects on my corals.

[maglofster]

I must say, Reef Pearls really rocks! I have never seen the polyps expanding as much as after feeding the pearls.

[James404]

Awesome pictures! What camera you using?

[maglofster]

Thanks!

I´m using a Nikon D7000 on a tripod and an external SB800 flash mounted on a stand above the tank.

[allsps40]

Very nice setup you have there. I like the Elos tanks very clean.

[maglofster]

Thanks!

[MyMonkey]

nice!

[maglofster]

Today I added a DIY ATS - Algae Turf Scrubber. With this I'm hoping to get rid of some (all) of the nuisance algae in the DT.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5523363571/" title="Skärmavbild 2011-03-13 kl. 21.35.36 by 70967fb60e7024edcb4ae96e4d3e110a, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5523363571_64719a99b6.jpg" width="500" height="330" alt="Skärmavbild 2011-03-13 kl. 21.35.36" /></a>

[alin2]

Great tank!

Thanks for posting.

I'm awaiting a custom Elos in the 120XL dimensions, but with a 24" depth.

[maglofster]

Nice choice!

[maglofster]

I have had some problems with green cyano and wanted another way of exporting N&P. So I decided to try an ATS. After some DIY designs I finally bought a SM-100 scrubber.

This is two days of growth on a brand new plastic media:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5605532796_3d75d67a6a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5605532796/)

[maglofster]

Five weeks with an ATS was all it took to get rid of all cyano. I haven't chanaged anything else other than feeding a bit more lately. I reall like my new ATS. :)

[maglofster]

Some macro footage from today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrtbuHzWs8g

All in all shot in 15 mins, so don't take it too seriously.. :P

[guarda]

Awesome pics! Are you still using the reef pearls? Still doing more research on them before committing... My wife is coming back from Gothenburg tonight. She had a great time in Sweden. :)

[maglofster]

Thanks! Yes, I dose reef pearls a couple of times every week.

Ah, Gothenburg, nice city! :)

[maglofster]

As my corals grew I had to redo the scape a bit. Current FTS:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2293/5804705234_829a1594b7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5804705234/)
I only run an ATS now. No skimmer, no carbon, no GFO, no Biopellets and no filtersocks.

[maglofster]

4 weeks with only ATS - everything looks perfect. I'm very happy with this solution.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5116/5890530081_6d5a7d547e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5890530081/)
Just a quick shot of one of my Gorgonias. :)

[maglofster]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6042/5890530761_ef25ce5bd0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5890530761/)
Time to harvest some algae from the ATS :)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5266/5891097478_c10eda2df9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5891097478/)
Very green!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6058/5891097288_cefe0e483f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5891097288/)
Lots of algae going down the drain!

[maglofster]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5160/5891096628_922e49afbb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5891096628/)
I'm building my own LED light to replace the MH in my Giesemann Infiniti (t5 will stay) - This is the heatsink.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5280/5890529509_b214380300.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5890529509/)
The heatsink will be placed in the middle where the MH:s are now. It fits very snuggly.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5065/5890530509_c653dbda3c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5890530509/)
The leds are: 2x50W 10K + 20x10W 16K - I'm going to run them a little bit careful - lowering the current some. So the total led wattage is going to be aprox. 276W. since I also have 2x54W t5 I think my corals will thrive. The two MH:s im replacing are 150W a piece.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6056/5890530697_02f0d13382.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5890530697/)
Testing one 50W - It's VERY bright.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5891097934_86da42f6ce.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5891097934/)
Testing the cooling capacity. Right now it's only 2X50W running. Fans are Noctua high-end 9 blade fans. A lot of air is pushed already on a very low RPM.

[Bilk]

Hey Magnus. Your tank is looking great and the light build interesting. Post pics of the finished product.

Magnus Bäckstedt! One of my favorite riders in the peloton. Too bad he had to retire. Loved watching the big Swede race :)

[maglofster]

Thanks! Will do!

Bäckstedt is a lot better at riding a bike than I am.. :) We are the same age though. :)

[Bilk]

Thanks! Will do!

Bäckstedt is a lot better at riding a bike than I am.. :) We are the same age though. :)
LOL well you're probably better at keeping a reef tank :)

[kenith]

Nice build. Elos is clean. I've always thought about doing the sm-100 scrubber. How's the water clarity with just an ats? Any issues? Scary thinking about no socks, pellets, gfo, carbon, ect. It would be nice!

[maglofster]

Thank you!

The clarity is very good. There are more particles in the water, but nothing to worry about. Looks like your average reef (when diving).

I would say, no issues so far. Evaporation is a bit faster, but the cooling effect of the ATS (evaporation) means I don't have to use a chiller even in the summer.

[PokerReefer]

I would like to lerarn more about the Fauna balling method. I have a standalone profilux 3 pump doser. I went to the site , but it's all in German?

[maglofster]

If you look around there is an instruction in english also. It's a PDF file.

http://www.faunamarin.de/content/balling-light-manual/manual_balling-methode_eng.pdf

[LaurenO92]

wow nice tank

[maglofster]

Thanks!

[maglofster]

Okay, so this morning I finished my LED project!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/5897837342_2124f95ca8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897837342/)
First I had to remove everything in the middle of the pendant.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6047/5897837096_de5fd7a3df.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897837096/)
Ballasts + MH removed.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5897837666_e9bc55868c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897837666/)
Still had to remove the electric wiring.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6048/5897270855_1bb44f09cd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897270855/)
This is what I want to fit in. Can you say "shoehorn"?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6035/5897837816_74d879bd88.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897837816/)
Ok, time to cut some holes for the fans. Sunglasses on!

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5274/5897271369_6731884191.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897271369/)
Fans are in place!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6038/5897271847_ea290c3e24.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897271847/)
I added two small extra fans inside the pendant, they are placed exactly on top of the 50W:s.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5897272419_7b91bb4e25.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897272419/)
Snug as a bug!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6055/5897273419_0dce0d1550.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897273419/)
The lights are in place!

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5317/5897273581_171a2f9a55.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5897273581/)
The finished product!

[maglofster]

After one day with my new LED light I'm very happy. The heatsink is barely warm to the touch, and that's with 250-280W of light. (I'm not 100% sure on how much current the driver is delivering since I dialed it down a bit). Combined with my actinic t5:s I think the light looks really good.

[skh]

Magnus, your color looks really good with those LEDs. But is there any way you can countersink the fans so that they don't stick out so much? Maybe by mounting the heatsink on a bracket that hangs down from the top of the fixture? I think that would look neater and more in keeping with the nice aesthetics of the giesemann fixture.

[maglofster]

I have managed to lower them a bit more, but there is sort of a "ledge" inside the pendant so they still stick out about 1cm. I may be able to construct some sort of white fine metal mesh an place over the fans.

[skh]

I have managed to lower them a bit more, but there is sort of a "ledge" inside the pendant so they still stick out about 1cm. I may be able to construct some sort of white fine metal mesh an place over the fans.

The white metal mesh sounds like a great idea. That would give them the same look as the giesemann spectra/moonlight (sort of).

[maglofster]

I'll have to look into this and see what can be done! :) Thanks for the comments!

[maglofster]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6035/5901947251_472dd90b37.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5901947251/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6051/5901947023_2b30505c2a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5901947023/)

[maglofster]

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YXsJ0PEvbAA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[maglofster]

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jdSglusyoeU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

720P FTW :)

[maglofster]

Now I have been running my tank with only an ATS for two months straight. So I guess I can say that the transition from Skimmer/Biopellets is done and that it's been a success! :)

[maglofster]

Some pictures from today. Recently I have had to ramp up the Balling to almost the double dose on each channel. I guess the corals are growing! :)

anyway, pictures..

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6070/6029366400_d941294f58.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6029366400/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6029366306_7857b6025d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6029366306/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6136/6029366016_b7eed56a79.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6029366016/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6084/6029365736_140d61dc8c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6029365736/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6029366128_66a02ebd20.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6029366128/)

[maglofster]

A couple of shots with only Actinic lights on.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6030140338_67a7e5ec8c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6030140338/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6186/6030140162_210811a2fe.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6030140162/)

[maglofster]

Weekly ATS cleaning:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6029431724_89d5dcffed.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6029431724/)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6124/6029431888_5c5d931655.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6029431888/)

[maglofster]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6059814594_32819f19e7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6059814594/)

[maglofster]

The ATS keeps on working for me and the tank. I'm very happy with this system and how stable the tank is.

[Rybren]

Very nice setup. Well done!

[adddo]

Najs Magnus. :)

[Bob Nell]

Very nice tank.

I'd like to offer some feedback on long term experience with a scubber as I have 3 systems in use two of which have been for over 10 years. I have always used skimmers though. The longest setup, a 120 gal without sump, originally had a very small skimmer, since upgraded to a MCE 600 Deltec in 2009.

All have been great for 2-4 years or so. Then issues, which I narrowed down to phosphate build up.

Bottom line: I still think nutrients must be monitored. The scrubber will handle the majority, but any excess will be absorbed in the system somehow.

Good luck and happy reefing.

[mrbncal]

Updates! I need to see updates!!!!:bounce2:

[maglofster]

Updates! I need to see updates!!!!:bounce2:

Sorry, missed this!

A quick picture! :)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6750403089_059d94e374.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6750403089/)

[Meshmez]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/5338292795/" title="DSC_1011 by 70967fb60e7024edcb4ae96e4d3e110a, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5285/5338292795_5d49cc63ae_b.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_1011" /></a>



Your tank looks great! out of curiosity, what coral is this? I have the same that came on some LR but I never knew what it was called.

[maglofster]

Your tank looks great! out of curiosity, what coral is this? I have the same that came on some LR but I never knew what it was called.

Thanks! :)

It's a Pavona Cactus. Very hardy SPS.

[sirreal63]

Fantastic tank and lit with 150 watt halides. So many people underestimate 150's and think you need 400 watt halides to have success, of course that isn't so. I am looking forward to watching this one grow. :-)

[maglofster]

Fantastic tank and lit with 150 watt halides. So many people underestimate 150's and think you need 400 watt halides to have success, of course that isn't so. I am looking forward to watching this one grow. :-)

Thanks! :)

Right now it's actually lit by LED:s and two T5:s. I put an angle grinder and later on a soldering iron to my Giesemann pendant and instead of two 150 (300W total) MH:s there is now about (at current setting) 150W LED:s peaking at 250W for a couple of hours. So even lower power consumption now.

[sirreal63]

Somehow I completely missed the LED shoehorn, very nicely done!

[BHD]

Hi, What is the dimension of that tank?
Thanks

[maglofster]

Hi, What is the dimension of that tank?
Thanks


Width: 47.2 in
Height: 19.7 in
Depth: 22.5 in

[extra3d]

SWEEEEETTT!!!! still ATS ONLY??? Im in the same boat!!

[Meshmez]

Do you have any bigger FTS? or maybe a half and half pic? the one at an angle is intriguing but i want to see more! haha

[maglofster]

Only ATS and running Balling light to replenish ca, mg and alk.

I will try to take some pictures tomorrow (if I get home from work in time).

Thanks for all the comments! :)

[Reef264]

This is the superman of reef tanks!Just unbelievable!Nice work!

[PokerReefer]

This tank still is amazing. Your water line seems low in the recent pic. Is that normal for the Elos 120?

[maglofster]

This is the superman of reef tanks!Just unbelievable!Nice work!

Thanks man! :) :beer:

[maglofster]

This tank still is amazing. Your water line seems low in the recent pic. Is that normal for the Elos 120?

Very observant! :)

It is a little low, i have adjusted the pump a little to lower the water line about -1 cm. I have found that the overflow stops "gurgeling" this way.

Thanks for you comment! :)

[Benson0219]

Wonderful tank! Nice work!

[maglofster]

Wonderful tank! Nice work!

Thanks man! :)

Btw, your avatar, is that picture from Koh Phi Phi?

[nanokeeper]

Magnus - First off please let me compliment your on creating a BEAUTIFUL tank. I made the latest picture of your tank the background on my laptop so that I can admire it all day long. I am in the planning stages of building a DIY LED array and was wondering if you could share which and how many drivers you are using to run your LEDs. I really like the LEDs that you are using and would like to use the same on my tank. Thank you for your time and sharing your amazing reef.

[maglofster]

Magnus - First off please let me compliment your on creating a BEAUTIFUL tank. I made the latest picture of your tank the background on my laptop so that I can admire it all day long. I am in the planning stages of building a DIY LED array and was wondering if you could share which and how many drivers you are using to run your LEDs. I really like the LEDs that you are using and would like to use the same on my tank. Thank you for your time and sharing your amazing reef.

Oh boy! My picture as a background on someones computer! :beer: Thanks so much for your nice comment!

Ok, down to the LED business then. For the main lighting 20x10 16K chips I use a single MeanWell 240-48. Keep in mind that this is a very simple (yet effective and cost efficient) LED solution. The good thing with the MeanWell is that I can control the current with a dial on the driver. So I can set the right amount of light. I.E dial down if I introduce new corals and such. I run the leds in 5 parallell rows of four LEDs. Giving them about 11V and 1A (per chip) So in total max 220W and min about 180W. The 2x50W 10K chips are run on one standalone 50W driver each, these I bought on Ebay from Hong Kong.

Just PM me for more info. I know that a LED retailer in the US are having a clearance sale on the exact model of MeanWells that I use.

[aquaenthusiast]

Wow amazing tank ! I'm already planning my ATS right now! Are you still running ozone?

[maglofster]

Thanks man!

Lately I have used ozone when needed to get the water crystal clear and not 24/7. I have read that ozone might oxidize aminoacids and other additives we put in our tanks so I have reduced the usage a bit.

[mrbncal]

Sorry, missed this!

A quick picture! :)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6750403089_059d94e374.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/6750403089/)

Thats nice! :celeb3: Very well done on all fronts!

[maglofster]

Thank you very much!!

[Crazy_Beaver]

Nice tank!

[maglofster]

Thanks! :)

[quangtang]

Excellent tank Maglofster - I really love this tank, probably my favorite it just goes to show that you dont need a really fancy ultra expensive system to have great sps growth.

Well done!

[maglofster]

Thank you! :)

[mangobusa83]

ATS for the WIN!.... for all those people who havent tried to run there tank without there skimmer have never seen the effects for themselves... why pay soo much money on your powerbill with that huge skimmer in your sump running and then cleaning that cup all the time.... ATS is the way to go and Maglofster is your walking proof.. nuff said

[ut_vols13]

Do you have some pictures of the SM-100 scrubber?

[maglofster]

I'll try to take some pictures!

[ut_vols13]

Thanks, I would like to see the ATS setup with a sump or however you have yours setup. Thanks in advance.

[mrbncal]

Maglofster -

A friend and I are working on an led build and I would like to get your feed back on the color of the 16K vs the 20 led chip. Do you like the 16 K for a particular reason? More so than the 20 k? We were thinking of using a combo of 9 x 20 k/ 4 x 16k/ 5 x 10k ten watt leds from the same source you have used. Coupled with 2 t5 actinics for dawn dusk over my 48" 75 gallon. These will be my replacements for 3 x 150 watt HQI's I am currently using. Just wanted to get your thoughts on the color issue if you dont mind.

[maglofster]

The reason that I chose the 16K's is that a friend had tried them and he was really happy with the color. I think the combo you suggest is very likely to look good. But I would think twice about using lenses though. You dont want the individual differences in color show up in the tank like "beams".

[mrbncal]

No I had not intended to use lenses for the very reason you brought up. I just wondered if I should make them all 16k instead of mixing different colors. Just to keep it simple. I dont want that "washed out" look people have been complaining about when using all blues and whites. The color on your tank looks very good, so maybe thats what I should use. . . less headache? Better growth maybe also with less blue light?

[maglofster]

It's very hard to guide you on the choice of Kelvins :) I think it is a very personal taste that differs a LOT between reefers.. :)

Have you been looking into my thread about multichips lately? There are a lot of discussion about colors and temperature there. My friend Lasse has been experimenting with the same led's I use but a combo of different temps/colors with a very nice result. Check out his pictures for a reference.

[reiness77]

Amazing tank,
Do you know what kinds of t5 bulbs are inside the infiniti? loving the color spectrum

[maglofster]

Thanks! The T5's are Aqua Medic Reef Blue.

[maglofster]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/7132958987_5ed1caa2c8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58065777@N04/7132958987/)
Just a quick macroshot from this evening. :bounce3:

[joelespinoza]

Very nice tank.

I'd like to offer some feedback on long term experience with a scubber as I have 3 systems in use two of which have been for over 10 years. I have always used skimmers though. The longest setup, a 120 gal without sump, originally had a very small skimmer, since upgraded to a MCE 600 Deltec in 2009.

All have been great for 2-4 years or so. Then issues, which I narrowed down to phosphate build up.

Bottom line: I still think nutrients must be monitored. The scrubber will handle the majority, but any excess will be absorbed in the system somehow.

Good luck and happy reefing.

An issue with ATS is if you dont have enough nitrates, your phoshpates will slowly creep up. Nitrates are actually the limiting factor in ATS filtration. This can be a problem if you have a deep sand bed or some other nitrate removal system (that does not also remove phosphates), its actually quite possible that you running a skimmer was what was causing your ATS to function at a subpar level.

Seems a bit crazy, but the fix is actually to remove other means of filtration and/or to dose nitrates.

[Bob Nell]

Possible, but scrubber designed to maintain zero nitrate, which mine does. I still need to use gfo. I really don't want to add nitrate to see if phos goes down. Fwiw, two tanks are bb.

[joelespinoza]

It can happen from anything that removes nitrates or just food that has a higher phosphate than nitrate content.

Anything that will lower the phosphate is fine I am sure. It seems funny to "treat" your tank with a splash of ammonia. However, as long as you dont over do it, its a totally legitimate thing to do with a scrubber.

[Osteopth]

Almost didn't buy it, but I've been running an ATS with a remote deep sand bed for a while, couldn't get my phosphates below 0.06. Removed the remote DSB, and one week later my phosphates are 0.00. Thanks a million.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SeabassSA]

Do you run the multi chip on this tank.

Is the multi chip lighting working for you.

[Osteopth]

Thanks for the help. Phosphates are holding strong at 0.00 and corals are coloring up beautifully. Can't believe I just had to remove my DSB.


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[joelespinoza]

Thanks for the help. Phosphates are holding strong at 0.00 and corals are coloring up beautifully. Can't believe I just had to remove my DSB.

Nice, glad it worked out for you!

[Crazy_Beaver]

hey maglofster

Any updates ?Are u still running the ATS -OZOn compilation?What are ur thoughts on the ATS and skimmer-less setups now that you running the system for quite a while?

[maglofster]

I'm still running it. I have made some adjustements though. Ozon is only used when needed (when introducing new livestock or if any tinting of the water has occured) because I think that the Ozon might oxidize beneficial trace elements and such if used all the time. I have also tried on and off with my skimmer in combination with the ATS. After about a year without a skimmer i had some mulm building up on the bottom and areas with less cirkulation. This does not happen when I also run the skimmer, but I guess I could correct it by also adding more streamer pumps in the tank. But I dont think everything gets caught in the ATS.

Right now I'm running both ATS and skimmer (skimmer dialed down though, emptying skimmer cup perhaps once every four weeks).

ATS has matured to only bright green har algae, very fast growing, I MUST clean media every 7 days or it grows to much and clogs up the drain.

[Crazy_Beaver]

I'm still running it. I have made some adjustements though. Ozon is only used when needed (when introducing new livestock or if any tinting of the water has occured) because I think that the Ozon might oxidize beneficial trace elements and such if used all the time. I have also tried on and off with my skimmer in combination with the ATS. After about a year without a skimmer i had some mulm building up on the bottom and areas with less cirkulation. This does not happen when I also run the skimmer, but I guess I could correct it by also adding more streamer pumps in the tank. But I dont think everything gets caught in the ATS.

Right now I'm running both ATS and skimmer (skimmer dialed down though, emptying skimmer cup perhaps once every four weeks).

ATS has matured to only bright green har algae, very fast growing, I MUST clean media every 7 days or it grows to much and clogs up the drain.

Thanks very much for your answers!

So you don't believe in the skimmerless systems?
Do you run the same way your second tank?

What king of adjustment have u made?

Any new photos of your beautiful system?

[pedro jpacheco]

thanks for the helpful information you sent on all posts.
On your first DIY led you mentioned:
The leds are: 2x50W 10K + 20x10W 16K

can you specify whre you bought them??
Can you send me a PM?

Thanks

[Crazy_Beaver]

Maybe the time for an update has come?

[maglofster]

Hey, sorry for no updates. The ATS has been moved to a 160 gallon cube. I do believe in skimmerless systems, I ended up taking away the skimmer again in the end. And my newer 160 gallon is now completely skimmerless.

This tank however has gone into extensive remodeling. I will update with pics as soon as it starting to look ok. :)

[sabbath]

Nice to see the ATS tank storys. What are you finding when running a skimmer with the scrubber. What is swaying you to want to run without the skimmer?