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View Full Version : refugium, algae scrubber, skimmer


TheCatsWrasse
11/30/2013, 10:39 AM
is it ok to put all these filtration systems together?

reefgeezer
11/30/2013, 11:19 AM
It won't do any harm but using all three may reduce the efficiency of each individual method.

mixedreefjunky
11/30/2013, 02:50 PM
Refugium and skimmer and you'll be very good. Algae scrubber is unnecessary IMO.

Drae
11/30/2013, 04:24 PM
Refugium and skimmer and you'll be very good. Algae scrubber is unnecessary IMO.

This^^^

smb2415
11/30/2013, 04:29 PM
I plan on running all three. Not operational yet, but that's the plan. IMO each provides a different service.

FlyPenFly
11/30/2013, 06:31 PM
is it ok to put all these filtration systems together?

Refugium is of questionable importance. It's nearly useless for nutrient export unless it's chokingly full of chaeto.

Turf algae grows much faster and is a bigger nutrient soak. A system with both running, a ATS will likely kill off all macro algae growth once it's in full swing.

ca1ore
11/30/2013, 07:41 PM
Skimmer is an absolute necessity. Depending upon what you mean by a refugium, then that and ATS may be mutually exclusive. I find my ATS to be very helpful, but would not run it without a skimmer.

smb2415
11/30/2013, 10:17 PM
I should have clarified my earlier post. I plan to run the skimmer, ATS, and fuge. However my plans are to also put cheat in the ATS tank. I don't plan on relying upon it in a typical sense - for filtration. Instead, The fuge would really be more like a quiet tank where pods, some macros like dragons breath, algae, etc can be left to develop on their own. I my opt to make it more like a planted display depending upon how it evolves.

Isidorius
12/01/2013, 08:12 PM
In a system running an ATS, properly sized for the tank, the ATS can take the place of a skimmer and a refugium. You cannot rely on the ATS to start up the system though. Once the ATS is setup and producing the right amount of turf (the fresh green stuff) you can start removing the skimmer from the system. Once the ATS is working on its own, the ATS will become a haven for copepods and amphipods, reducing the need for the refugium. You have to make sure that you offset the lighting timing though. Running the light on the ATS at the same time as the main tank can spike your Ph (don't know the chemistry behind all of that)

TheCatsWrasse
12/01/2013, 09:12 PM
very interesting....didnt know copepods would be in the ats thanks all

FlyPenFly
12/01/2013, 09:35 PM
I wouldn't run just an ATS, I would still use a skimmer.

If you harvest the green stuff out, you'll likely lose significant portions of your copepods. I also doubt the waterfall style would also hold much in copepod life.

Crusinjimbo
12/02/2013, 05:31 AM
My ATS has been running for about 3 months with the last one month being very productive in terms of algae growth and export. It takes awhile to get an ATS dialed in correctly. Never had a fuge due to space constraints but this ATS is creating a dense growth of algae that completely covers an 8x11 inch screen every week that is exported to the trash. My guess is that the fuge and ATS would be competing for the same nutrients.

Thefirechief
12/02/2013, 07:05 PM
I myself run all three. The skimmer is a must, the ATS helps stabilize my ph at night, and the refug is a great place for pod growth

SantaMonica
12/07/2013, 12:35 PM
Speaking of pods, I'd noticed chromis etc staying downstream of my scrubbers and catching the pods coming from them, so apparently the scrubbers make more pods than I thought. It's just that there is no glass to see them through.

reefpro21
12/28/2013, 05:59 PM
i plan on having a refugium fed by ocerflow and another overflow feed half to refugium and other half to algae scrubber there having enought nutrients for both

degibson84
12/28/2013, 06:03 PM
Refugium is of questionable importance. It's nearly useless for nutrient export unless it's chokingly full of chaeto.

Turf algae grows much faster and is a bigger nutrient soak. A system with both running, a ATS will likely kill off all macro algae growth once it's in full swing.

I run an ATS that drains into a fuge with no cheato in it just a large piece of live rock for pods. I also run a skimmer and a dual reactor with GFO and carbon. only algae I get is some brown film on the glass