Here is the screen after 5 weeks and 10 days from a cleaning. I'm running the light 3hrs on then 3 off. 3 times a day for a total of 9 hrs each day.
I would suggest removing the screen and cleaning at least the slot and the top (smooth) edge of the screen every 7 days, and giving the screen a rinse in tap water or RODI to kill pods. You can leave the algae alone on the screen, or maybe just rub lightly with the pads of your fingers to remove any loose algae, but don't scrape.
Ok and what is the thought with doing this? I understand the top area to keep the flow. But the rinsing and pods stuff?
Here is another update. It is getting a little better everyday. I'm even partial dosing Zeovit stuff to clean the algae up. It appears in the short run to have stopped the growth on the rocks and its still advancing on the ATS screen.
Thought I should take a few pics of the DT algae. This way I'm not just going off of what I think might be happening.
Looks good, not a ton of growth, but it's the right color. You would be surprised at how well just a small amount of algae filters. The L2 on the doc's tank doesn't seem to grow a whole lot of algae, and really no 3D growth, yet the N and P are always in check.
Week 7 it is starting to grow HA in spots yeah! I scrapped around the thicker spots on the screen while running it under water. Does that sound right? I'm thinking that I should not remove too much of the good stuff at this point.
Yeah baby! Now I would like to see the DT algae disintegrate. What is your daily scrubber light cycle?
Yeah. I'm running the L2 LEDs; Starting at 8pm. On for 3 hrs, Off for 3, On for 3, Off for 3, On for 3 So I'm running the lights 9 hrs a day. Also note: I just changed the Zeo stones today so the next 2 weeks might be weaker. We will see..
I would probably combine into 2x 5 hr photo periods, or at this point you might as well just go to a solid 9 hours one.
The 2x5hrs would give it an extra hour. Maybe that would help? What do you think of 5hrs on, 3hrs off, 5hrs on per say. This would give it an extra hour and a good 3 hour break in the middle.
Yep. I have one freshwater user (walleyefisher, he has 2x L2s and 1x L4) who said he just put the scrubber lights on 24/7 for the first week or so and got good results, then dialed the light back after that. So that got me thinking about a few things. Seems that everyone's tank is different so I'm still not really sure if there is a particular way to make the startup phase go faster or not, and not sure what factors fully affect the initial growth phase. Srusso and I have a plan to test a few of these ideas out though, using a few of the L2 body units that I hosed up.
Ok. That could be a great learning tool. Set up a couple L2's and try different things with them and see how they react. Installing a new screen from time to time.. Also I wonder if you could sell the aged screens from your tests to jump start the new ATS that you sell.
I changed the Zeolites (Stones) Sunday and man Monday I really had a spike in glass pane algae. This is from the new stones needing to be aged with bacteria. But I did not see a spike on the ATS screen? I just changed the light timer to straight 9hrs and to end just before the display lights come on. Hmmm
Algae on the scrubber does not really react that fast. The algae on the glass is more 'opportunistic' and it gets first crack at the nutrients. When you disturb the balance of the system (albeit very slight) this algae gets a foothold. The scrubber works more on long term, 'grinding it out' to outcompete. Your algae is short term.
What do you guys think? I speed up the flow to having the valve about 95% open. If I go higher he water starts to pull streams perpendicular to the screen in spots. I'm thinking of pulling Zeo as well. Maybe then I won't have a bacteria that is as good at killing algae on the rocks as it is at the stuff on the screen?
