My new Atlantis 2 has been installed for a week to the day and when I bought it the manufacturers Algae Scrubbers CI sent me a small pack of algae I requested that they grow on their test ATS. I wanted to try and seed the screen to kick start it as I have done before with my DIY ATS and my more recent Seabreeze ATS. They duly obliged and sent me some along with my new Atlantis2. When I received the algae I immediately noticed it was no GHA but something quite different and after some researched I am convinced it is Ulva intestinalis. When I set up my Atlantis2 I gave the screen a light covering of Nyos cement and left it 5 hours to cure. The small amount of Ulva was applied and I poked some of it through the screen using a toothpick to help it stay on the screen. Once the Atlantis was started quite a bit of the Ulva washed off but some did remain. Each day the Ulva doubled in size perhaps more and after just 5 days there was an amazing amount of growth so much, in fact, I trimmed the long lengths which hung below the bottom of the screen. The Ulva grows at an incredible, amazing speed. A friend who set his bespoke Atlantis up 5 days earlier and had never had an ATS on his tank before reports exactly the same with his after he had seeded the screen with some Ulva intestinalis just has I had done. I am not stranger to ATS's having built 2 of my own along with owning 3 other ATS's but have never had algae growth of any kind grow so quickly and get so established in such a short period of time. Ulva intestinalis must be one if not the fastest growing algae you can grow in an ATS and I doubt there will be better algae to grow in an ATS to reduce nutrients. I have attached 2 pic's showing both sides of the screen taken 5 days after setting up the Atlantis 2 and seeded the screen with the Ulva intestinalis. I think you will agree that is some phenomenal growth from a fresh screen(apart from the seeding) to so much in just 5 days.
I've had one customer that had a problem with ulva in the tank, he couldn't get rid of it. It ended up taking over the scrubber and he was not able to grow GHA. Also, ulva didn't seem to want to stay attached to the screen, so it was detaching and getting into his system (which he wanted to avoid). It was rather frustrating for him. I'll agree that it's fast growing, but I'm not sure it's a very good match for a scrubber since it seems like you have to trim it back more often to keep it from getting loose. That's just the feedback I've received, I've had ulva show up on a scrubber here and there, but it never was a primary growth type, and never lasted very long.
Thanks, So far only a small amount has detached and although I will have to remove it weekly it's not been a problem. My Foxface likes to eat it but my purple tang does not seem interested. I know another guy who has the same Ulva growing in his scrubber and had it growing for around a year with no problem and still growing well he tells me. We shall see how it progresses and if it dies out I am sure something else will take its place.
Took my ATS screen off today to examine it and found not only do I have Ulva growing on it but quite a bit of GHA which I hadn't noticed previously. It will be interesting to see if the GHA out competes the Ulva or continues to live alongside it.
What is Nos Cement? Why only 5 hours of cure time? I use mortar (not concrete or cement) and do at least a day, usually two of cure time, then a week of soaking in tap water
Sorry, that should read NYOS cement, I will edit it, it cures in a couple of minutes and sticks quite well to the screen. I make it quite thin and tap off the excess so the holes in the screen open up.
you know you can eat the ulva, japanese use it on sopus and salads. I had some that grew in my tank and it tastes pretty good, a bit pepery but still a nice falvor.
