Poll: Refugium or ATS

[metalhead]

IYO, Which is better for nutrient export and why?

Algal Turf Scrubber

Refugium w/Cheato

Neither

[Seige]

No idea... ;-)

[charlie]

Both work, I personally think a fuge is easier to set up.

[Ninong]

I definitely agree with Charlie on this one. Algal turf scrubbers, even the good ones, are noisy and a PITA to maintain. I saw one in action on one of the reef tanks operated by a hobbyist in Baton Rouge several years back.

That one was mounted behind the aquarium and ran just about the full length of the tank. The surge of water into the display aquarium when the ATS tray dumped was nice but the darn contraption made noise that was distracting. If you could design one to be completely noise free, then you would still have to deal with the maintenance issue.

I guess you could set one up on a sump in an isolated area so that you didn't hear it but then you lose the surge, which was one of the attractive features on hers. And, anything mechanical is subject to Murphy's Law. Murphy's Law + water = a mess on the floor.

[metalhead]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I've been leaning toward a fuge as well but I really think the ATS's are cool contraptions.

I thought this ATS (link below) was a pretty slick idea but lacks any kind of "return wave" to the aquarium which, as Ninong points out, is very beneficial but difficult to implement and maintain, and usually noisy.

YouTube - Algae Turf Scrubber with surge pump (led not shown)