Algae Scrubber ATS Plexi Box Expressions LTD

Algae Scrubber ATS Plexi Box

• Algae Scrubber Plexiglas Box
• Professionally made from 1/4″ Plexiglas using a combination of vacuum forming and solvent-welding.
• This box is an improved version from previous models (as shown in most of our YouTube videos of the ATS system).
• We get asked two main things about the Algae Scrubber setup:
  • #1: Will this scrubber box work for my XX gallon sized tank? This ATS Box can be used for almost any size aquarium: to accommodate the size/feeding amount of your specific aquarium/pond, just change the size of the screen you put into the box to grow the actual algae. If unsure what this all means, please visit some online forums for ATS such as AlgaeScrubber.net! We constantly get requests from people for information if this scrubber box will work with their aquarium size! An algae scrubber works BASED ON FOOD YOU FEED INTO YOUR TANK, not the gallon size of the water volume. The ‘general’ rule for sizing is that for ever ‘cube’ of food (standard fish/coral food comes in frozen cubes) or equivalent of 1 cube, you should have 12 sq. inches of screen size, lit from both sides, to grow algae on (example: a 3″ x 4″ screen is 12 sq. inches).
  • #2: What size pump should I use?
• This scrubber box will fit a maximum size screen of 11″ wide, 5.5″ high (equaling about 60 sq. inches of area, which should cover 5 cubes of food, per day, into the aquarium).
• Includes the ATS Main Box, and Lid. Plumbing and other parts not included**.
  • We also carry:
    • Plastic Mesh Algae Screen (sold here) that you will want to roughen up before use, and use to grow the algae on.
    • 1″ PVC Bulkheads (sold here) with Slip x Slip joints.
  • *Most aquarium enthusiasts probably already have spare plumbing and pipe parts needed to put it all together. Please see the Technical Data Sheet PDF from the link below for a sample plumbing setup.
  • **We will carry a full system with all plumbing in the near future
• Order with 4 of our LED Grow Light Bars for a package price discount from the drop-down menu above. Package includes the ATS Main Box, Lid, 4 LED Grow Light Bars with 2 Power Transformers and 2 two-way splitters for them.

• Too much to go into here, so please refer to a google search on Algae Scrubbers.
• Basically, water passes over a screen, lit by the LED Grow light bars, and algae grows on the screen.
• This algae removes unwanted content from the water, and allows an easy cleaning every 1-2 weeks, to scrape off the algae and begin the cycle again.
• Growing the algae in a specified area removes the nutrients and waste from the water in a highly efficient manner, in a controlled space, and will greatly reduce or completely eliminate algae from growing in the aquarium, on rocks, or on the glass.
• In many cases, an Algae Scrubber can replace ALL other sources of filters, skimmers, etc. in a marine or fresh water aquarium system, and remove the need for any water changes. In salt water aquariums with corals, this means that foods corals feed on can always stay in the system, constantly feeding the corals, instead of being skimmed out or caught and stuck in filter media while it decomposes.

Algae Scrubber ATS Plexi Box Technical Details:

• Dimensions: Overall Outside Dimensions: 13″ Long, 7″ Wide, 8″ High.
• Download Spec Sheet and Plumbing Diagram
• Designed for use with two 1″ Bulkheads that fit the 1.75″ diameter holes for the drains, and a 3/4″ pipe size for the water flow over the screen, which rests in the U-Channels on the top of the scrubber box.
• This design on the box includes deflector shields above the light area, in case of water overflow out the top of the box, it will spill over the lights (even though our LED Grow Light Bars are waterproof, it avoids the mess).
• Holes are pre-drilled down the sides of the ATS Box to accommodate mounting our LED Grow Light Bars quickly, using small zip-ties.
  • Optional tip: If you want to contain nearly all the light to just the ATS Box area, simply take a little tin foil and tape it to the overflow deflectors on the ATS Box and let it hang down over the backs of the LED Grow Lights. Allow room for air to still circulate underneath and around the sides to the light bars.

Algae Scrubber ATS Plexi Box Application:

• Design, building, and ideas for algae scrubbers can be found at a number of online sources such as algaescrubber.net.
• An algae scrubber can be built over an aquarium so the water flows over the screen and into the tank (this is a very noisy approach), in a sump, or in an enclosed area. Enclosed areas are usually the ideal choice, as the light used to grow the algae can be contained for maximum growth, and so you don’t grow algae in unwanted places (any places the light hits, can and will eventually start to grow some form of algae, so a whole sump could become covered in a thin coat of unsightly brown or green ‘slime’ if lit by the LED grow light bars.
• One of the most efficient designs is to create an enclosed box, and using a small pump, pump water from the aquarium or sump into the enclosed area, over the plastic screen (which is where the algae grows) and is lit by the LED light bars from a few inches away. Designing the screen so it can be removed easily is key, as the algae will need to be scraped off (or ‘harvested’) every 1-2 weeks, and thus removing all of the unwanted nutrients that the algae has taken out of the water.
• In most cases, 2 LED Light Bars would be used on each side of the algae scrubber, with one light bar turned 180 degrees, so the blue lights are not directly above/below each other. The 460nm Blue LED has proven to be a beneficial factor into making algae grow thicker and stronger, and mounting so one is on each end will distribute the blue light over the algae growing screen best.
• Can be designed to use a small pump to push water up into the ATS Scrubber, or connected to a drain line running from the aquarium into the sump (If connecting to the drain lines, using a gate or ball valve to control flow is important, and have an overflow bypass incorporated, so the water from the main tank can bypass the ATS Scrubber if there is a blockage, and still get to the sump).
• Once the system is set up to push water from the aquarium into the ATS, and a timer is set to turn the LED Lights on (usually approx. 12 hours a day (at night when aquarium lights are off), it should take a few weeks for algae to start to grow on the screen. Cleaning every 7-10 days is standard- and is done simply by removing the screen from the ATS system, taking to a sink and scraping off with a plastic object such as a credit card. The screen should NOT be scrubbed clean. You want the remaining ‘turf’ on the screen, as that is the ‘root’ system that will grow the new algae week after week, thus scrubbing your system clean as you harvest out the algae.

Shipping & Warranty Information:

• Usually ships within 1-2 business days.
• We offer a 30 day warranty against defect (in the extremely rare chance there WAS a defect, it would be detected immediately upon setup. We do not foresee any warranty issues with any of the boxes however).