craby

Jacob, Is this a serious ? "I think the cold cathode bulbs are not too pricy as I saw them at this website http://www.nexfan.com/ here http://www.nexfan.com/sucocalib12.html for only $5.99." And I don't believe there is a DIY party required for cold cathode setups at $5.99 as I believe they are plug & play. I will confirm w/ NexFan.

FYI - kalk helps remove phosphates from RO/DI water.

Larry, Does the 12 vdc 7w transformer have a resistor built in? Jacob, The website sais they are long lifetime (30,000 hours). The discription on the dual cold cathode is as follows for hook up: "This kit includes everything you need for a complete lighting solution. We include a Molex connector with power splitter, boxed inverter, and 2 acrylic encased cold cathodes. The cold cathode mounts easily via velcro squares attached to the end of the tubes. Specifications Length: 12.25 inches Average Current Damand +/- 3.7w Encased in a 100% acrylic shell for proper light distribution Encased inverter for safety Dual light capability Huge Lifespan" I would expect that it's the same hook up for the single bulb & sounds like it's a plug & play package.

Do you put water in the siplock bag so that it sinks? Seems like the sand would get funky w/ water being trapped in the bag.

I have (2) LED moon lights on my tank. It's bare bottom & when I look up w/ my head in the stand at night the moon light is pretty blinking to look at as it is a focused point of light. I can't imagine it's too comfortable for the fish to look at this, so I was thinking of making a set up that used a cold cathode bulb that was more diffused. Any possibility of changing gears to do this instead? If so I'm interested. I think the cold cathode bulbs are not too pricy as I saw them at this website http://www.nexfan.com/ here http://www.nexfan.com/sucocalib12.html for only $5.99.

I've seen pumps w/ a dab of silly con under each corner of the pump. Just use some quarters in the center to shim it up while the silly con cures. You'd need to set it up on a smooth surface & pry it off w/ a razor blade when done.

I asked Roger of Tunze what makes their feed mode work. His reply was as follows: Roger, Do you know what electronic component cuts the power off on the Tunze 7094 multi controller during the feed mode. I am looking for a similar component for a DIY water level controller to keep my sump pump from burning up as described in this topic on the WAMAS website: It is more complicated than that, basically when you hit the button, it charges a capacitor and the capacitor feeds a chip that regulates the pump signal, when the capacitor runs out of power the pumps restart. Does his reply help make any sense as far as something that would work for us :idea2: ? Also, someone at RC mentioned that I probably should use an optical sensor on the main display. Are they supposed to be less sensitive than the magnetic float switches?

Opps. Duplicated reply. Man, my internet is slow tonight.

Word to the wise, energize w/ a Maxijet 600 or smaller for top off from a resevoir. No Rio. Rio advised against setting their pump up for on/off cycle situations.

I read somewhere that Mandarine Gobies need to eat alot of copepods, & are noted to do well in a refugium where their food is readily available. Some food for thought before you remove it that it might be better off where it is.

Thanks for the reply Doug. Unfortunatly, it is the sensitivity of the switch that makes the electrical signal flicker w/ the raise in water level. This PVC idea may help, but I'd rather an electronic solution ilo PVC to minimize visible stuff in the tank.

Doug, I also work in Reston & I live in DC. There's a feasible idea. LMK.

I'm currently using my PCB to control my sump pump w/ a float switch submerged in the sump (normally closed circuit when floating) and a second float switch mounted on my main tank top brace (normally closed circuit when not floating). This is because I have an overflow box that can loose siphon and flood the tank. With the float switches in place, any change in water level in the tank &/or sump turns off the sump pump until water level returns to normal. The problem w/ this setup lies in the fact that when I put my hand in the main tank the float switch rapidly turns on & off w/ the ripples of the water, causing the sump pump to sing. the sound would look something like this "ZPTPszzZPTPszzzZPTszzzZPSTntsntsntsnnn". I've lost one Mag 7 already. Any idea how to add to the PCB to have it cut off power to the sump pump for a set period of time, say (5) seconds? I'm thinking it would be called something like a time delay capacitor, but have no real clear idea. Please help. TIA. Luke C.

Yeah, what Steve said. I use (2) channel lock pliers to pop them apart. To pop them back, just push them together wiggling them back & forth alittle & they walk themselves back to the locked position. A little force is required to do this & it helps if you can set one of the pieces on a fixed surface like a countertop while you pop the other piece back in place.

If it's rock for a Tanganyikan cichlid tank, the most common type used is Texas Holey Rock. Most I've seen on ebay are from people in Texas (duh), but some are people selling from up here as well, so shipping wouldn't be that bad. Another place to look for it is at www.aquabid.com. It is realitively cheap, cool looking, & stacks well. Made of limestone, it makes the water pretty hard & helps keeps the PH above 8.0. If it's for S. American tropical cichlids like Discus where a soft water & low PH is preferred most people use peat gravel, round river bed rock, plants, & drift wood for decorations. Therefore, it depends on the type of fish your keeping. You'll also want to stay away from rocks that have heavy metals in them as the metals will leach out into the water. As EricS said, stone yards usually carry a wide variety of rock & you can hand pick your pieces. HTH. Luke C.

Yep

Someone has alot of time to kill.

Chip is one funny guy. I sorta like you Gary in a non biblical sense. :stop:

Larry-T, I'm unclear about your statement that TDS doesn't measure everything. I thought that if there are no total dissolved solids in the RO/DI water (TDS = 0) then it is H2O. <_<

Alex, No in deed, not like that!!! You should probably use #8 x 3 1/2" deck or drywall screws there. I was referencing the bolts you would use where a vertical 2x4 meets the box frame horizontal members you show in your picture. You might also want to think of using a 2x6 for horizontal members, depending on the foot print of the tank as lumber is not as strong horizontally as it is vertically. If you are having the box frame bearing onto the vertical members, then that changes things... A diagram would help out greatly!

You would want a max diameter of 1/2". Much thicher & the structural integrity of the 2x4 will be compromized. I would think for a 120 stand (2) 5/16" x 2 1/2" lag bolts would be ideal if you recess the hole w/ a paddle or fosner bit so that the bolt head is flush w/ the outside of the 2x4. This way the plywood can be flush against the 2x4's. If you don't recess the hole, then 5/16" x 3" should be fine. Another option is to use carriage bolts 5/16" x 3 1/2" w/ nut & flat washer. This way you can assemble & disassemble it easier if needed & you have a through bolt connection. You will want to stagger the bolts at each connection.

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Doug, I'll be there all day Sunday so fit me where you need the most help. Thanks, Luke C.