paenian

actually, you can dim LEDs by adjusting the current; in fact, they are significantly more efficient at lower currents. You can also combine current sources, i.e. half-drive two strings with one driver for an hour, then switch on the next driver for higher brightness. Paul

I want to turn an old 10g tank into a decorator crab tank. Plan: 10g tank, back painted black, rim cut off. Mangroves along back wall, getting light form the window behind the tank (the back will be shielded from sun/heat) Live rock 2" sand bed Koralia nano circulation Small zoas, green star polyps, sponges, feather duster, etc - filter/photo feeders. Small light, probably LEDs. I'm not sure if I want to make an inner wall (all in one style) or not. It'd be a place for the heater, and to hide a return pump (not using the koralia in that case); how small can I make it? I feel like mangroves will suck nutrients out quickly enough to support a single crab, but it never hurts to have an extra little filtration area. Thoughts? Paul

Another option: Drip system with automated top off? Just set up a slow drip irrigator, and when it gets low, use a normal mag whatever to fill it again. You should be able to do it with a spring switch, too, i.e. switch closes when the drip reservior is heavy, opens up again as it gets lighter. Of course, that's only ever as accurate as dripping, but it should be somewhat lower maintenance anyways. For calc, if you set the pump up right it'll stir everything for you as well. Paul

I've got PERL code to extract exif data... all the data you could ever want, but it's not exactly user-friendly, and you'd have to download the pictures and run the script. Paul

I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. (kidding - F&F is a great store!) I've used that quote (it's from Aliens) in every meeting I've had all week. I think my coworkers are catching on, but I'm going to give it another week. Paul

You probably can even cure cancer by lowering the blood sugar and then cooling the body or raising the temp. and lowering the salinity of the body. Not, let’s nuke’em with chemicals and watch their hair fall out and they die anyway. Thanks? Certified Grade A Crazy. Paul

I've been running custom LEDs for several months now - 72 white, 36 blue 1-watt Luxeons, buckpuck drivers, giant rectified transformer feeding those. Full post on the build: http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?show...&hl=paenian There is no supplemental lighting. My tank has changed since then, and I lost most everything in the move. Back up and running for several months. In terms of hard corals (softies are doing great), sunset montipora, a pseudo-chalice (ask the wife) and a blue-tipped staghorn frag are all doing well, and a hammer coral. Also have a lot of coraline algae growth. Colors are not what I'd like; the blue LEDs are either not powerful enough or don't have a broad enough spectrum. I plan to rebuild using T5 actinics & brighter white LEDs, but life keeps getting in the way. If you are interested in DIY, though, let me know - group buy on LEDs might lower the cost significantly. Paul

I'd recommend you add a reflector, but no lenses - the viewing angle on the CREE LEDs is quite large. I used some aluminum flashing to just reflect the side-spill back towards the tank. In fact if you're interested you can have my leftover aluminum flashing. Paul

External overflow.

I think I'm going to wait for the next phase of fancy LEDs, then buy a bunch - would be great for a group buy, but most of these electronics places don't price break until you get 50 or 100 components.

I've got LEDs on my tank, homemade. Planning to upgrade them eventually, but not really rushing to do so. I don't have them on a dimmer, just a few minute soft-start system. Paul

The brace doesn't have to be too complicated. A 2x4 with slots in it (one for the front glass pane, one for the back) would hold just fine. For looks, of course, I'd use a couple pieces of glass across the middle of the tank, one from inside pane to inside and one above the rim from outside to outside. That way the silicone bond area is 2*(glass thickness)*(brace width). Eurobracing should work fine too, but it'll never rival a center brace cost-wise. Make sure you consider overflow access, too. And finally, to answer your question, I've always gotten good prices from Circle Glass in Fairfax - smooth ground edges are included, polished costs extra. Paul

I'll be there as well. Paul

Broke down the tank a while back to refinish the floor - carpeting back to the old wood underneath. I also really want a Mantis shrimp, that'll be under way eventually, once the reef is back up and running happily. I'm behind on pictures, but here's a shot of the stand with the tanks in place: We've added a glass pane to the right of the 40g for an overflow, plan to use that section as filtration. 30 gallon high sump, with refugium on the right and a turf filter on the left, return pump in the middle. Stand is 2x8s with a 2x4 nailer in each corner; it's 18.5x72.5 inches, I think 42 inches tall? I don't remember exactly. Sanded, stained and painted by my wife Ruby, including the gold leaf band around the top. We're classy like that. 40g breeder on the left, 3/2" bulkhead, but the plumbing's been reduced to 5/4" - I'm still not sure if it should be smaller, or if we should upgrade the pump - there's a lot of air going down, and related noise issues from surging water. Any suggestions to that regard are welcome - I'll take some updated pictures so you can see the plumbing in place. Return pump is a Quiet One 3000 going through one of Bruce's WAVs (you can sorta see it under the stand) - 780gph max, probably about 500gph once it gets to the tank. We plan to add a Koralia or something of that nature. The 20g on the right will be served by its own pump, and house a mantis shrimp with some zoas or something.

Instead of pushing, you might be able to use a winch - chain winches are cheap, and it'd move the tank an inch or two at a time. The major problem is where to attach the other end of the chain - if you have a handy sturdy pillar, great, but usually that doesn't work so well inside the house.

Lasers. A dremel and/or router work well, just watch how hot the bit is - when it starts melting instead of cutting, take a break. Same deal with a circular saw. I used a hand-held wood saw, before I had a job and could afford electricity. Regardless, clamp the acrylic securely - if using a router, clamp on a ruler/board to use as a guide. I've never had good luck scoring and snapping, but it is an option if the acrylic is thin enough. Paul

I would recommend a hacksaw - the fine teeth make it much cleaner, plus they're quite cheap. Do it while the coral is sleeping, and retracted; keeping it wet (spray/sprinkle tank water on it) should minimize stress. The longer it's out of the water, the more stress! Also be sure to rinse it in another container of tank water, and then throw that water away - stress will make most corals exude nastiness. In terms of just snapping it, it'd work just fine as long as it snaps in the right spot, far away from the living heads - ensuring the proper snap is the hard part, and any damage to the root would likely kill the head. The skeleton is non-living, but the living part extends into it an inch or two, depending on the size of the head. Good luck! Paul

You could probably buy a power supply for the LEDs - obviously have to figure out what voltage they run at, but that shouldn't be a problem. Alternately, you could sell 'em to me on the cheaps and I'll do it... but I probably couldn't afford even cheap solaris stuff. Paul

There are many people who can drill holes - myself included - but you need to post a little more information. Tank size - very small tanks are difficult to drill, large tanks might be tempered glass, which cannot be drilled. Location - how far must I drive to make the hole? Hole size - depends on bulkhead size and type.\ Paul

You really don't want to use resistors for high-powered or large LED arrays. Even the single-transistor constant-current drives are about 10 times as efficient! I think the winner there are the Zetex 1362-style PWM controllers - few components, easy dimming, and cost a couple bucks for the full circuit. Of course, that's assuming you're comfortable soldering, and that you're not just wiring in some night lights. Anything over a watt or so, you'll be hard-pressed to find a suitable resistor (remember to calculate the power dissipation! Those little wire ones burn out at about a tenth of a watt) Paul

Hmm... maybe a powerhead with bernoulli-style injection and some one-way valves... I'm trying to get away with only one pump for the thing. Is it bad to add cloudy water? I figure a sealed reactor would decrease my crust & precipitate - it's a pain in the rear. Paul

Why does one need a kalk reactor? I was thinking of installing an in-line kalk unit to my topoff, using an aqualifter (i.e. truly slow pump) to pump water through the bottom of some sort of bottle, letting the top drip into the sump. So it'd be a slow flow through the 'reactor' - not enough to tumble, but the water will sit there between pumping periods - would that use the kalk efficiently? Also, if you've got an aqualifter for sale let me know. Paul

I'd like to help - used to be a roofer (paying my way through college) and love to DIY stuff. I'm newer to the reef than either of your other volunteers, and therefore more than willing to work whilst absorbing knowledge. As for lowering the tank, what's the old stand made of? Old tank's the same size? If it's wood, it's probably overbuilt, and easy enough to slice off a bit & rebuild. Do you do maintenance from the front or back? Building a nice platform behind the tank might be a better option - far less work, and you can put some storage underneath. From building & rebuilding my own tank/stand, always mock up a prototype and then try to do maintenance on it - the easier maintenance is, the more often it will be performed. Automating it is even better, but do look out for redundancy and manual backups. Paul

On the contrary, now you need to upgrade your tank to keep up with that skimmer. Paul

I have a 2" guillotine, and it's even got a medicinal copper blade! I built it for class a long time ago, keep it around because it's cool. It's not really sharp or powerful enough for, well, anything, but it makes a nice 'thunk' Paul