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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Nano Sapiens 12g - Ye Olde Mixed Reef


Nano sapiens

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Looks really nice. Being fully automated and not having to replace the stunner strips must be great!

 

Thanks. Funny thing with the Stunner Strips is that it's only the RB strips that went out prematurely. A CW/B strip I had running for 3+ years without any LED burnouts.

 

I just hope that the Storm controller and Meanwell drivers are durable...

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My storm controller has been rock solid.

 

Hmmm, after going into 'Setup Mode' to adjust Ramp Time, the unit changed the Night Time CH 1 setting to 100 (was at '0'). Similar thing happened yesterday when I was setting it all up.

 

Seems that if I press too hard on the knob/unit it can alter the previous settings :(

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Hope you get it all figured out. Your diy board looks so complicated to me but I know nothing about led lighting, especially diy stuff.

 

Yeah, five channels does make for a lot of wiring and a challenge to keep it al straight. At least I didn't have to solder all the LEDs!

 

I am hoping that it's just a case of having to be more gentle with the controller and take care not to flex it's circuit board.

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I don't recall anything like that ever happening with mine. Is the circuit board still loose or is mounted in/on something?

 

It's mounted into the 3-D printed case that LGB sells.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The STORM controller seems to be behaving properly, now. I managed to bolt the controller directly to the side of the box and that seems to have helped.

 

Very cool how these things work and I now can see why people like these :). I'm using the cloud setting on '1' for one day a week which gives the corals a bit of a break from constant lighting (would be nice if the unit had automated control over which days have 'clouds').

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The STORM controller seems to be behaving properly, now. I managed to bolt the controller directly to the side of the box and that seems to have helped.

 

Very cool how these things work and I now can see why people like these :). I'm using the cloud setting on '1' for one day a week which gives the corals a bit of a break from constant lighting (would be nice if the unit had automated control over which days have 'clouds').

I really like my storm controller. The way the knob works is very convenient and once I got used to it I can change settings very quickly.

 

The new bluefish app for my new light is very cool and runs on the phone which is convenient. But it takes much longer to change anything with it.

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I really like my storm controller. The way the knob works is very convenient and once I got used to it I can change settings very quickly.

 

The new bluefish app for my new light is very cool and runs on the phone which is convenient. But it takes much longer to change anything with it.

 

Agreed, it's very quick and easy to change modes. I especially like the 'Manual' mode when I am cleaning the aquarium since I can adjust the light intensity to see what I am doing without the unit blinding me.

 

The Bluefish does look like a great product, but I like the idea of the STORM's display readout and simple knob adjustment right on the device, itself.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Taking advantage of the good weather, tackled a few tank projects...

 

Painted the canopy gloss-black to match the ATO shroud:

 

12g Blacked Out Canopy_021316.jpg

 

 

Built a full mesh top enclosure:

 

12g Full Top Mesh Enclosure_021316.jpg

 

 

This Cadlights canopy is getting rather old and I decided to reinforce all (4) screw attachment points (one had broken off, recently) with 1/4" x 1/4" square acrylic rod.. Hoping to get a few more years out of it :)

 

12g Canopy Screw Structural Enhancement_021316.jpg

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I never saw your canopy and top clearly before. That must have been a trick to build for a bowfront? I cheated with my bowfront when I had a lid, I made a rectangle lid and used the glass top for the bowed portion, ha ha. It looks like your lights slide up for you to work in the tank? Very clever!

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I never saw your canopy and top clearly before. That must have been a trick to build for a bowfront? I cheated with my bowfront when I had a lid, I made a rectangle lid and used the glass top for the bowed portion, ha ha. It looks like your lights slide up for you to work in the tank? Very clever!

If you look closely it's made by 4/5 pieces to cure everything

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I never saw your canopy and top clearly before. That must have been a trick to build for a bowfront? I cheated with my bowfront when I had a lid, I made a rectangle lid and used the glass top for the bowed portion, ha ha. It looks like your lights slide up for you to work in the tank? Very clever!

 

The original piece I had in place for years was just a 'lip' on the front to prevent the fish from leaping out there:

 

acryliclip_thumb.jpg

 

 

This one is new and was cut out of a 3/16" acrylic sheet and uses a very thin clear mesh, so there is vitually no light disruption into the tank. Since the mesh is so thin, I had to find something that would slide onto the acrylic top inner lip and also hold the mesh firmly in place. The solution was a 3' plastic strip used on the bottom of shower doors to reduce drippage (in this case one made for a 3/16" thick glass shower door). Those little 'thumb-tabs' that are seen standing up in front are what's left of a softer plastic lip designed to reduce water spillage and, cut out this way, they let me easily pull the mesh top out when necessary.

 

Yes, the whole canopy is hinged in the back to allow it to open over 90 degrees upwards for access, which is convenient :)

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Great work on the new top! It looks good and it seems like it won't block too much light.

 

Thanks. The mesh is so thin that I had to be careful not to tear it when securing it (not quite 100% successful, I'm afraid), but the flip side is that there is no visible mesh pattern projected into the tank as can be seen with rigid plastic mesh screens. Visually, I can't see any real difference when the mesh top is on, or off which what I was hoping for.

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The original piece I had in place for years was just a 'lip' on the front to prevent the fish from leaping out there:

 

acryliclip_thumb.jpg

 

 

This one is new and was cut out of a 3/16" acrylic sheet and uses a very thin clear mesh, so there is vitually no light disruption into the tank. Since the mesh is so thin, I had to find something that would slide onto the acrylic top inner lip and also hold the mesh firmly in place. The solution was a 3' plastic strip used on the bottom of shower doors to reduce drippage (in this case one made for a 3/16" thick glass shower door). Those little 'thumb-tabs' that are seen standing up in front are what's left of a softer plastic lip designed to reduce water spillage and, cut out this way, they let me easily pull the mesh top out when necessary.

 

Yes, the whole canopy is hinged in the back to allow it to open over 90 degrees upwards for access, which is convenient :)

 

Wow excellent vision and execution...

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Wow excellent vision and execution...

 

Thanks, Eugene. Not quite as elegant as yours, but since I'm seriously considering moving the Clownfish on (female is getting a tad too large for this sized tank), I had to come up with something that works with the bow-front/side canopy mountings.

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Thanks, Eugene. Not quite as elegant as yours, but since I'm seriously considering moving the Clownfish on (female is getting a tad too large for this sized tank), I had to come up with something that works with the bow-front/side canopy mountings.

 

Well its certainly more functional :happy: You did a great job especially considering those constraints.

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The original piece I had in place for years was just a 'lip' on the front to prevent the fish from leaping out there:

 

acryliclip_thumb.jpg

 

 

This one is new and was cut out of a 3/16" acrylic sheet and uses a very thin clear mesh, so there is vitually no light disruption into the tank. Since the mesh is so thin, I had to find something that would slide onto the acrylic top inner lip and also hold the mesh firmly in place. The solution was a 3' plastic strip used on the bottom of shower doors to reduce drippage (in this case one made for a 3/16" thick glass shower door). Those little 'thumb-tabs' that are seen standing up in front are what's left of a softer plastic lip designed to reduce water spillage and, cut out this way, they let me easily pull the mesh top out when necessary.

 

Yes, the whole canopy is hinged in the back to allow it to open over 90 degrees upwards for access, which is convenient :)

Like I said, very clever and ingenius!
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  • Nano sapiens changed the title to Nano Sapiens 12g - Ye Olde Mixed Reef
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