.Newman. Posted September 26, 2010 Share Posted September 26, 2010 yes the "drop the fixture" factor can happen to any light. I was just saying that it may be a cause for replacing the bulbs. i never said that higher quality bulbs go around $20 range. I just threw out a number that i saw one day when i was searching for MH lighting. Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted September 26, 2010 Author Share Posted September 26, 2010 yes the "drop the fixture" factor can happen to any light. I was just saying that it may be a cause for replacing the bulbs. i never said that higher quality bulbs go around $20 range. I just threw out a number that i saw one day when i was searching for MH lighting. Yeah, the lamp dip is certainly one of my nightmares. I have the hinges on my lamp backed up by wire wrapped around it and anchored under it's own weight as some added insurance. Link to comment
JBM Posted September 26, 2010 Share Posted September 26, 2010 Awesome! I'd like to see your build. What kind of drivers did you use? Do you have a build thread? i have a 24v 6a portans powersupply, 2 1000mA buckpucks. 6 royal blue, 4 cool white. no i dont have a build thread. all pictures are in my tank thread, somewhere around page 15. it was super easy (but then again i am a electrician/mechanic for con ed) Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 1, 2010 Author Share Posted October 1, 2010 In the lighting forum, I have updated my thread on designing a new light. Go check it out! Input welcome! Design #11 Link to comment
jdl Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Do you mean my old 18W Current Satellite? I wanted to do that a while ago for my pico, but this design is for my next aquarium. The 18 inch, 25 gallon Mr. Aqua cube. movin on up huh? sweet! im contemplating either a 10 or 20long aio diy build but prob not for a good while.. Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 3, 2010 Author Share Posted October 3, 2010 movin on up huh? sweet! im contemplating either a 10 or 20long aio diy build but prob not for a good while.. Cool! I've given the 20 long some serious consideration. Start your research! LOL. I decided to go with the cube because I want to put some serious effort into the rockwork, creating a pillar with overhang going 360 degrees around the pillar (think tall mushroom shape). I will attempt to maximize the open sandbed and coral space on the rock structure while hopefully leaving room for some fish to swim around in the middle. Darker space will be found under the overhang where I may eventually (after at least a year, maybe two of maturity) attempt to care for some azoos (sun coral/dendro?). Certian nems might prefer to stay in the shade too. That is the longterm vision. In the early phases of the tank, I'll be trying to cultivate some sort of zoa to grow all the way around the edge of the overhang, creating a ring. This will consist of probably only one type of zoanthid or palythoa. Maybe something high end like magicians or blue hornets, or perhaps yer everyday eagle eye/whammin' watermelon. In the midterm, I will make some sort of garden on top; maybe a bunch of branchy SPS. I think I'd also like to try some plates on the sand bed. Maybe like 3 to 5 of the same variety and perhaps a few acans (again, several of the same variety) around the base of the pillar if there's enough light down there. Don't fall off the pillar!! IEEE. Nom nom nom! Funny you brought up that quote about my old 18 watt PC. I was actually considering yesterday to maybe convert it into an LED build like the one Evil built about a year ago. After all the research and thought I've been putting into my upcoming LED build, it seems like it would be pretty easy to replicate. It could be like a practice model before building the big one. I could even take the materials I used in that build to supplement the big one (reuse the CREEs, drivers, fans, etc.) and just have to buy a few more LEDs and different heat sink. What do you want to do with your upgrade? Got any specific fish in mind? Us pico people don't really have that luxury, eh? It's certianly been one of my motivators behind planning an upgrade. ... On a side note, I'm going to the Manhattan Reefs frag swap next Sunday. I'm interested to see if I'm inspired by anything new. Perhaps my vision will change. Rapid LED will be there. Perhaps they will be selling cheap LEDs. This is my first frag swap. I can't wait to see what's in store. Link to comment
.Newman. Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 I think if you concentrate on just one type/color of zoa or coral to fill in a certain niche in your tank(ex. the ring around the overhang), that it would look real nice. Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 3, 2010 Author Share Posted October 3, 2010 Thanks! I'm trying to go for a unique design that comes close to nature. I love zoas and their great variety, but I doubt that there are many places in the ocean where you will find 27 types of zoanthid from 12 different spots on the globe in a few square feet of rock. Now finding the will power to stick with only 1 type of zoa will be a challenge, but I figure I'll shoot big and see what I can do. I think it would be cool to put out a WTB add for say, Tub's Blue, and collect them from different reefers around the area. I imagine that since everyone has different lights, they will all look slightly different. Then, I wonder how long it would take for them to all morph into looking the same. Link to comment
jdl Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 wow man that sounds amazing. really digging the pillar scaping. i dont really have a plan for when i upgrade.... just would like to have more space and more powerful lighting. i was mainly thinking of transplanting my pico into the new tank. i feel that im am a bit overcrowded at the moment. i think i would leave the pico up and make it a xenia only tank. i sorta have a love/really hate relationship with xenia. as fish goes....well i live in south florida and to be honest i can go out in my backyard and see just about every tropical fish in the carribbean. (i know im spoiled), so im pretty over fish except for gobies, and i kinda like cardinals... when i started this hobby i went with a pico for a few reasons: price, limited space, and not sure how sucessful or interested in the hobby i would be down the line. ive been pretty sucessful for a year now. the only thing i have lost is an astrea snail which crawled out on its own. so i think i have a minuscule grasp on this reefing thing (knock on wood). so to make a long run on nonsense sentence short i just wanna expand. Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 4, 2010 Author Share Posted October 4, 2010 To illustrate the idea, here's a rough sketch. Hopefully, you can read the text. Link to comment
.Newman. Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 h/o are you going to make this a symmetrical, and orderly structure/design? Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 5, 2010 Author Share Posted October 5, 2010 No, I won't be perfect and I want it to look natural, but also look like a beautiful once in a million accident of nature. This is just a rough idea. The rock structure will be made out of dry rock, drilled and held together with acrylic rod. There's no telling how it will end up looking in the end, but this is my basic model. I figure if I can get two rocks that are more or less the shape of volcanoes and stack one on top of the other, that I should be able to get this basic shape. I heard that Macro Rocks can accommodate specific requests and try to do their best to find the rocks you want before sending them to you. I think they even take pictures for your approval. Link to comment
jdl Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 check out the garf site they might be what you need... Link to comment
.Newman. Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 that is what i expected, it should look great I take things too literally sometimes Link to comment
markandstaci Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 That rock structure will look awesome. Acans would do great underneath this thing... they hardly need any light (as I'm currently finding out with my acans bleaching). Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 5, 2010 Author Share Posted October 5, 2010 check out the garf site they might be what you need... Wow! They have neat stuff. Thanks for sharing. I didn't know about these guys. Their site layout is a bit archaic though. Yeesh. that is what i expected, it should look great I take things too literally sometimes Thanks! That rock structure will look awesome. Acans would do great underneath this thing... they hardly need any light (as I'm currently finding out with my acans bleaching). Thanks! ..and.. D'oh! Good luck with your acans! I'll have to keep that in mind for the future. Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 6, 2010 Author Share Posted October 6, 2010 Hello All, I realized that it's been a while since I posted a FTS or any updates on my Picotope. I've been busy planning my upcoming tank. There haven't been many changes. I've just kinda been letting my tank recover from the mini cycle. My one slight loss, was the Birdsnest that started suffering from RTN during the mess, but that seems to have stopped. It's holding on by a string now, but still making it. I gotta say it was discouraging to see my tank take a dive, but I'm really glad I kept up with my water changes and maintenance. It was boring, but really paid off! So, here's a FTS from today: My corals are really starting to plump up and are looking better than they did even before the crash. I think this might be due to my new photo-cycle that you may have read about. Check out my GSP. I've never seen it sway in the current before. The polyps used to always just come out enough to show the star and you could clearly see the purple mat in between the polyps (Image 2010.08.09, just before the crash). Now it's thick and bushy! Check out the improvement on the Magicians. Still not as bright as they were pre-crash, but looking much better than they did two weeks ago when they opened for the first time in a month. I can see the sparkle coming back. On a final note. I saw something fun today. WAAAAAAAAAY back in November 2009, I posted a video to the ID Forum about a worm I found. It moved like nothing I've ever seen before. I never got an positive ID, and never saw it again, but today it was out and about eleven months later! Here's the original video from 2009.11.19: It was crawling around during the algae phase of my cycle near my GSP hitchhikers. Here it was today crawling on the glass. What a funny little guy. Link to comment
.Newman. Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 i remember i had these in my pico too. they like to travel backwards to change direction, i noticed...really fast! Link to comment
BigRok Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Glad you made it through okay! Hope the birdsnest makes a speedy recovery. Link to comment
PirateJing Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Im glad everything is going well for you mr microscope. Pico is looking good! I also hope your birdsnest makes a quick recovery! Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 6, 2010 Author Share Posted October 6, 2010 i remember i had these in my pico too. they like to travel backwards to change direction, i noticed...really fast! Ha! Yes, that is it exactly. They move forward with caution, but then go backwards really fast when they decide they don't like what's in front of them. It seems like they'd sure get around much faster if they just traveled backwards. Glad I'm not the only one to have seen them. Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 7, 2010 Author Share Posted October 7, 2010 Today's post to the Coral Forum: Hornet prices really falling Link to comment
jdl Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 check out the garf site they might be what you need... yeah it is annoying...they have some really crazy stuff to read if you have time to dig through it all.. Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 8, 2010 Author Share Posted October 8, 2010 Another post today to the Coral Forum: Check out my color-morph! Link to comment
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