240 Inwall Construction (Image Intense)

[skinpuppi]

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[skinpuppi]

First post, but long time admirer.

What material did you use for the top of your stand? Is it what you would still recommend or have you seen another product that you would rather have used? If it is something not normally found at a hardware store, Where did you get it from?

 

[Stile2]

Joseph,

What do you use to light your Macro shots? I have a new Nikon D50 and am having trouble with the light on the macros.

Thanks
Keith

 

[weatherson]

McGinnis: Sorry for the delay but thank you.

skinpuppi reefer: The top of the stand is of .75" plywood. I used this for its lateral strength when used horizontally as the vertical strength of my stand was accomplished with the 2X4 and 4X4 structure beneath the top. In addition, I sealed the top well with several coats of a quality enamel paint. Here's a shot for reference...

Keith: Most of the macro shots are simply lighted with the tank lights but keep in mind, there's a lot of them (1250 W MH, 880 W VHO). Night shots are mostly with an LED flashlight.

Joseph

 

[tang_man_montreal]

Hey Joseph,
I'm not sure if you mentioned it recently, but what is your exact lighting setup right now? Ballasts, bulbs, etc...

 

[weatherson]

tang_man_montreal: The lighting is as follows...

Metal Halide - Five 250 Watt DE (1250 Watts total)
Phoenix 14K Kelvin DE bulbs
PFO DE Pendants
Ice Cap electronic ballasts

VHO Fluorescent - Eight 110 Watt 36.5" (880 Watts total)
URI Super Actinic (03) bulbs
Ice Cap electronic ballasts (two 660's)
One ballast on a Solar dimmer

Moonlights - Four 25 Watt blue "party lights"
Controlled by the AQII to simulate lunar solstice
and
Five LED blue on dedicated controller

Joseph

 

[DerekW]

Hey Joseph,
I was also looking at thelebos.com moonlights and lunar tracker. What do you think of the setup? Do feel you still need the party lights with them?
How Does the schedule compare to the AQII moonlight schedule?

Also, i was wondering how you oriented them, I assume between each of the 5 MH. I have 4 MH reflectors, on an 8' tank, and was thinking of using 5 of them.

 

[weatherson]

Derek: I highly recommend the Lobos led's and their controller. The light intensity variation matches exactly the AQII moonlights... as well they better. The only difference is that these are on 24/7 where as the AQII simulates the actual moonrise and set in addition. As far as setting the Lobos controller, you simply push the reset button at the time of a full moon (if you want to synchronize it to the actual moon in your area) and it does the rest. I do wish he'd have added some sort of button cover to prevent accidental resets as you have to wait for the next full moon to start the cycle again. Mounting the controller out of reach would achieve the same, I suppose.

I mounted the LED's on the 45-degree chamfered edge of the wall/header just above the front of the tank. This is a bit too close to the tank to get a good dispersion of light but it was much easier than attempting to mount them inside my lightbox. Not to mention that the heat inside would be a bit too much for them to handle. Here's a shot of one...

Joseph

 

[Psyire]

Cool moonlights. What are the dimensions of the black box?

 

[jwedehase]

From the link provided above (follow the "What size?" link):

Less than one square inch.

And Weatherson, you have to be careful with those macros... does that wall need another coat of paint, or is that salt creep?

 

[weatherson]

jwedehase: OK smarty pants. There's plenty of paint on that wall. That's actually salt "splash" from the incredible current in the tank and subsequent surface waves. It's also a textured, knock-down finish that I applied to match the rest of the room.

 

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6432710#post6432710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by weatherson
Derek: I highly recommend the Lobos led's and their controller. The light intensity variation matches exactly the AQII moonlights... as well they better. The only difference is that these are on 24/7 where as the AQII simulates the actual moonrise and set in addition. As far as setting the Lobos controller, you simply push the reset button at the time of a full moon (if you want to synchronize it to the actual moon in your area) and it does the rest. I do wish he'd have added some sort of button cover to prevent accidental resets as you have to wait for the next full moon to start the cycle again. Mounting the controller out of reach would achieve the same, I suppose.

Joseph

I agree with weatherson, the Lebos moonlights are awesome... I ordered a set from him about a year or so ago for my FW setup... I just placed another order that I should be getting any day now for a set for my 600gal...

 

[DerekW]

Did you just mount them with a stainless steel screw?

 

[DerekW]

Well, you pushed me over the edge, I bought one. :0

 

[asnatlas]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6435624#post6435624 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DerekW
Well, you pushed me over the edge, I bought one. :0

LOL, you will love them

 

[weatherson]

Derek: Yes, a single SS wood screw on each. Let us know what you think of them when you get them set up on your tank.

Joseph

 

[weatherson]

Some recent shots...

Joseph

 

[Airman]

Great photos!

 

[Stile2]

amazing as always!!

 

[The R/C Man]

I particularly like the last one... But they are all great!