Rhodes19
New member
Another option is to have it above the display tank if you have room in your hood. Then it can run off the main return line, eliminating the need for extra pump capacity.
Now there is an idea...

Another option is to have it above the display tank if you have room in your hood. Then it can run off the main return line, eliminating the need for extra pump capacity.
While some may think I've been resting on my laurels this week, I can happily say that, by the end of the weekend, my tank will have both an Arduino and LEDs on it.
I honestly don't think this is photo-worthy. It's an embarrassing cob-job. It's running 2 feet behind my head right now on my test bench. It's one of the massive Meanwell SP-320 DC power supplies I'll use on the final build, plus one of the 3xCAT4101 LED driver modules. The driver is being controlled by a Typhon controller. It's running 12 cool white Luxeon Rebels and 6 plain blue Luxeon Rebels. They're mounted, 6 each, on small CPU heatsinks which are then mounted to a single long narrow extruded heatsink (maybe 16" long) with two 12v DC fans.
The whole goal of this rig is to experiment. I chose the blend of LEDs because they produce a very neutral cool white color that'll go well with the temporary VHO lighting or on it's own. I don't have any royal blues in 3-up config or I would have used them. And, well, they were already mounted to heatsinks, sitting in my scrap bin, in this configuration.
My plan is to temporarily mount this cob-job in different locations, heights, and angles inside my hood, over the next few weeks, to get a real feel for how LEDs look on this tank. Then I'll (hopefully) be able to design and build a "final" fixture that'll have a predictable outcome, despite being a little unconventional. There are some very specific effects I want to create in the final build and I don't trust myself to do it without lots of experimentation first.
now you have to show a picture of this monstrosity.. :lolspin: ghetto rig?![]()
I'm looking forward to seeing your live-food culture setup, if you decide to go that route.
I will definitely be at least TRYING live food. Not sure if I will automate it in any way at this point. If I can get a stable culture, or at least a non-dangerous one, I'll think about it.
A "crash" where the culture dies and instead of dosing food to the tank, I dose decay and nutrients.