My freshwater planted nano tank project
Discussion
I've actually added a second LED light to supplement the Beamswork, which I felt was slightly too dim on its own - although I have gradually decided that the two lights together are too much and I'm now using the LED controller to scale them back to about 60-70%. The result is a nice even spread of light. The second light is an Interpet unit - I think it's the same one that otolith is using on his tank if you look back nearer the beginning of this thread.
The controller I'm using is this one. It does the job, and allows you to limit the maximum brightness as well as ramping the brightness up or down at the ends of the photo period, with a configurable length of fade up/down.
It has three channels so it can control three lights independently if you want, with different timing and brightness. You could program the fading of each channel to achieve a smooth transition.
The downside of this controller is that you can only have one lighting period per channel per day. I wanted to have both lights come on together, but to have two lighting periods, with a very dim period in the morning that's just enough to wake the fish up so I can feed them but not bright enough to cause algae. I achieved this with a bit of soldering - I wired both lights in parallel so that they are powered from both channel 1 and channel 2 of the controller together. I then programmed channel 1 as the main photo period in the evening at 70%, and programmed channel 2 for early morning at 5%.
The controller I'm using is this one. It does the job, and allows you to limit the maximum brightness as well as ramping the brightness up or down at the ends of the photo period, with a configurable length of fade up/down.
It has three channels so it can control three lights independently if you want, with different timing and brightness. You could program the fading of each channel to achieve a smooth transition.
The downside of this controller is that you can only have one lighting period per channel per day. I wanted to have both lights come on together, but to have two lighting periods, with a very dim period in the morning that's just enough to wake the fish up so I can feed them but not bright enough to cause algae. I achieved this with a bit of soldering - I wired both lights in parallel so that they are powered from both channel 1 and channel 2 of the controller together. I then programmed channel 1 as the main photo period in the evening at 70%, and programmed channel 2 for early morning at 5%.
Yes, those Interpet lights are still running on the cube.
For the big tank, I binned the original Juwel T5 lightbar and flaps and bought one of these Arcadia over tank units;
http://www.swelluk.com/arcadia-classica-otl-led-li...
Not cheap for the size I needed, but very pleased with it.
For the big tank, I binned the original Juwel T5 lightbar and flaps and bought one of these Arcadia over tank units;
http://www.swelluk.com/arcadia-classica-otl-led-li...
Not cheap for the size I needed, but very pleased with it.
Gorgeous tanks. I've got an empty fluval 125, with a spare filter and Co2 injection gear sat in the corner of the dining room gathering dust, I had planned on setting up a planted tank but life got in the way! I got as far as converting the light fitting to take T5HO tubes rather than T8's (just a case of swapping the plug end caps, new electronic ballast and you can use Juwel length tubes without cutting the body of the light holder 
)
Can't wait to crack on with it, need to finish welding up my BMW and tiling the bathroom first though before I'm allowed more toys hehe
)Can't wait to crack on with it, need to finish welding up my BMW and tiling the bathroom first though before I'm allowed more toys hehe
Here's mine, it was my mum's old tank that was just gathering dust so I pilfered it. I don't like the curved corners at the front as you can feel the imperfections in the front glass and it distorts things somewhat. It had a hood with T5's but I ditched that and got a piece of glass cut to spec for a lid.
Not sure how healthy my plants are!
What's the deal with water agitation? I think Turn7 said you want good agitation but I've read this can result in CO2 deficiency?
Not sure how healthy my plants are!
What's the deal with water agitation? I think Turn7 said you want good agitation but I've read this can result in CO2 deficiency?
Heh heh. Houdini shrimps!! In my larger tank, the Amanos always try to climb up my hand/arm to freedom whenever I am up to my biceps doing things in there.
Just found my first baby RCS in my tiny nano tank. Spotted one in the Java moss, and another in the extracted tank water which I was just about to clean filter media in!!! I think it came out of the filter media rather then up the siphon as I had checked the siphoned water before I put the filter cartridge in to clean
Real sod to catch - tiny, quick and quite colourless. Ended up slowly pouring the water from the bucket to another container through a fine net until I got the little beggar, then popped him back in the tank over the Java moss.
Hope he will not become and expensive snack for the CPDs.
Just found my first baby RCS in my tiny nano tank. Spotted one in the Java moss, and another in the extracted tank water which I was just about to clean filter media in!!! I think it came out of the filter media rather then up the siphon as I had checked the siphoned water before I put the filter cartridge in to clean
Real sod to catch - tiny, quick and quite colourless. Ended up slowly pouring the water from the bucket to another container through a fine net until I got the little beggar, then popped him back in the tank over the Java moss.
Hope he will not become and expensive snack for the CPDs.
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