DaveSamsell
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Posts posted by DaveSamsell
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16 hours ago, Bill Smith said:
THE "ELECTRICAL BOX"
I use that term loosely.
My idea here is to protect all the connections from the weather as much as possible by tucking them into a small makeshift box, and then daisy-chaining the boxes from one planter to the next, hiding them as well as possible while protecting them from the elements.
After some testing, I settled on these "Tupperware"-style boxes from the dollar store. They were three for a buck.
I then did some testing and fitting with some electrical parts that I had, ordered a couple more, and when I had my plan, I used a soldering iron to melt some holes in the box: two big ones in front for the cords to exit the box, and about five smaller ones in the back that will act as "air holes" to prevent condensation. I also cut through the plastic from the rim downward to each of the two bigger holes:
To help hide it, I next spray painted the box on the inside with flat black paint. Painting it on the inside helps ensure that I won't scuff off streaks of paint if the box slides around on a rough surface.
After that, I gathered my parts (these are non-affiliate links):
1. 200 watt heater ($14): This size seemed overkill, until I remembered that I would want the heater to occasionally compensate for an ambient temperature as low as 40-45 degrees. The cost was about $3 more than the 100-watt, so why not?
2. USB nano pump ($9): This will power my hot-rodded Jehmco round box filter.
3. USB adapter ($4.50): I selected this one because the ports are on the SIDE of the block, not the top. That's uncommon and a space-saver.
4. Cube tap ($2.50): For fitting several plugs in a tight space.
5. 8 foot polarized power cords ($2.50): Actually I only need one per planter, but each of the cords are shared between two planters: the inlet AND outlet of each cord goes into a box. These are not rated for outdoor use, but all connections will be in the box, and I have some plans to protect the cords themselves. I chose this kind of braided cord for its color, price, and the fact that it was a flat plug (space saver). Grounded three-prong cords are not necessary.
(I will be dealing with lighting as a separate part of this project.)
Next, I laid out everything and plugged in all the components.
Then I took everything out to my garage and placed it all in the black box, with two cords sharing each of the larger holes. The smaller holes will be facing downward in the finished project, and will allow air exchange to prevent condensation.
I lightly superglued the lid on. I may have to destroy the box to get inside it, but that's why I source parts at the dollar store!
I'm going to try for some sort of drip-looping. But in case I can't do it across the board, I decided to silicone the cords as they pass through the holes, preventing water from seeping in at this point.
Electrical box complete! Tomorrow, I hope to work on mounting it to the first planter. Lots of hot glue in my evening!
Thanks for reading,
Bill
Bill, am always amazed of the many uses of hot glue. The project is indeed progressing. 😊
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37 minutes ago, Pete said:
To piggyback on the topic of Pogos, can I propagate them by cutting off the new growth and replanting, or will they send out runners like val does?
Pete,
They are a stem plant. You can cut & replant. 😊
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2 minutes ago, Streetwise said:
I want a graduated strainer or slow centrifuge to separate duckweed, snails, and shrimp fry.
Now that would be interesting. 😊
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8 minutes ago, Sliceofnature said:
I had a bunch of expanded clay media left over so i decided to add some bucket planters for hydroponic veggies.
Then used some more airline tubing to connect a second layer of drip irrigation to the buckets. So far its working out very nicely.
Very nice set-up. Neat & clean looking. 😊
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5 minutes ago, Daniel said:
Dave, Dave, Dave, again with the fish. If we can stop aging in vertebrates (read 'Humans') with this product under our belts we could buy out Musk, and Zuckerberg, and Brin and Page. And again put @Cory in charge and he would finally have to resources to sell fish online (even to Canada).
Maybe we can tap into Juan Ponce de León's principles of the Fountain of Youth to solve this caper? 😊
Perhaps @Cory will figure out the cure someday. I think that's half the battle with things, one needs a sincere & true interest in the hobby to begin with, like Cory.
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@Sunny Doan, Sounds like the plants are adapting after a bit of time. That ph should be fine, IMO. My Pogo plants grow like weeds in my hard water. Very fast growth. From my experience, they do like water on the harder side, it seems.
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4 minutes ago, Bay Area Aquatics said:
An extra aquarium light or something will work as well, but the photo/video lights are usually more intense. If I take pictures of fish in the tank, I place the LED panel on the lid... just for extra light.
Excellent. Thank you. 😊
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1 minute ago, Bay Area Aquatics said:
The keyword you're looking for is Macro.
Your cell phone can take great photographs, but what most people lack is lighting. Getting something like a small LED panel (https://amzn.to/3jVZXn1 is the one I have) to help pump light in is great. If you're doing photos for fish for shipping or sale, I recommend netting and putting them in something like this (https://amzn.to/339zU5Z this is what I use) and setting the LED panel on top and using your phone to take pictures that way. Limits how much they can swim and pumps lots of light!
Thank you very much. Very helpful information. 😊
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@pedrofisk How about aquarium water that stops the aging process of fish??? 🤔
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Michael,
@Bay Area Aquatics What is a good camera for taking close ups of aquarium fish? Was always interested in photography, but never really got into that hobby. Thanks. 😊
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Just now, Michael's Fish Room said:
I KNEW IT! LOL
Plus, I live in a small town called, Moscow, as well. 😊
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6 hours ago, Michael's Fish Room said:
Thanks Dave!
Blue Moscows are cool! Are you just a fan of the "moscow" or just like blue?
Mike, I would have to say both. 😊
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On 7/25/2020 at 10:49 PM, Streetwise said:
I visited my folks to add some snowball shrimp to the tubs. I went into the woods and found some dried moss that had fallen off some rocks for lack of moisture. New home in a 3.5:
The more I look at these smaller aquariums, the more interesting they become to me. Very nice....😎
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18 minutes ago, gcalberto said:
True, exotic fish being released into the wild is a huge problem in and of itself, unfortunately
Or should the title be "Man modified by fish"? 🤔
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1 hour ago, Lynze said:
Has anyone done anything interesting with Subwassertang? I have a big clump of it and I'd like to take half of it and attach to something. I have to leave the other half in my Betta tank, because he uses it as a big fluffy pillow.
Anyone have any creative ideas or photos of their Subwassertang?
I had some awhile back. It really likes low light. Mine was basically free floating, but did place some on a log in one of my aquariums. It is very hardy. Hope this helps. 😊
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3 hours ago, Daniel said:
Holy poop! I think I just got banned
I promise! No more pictures of cats.
Yes, that was strange. Perhaps too much internet traffic.
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I like to do experiments, modifications and build things, in general. Having said that, I would like to share one with you.
*** Note: All information presented herein is for informational use only. For safety reasons, do not imitate. ***
Some of my aquariums have a fairly strong water flow that can make feeding time, for the fish, a bit difficult.
My foods for the fish are often times, of fine particles, and it doesn't take much water movement to make a mess.
Many filtration systems don't have adjustable flow outputs.
So I was thinking, how about adjusting the power input?
By using a variable transformer, I can limit the amount of voltage fed to each aquarium filter. It comes in handy during maintenance, feeding, etc. The filter simply plugs into the the transforming unit.
The water can be slowed down to a trickle and then turned back up, when I wish, or simply left at a lower rate of flow.
It is a lot easier than unplugging each filter individually and hoping they don't lose water prime.
In the United States, 120 (volts alternating current) VAC is the common household voltage. Plus or minus a few volts of course (dependent on many factors, of which I won't get into right now).
You can see, by turning the variable dial, the input voltage is decreasing, thereby, slowing the water flow.
And, a bit lower....
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13 minutes ago, RovingGinger said:
If we look back further, altering nature has always been a part of what we do. Landscapes, agriculture, corn, bonsai trees, potted plants, aquariums, animal domestication, pest control... all starting at least a few hundred years ago. Most of those were low-or-no tech changes (wiring a tree, moving trees and boulders, rotating crops, breeding corn, etc) but some have still been disastrous (introducing wildlife to Australia or Hawaii).
I don't have a real moral line in the sand here myself but I think it's interesting that it seems to be in our nature to mess with nature. 🤷♀️
I agree. Many people try to play 'God' , at many levels. Unfortunately, money is often the driving factor.
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Hi Michael,
Good to see you. Welcome aboard. Love your videos, BTW. 😊
Favorite Guppy: Blue Moscow.
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Very nice article, Mick. 👍
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13 hours ago, Daniel said:
My first tanks had box filters, I remember filter floss and charcoal. Penn Plax made them maybe? Seems like you must had those a one point? Very ingenious!
No, never had a box filter, until I DIY'ed this one.
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A Comparison:
Many things in "societal evolution" are not pure. As an example, look at the GMO's, antibiotics & many other chemicals added just to our world's food supply. I feel, just like the unknown long-term effects on fish with it's specific research & implementation, the other shoe still hasn't dropped on the effects on us, with our possible health concerns. Just because technology can accomplish a task, doesn't necessarily mean it was the best choice.
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2 minutes ago, Craiger said:
I don't want to sound like an Aquarium Co-OP fanboy, but I ♥️ the Ziss Brine Shrimp hatchery. I used my DIY brine shrimp hatchery forever and and after many tweeks I felt it was quite handy. The Ziss is just better in so many ways. The removable lid makes adding water, salt, baking soda and brine eggs a breeze. The stiff tubing, that provides the air flow, allows me to rotate the lid and aim the air tube to dislodge any brine shrimp eggs that might stick on the side. The screw in bottom drain design is FANTASTIC. My only criticism, and it is a big one, is the stand. The stand is solid, but the space between the legs is to narrow, and the legs are to short to access the drain screw. Below is a couple pictures of how I adjusted for my ease of use... on a scale of 1-10, it is a solid 9+. I think it is well worth the $$$$
I
Thanks for the review. Am seriously considering purchasing one. 😊
Keeping a tank cycled
in General Discussion
Posted
I keep a lot of snails in mine. 😊