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DaveSamsell

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Everything posted by DaveSamsell

  1. DaveSamsell
    ⚡ ⚡ Do you use surge protection and\or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets or other devices for your aquarium electrical equipment?
  2. DaveSamsell
    Daniel, I remember going to carnivals as a kid and winning a ping pong ball toss game. The prize, a little water bowl with a live Guppy in it. 😊. Good memories..
  3. DaveSamsell
    How about an automatic, ultrasonic biofilm/algae scraper. With fully adjustable parameters not to damage silicone seals, remove programmed levels of layers of build-up & an alert when completed. Well, at least I can dream.. 🤔😏
  4. DaveSamsell
    My experiences with Aquabid have been very favorable. Have received, across the United States, shipments in excellent condition. Be selective & don't settle on something, just to make a purchase. Take your time, look around.
  5. DaveSamsell
    I tried that method a couple of times, but proved to be disadvantageous. Unknowingly, one of my tanks KH & PH was dropping, fairly quickly, with only moderate nitrate readings. It takes only a few minutes more of testing to see the full picture I suppose.
  6. DaveSamsell
    Yes, 1/2" is definitely snug. I used multiple drill bits, leading up to 1/2" (since that was the largest bit I had available). I have some manual tools here and then used a hand reamer to widen the opening a little bit on mine, for ease of use. It's not an exact science, of course, but worked well with form, fit & functionality.
  7. DaveSamsell
    Hey that stand looks great. 😊. I know what you mean about dumping the test tubes. Am sure the stands will help the both of us. 👍
  8. DaveSamsell
    Hi Daniel, It works by preventing the test tubes from tipping over, when filled with liquid. Each tube is fully removeable. My testing area stays much dryer, now. 😊
  9. DaveSamsell
    Was tired of dumping the liquid test tubes. So, I constructed a personalized, DIY test stand.
  10. DaveSamsell
    Hi Bill, Estimating on the high side, my Nano pumps draw about 150 ma or .150 Amps on average. So, if you multiply 5 volts x .150 Amps = .75 watts or 3/4 watt (not sure if you can see the decimal). Note: Each pump may vary, of course. Personally, I would at least double or triple the wattage requirement as a safeguard. In other words, a 2 to 3 watt source should be able to power the pump only, quite easily.
  11. DaveSamsell
    All, A study of Ohm's & Watt's law would also be beneficial, to fully understand what principles are being dealt with. I feel the charger is more than capable, but where the issue might be is the "pulsed" direct current, from the solar panel, through circuitry. The inherent design of the charger is, of course, to charge a battery. By adding anything else, besides a rechargeable battery to the chargers output, would simply be experimentation.
  12. DaveSamsell
    Bill, Most of the newer solar chargers I've researched have the "pulsed/smart technology" , built-in & microprocessor controlled. So,adjusting the pulsed direct current output from the solar charger would not be practical. The true engineering of the charger is just that; to recharge a compliant battery. Will have to look some more. There possibly is yet still a charger of more simplicity out there for our application. If not: Maybe one way around it would be by having two of these chargers. By only using the pump on a charger (non-dependant) of the solar panels. I.E. Covering up the solar panels & using the stored power from the fully charged internal battery only to a certain discharge level. Then, once the battery is low, just swap in the other new, fully charged unit. Charge the disconnected, depleted solar pack, simply by the sun exposure. Then repeat, etc. Would require swapping chargers every "so many days", but it's an option, with a free recharge, compliments of the sun.
  13. DaveSamsell
    Hi Bill, Seen the video and that is surely weak. I have a few ideas\questions. - Did you fully charge the battery last night manually? - How about trying a different output port for the pump. - If you have another Nano pump, try to swap it out. - Try covering a solar panel, one at a time and note the results of the pump. - Make sure there are no clogs in the line. - If using an airstone, try removing it. - Was the output ever much better, regarding bubbles while charging in the sun? If so, what changed? - If the bubble output was always this way, perhaps there's an incompatibility between the charger & pump. I.E. Too much alternating current pulses for a direct current device (pump), etc. - Is the Nano pump warm or hot in operation? It shouldn't be. Keep us advised. Thanks. 👍
  14. DaveSamsell
    Hot-rodding a new AquaClear 20 for an aquarium. 🛠️ This is how I personally break up the giant Wonder-shell. Safety glasses are MANDATORY... 🚩 Made a DIY algae scraper from a bit of hardware laying around. Used an old ice scraper with a home-brew swivel mount. Carbon fiber rod. 👀 Converted the algae scraper into a scrubber, with one of the Co-Op's foam pads. 👌 Made the handle a good length to keep my hands dry. 👏 Customized an ordinary bucket into a "fish-room-only bucket". Made a bracket in the basement ceiling for hanging it out of the way. 🧺 Maybe I'll do some traveling, in the future. ✈️
  15. DaveSamsell
    David, I agree. Bill is devoting much time & effort. It's an interesting experiment. That is one of the great aspects of fish-keeping; the folks are very helpful. 😊
  16. DaveSamsell
    Hi Bill, Sounds about right. With the solar panels no longer providing power, the unit switched over to its internal battery for output. The pulsations are a somewhat newer "Pulse Technology" that is supposed to recondition and\or maintain a battery (if you were charging one). But rather you have the USB Nano pump as the load instead. I was reading some specs on this charger. Under full sun, it should easily power the pump & still be charging the battery as well. It should do well for you. Depending on how this test goes, maybe you can experiment with multiple pumps running at the same time. I.E. Additional load testing, etc. Or put a chiller fan on the Daphnia tub, using one of the chargers outputs. Lots of possibilities. 🤔
  17. DaveSamsell
    Bill, Am thinking the unit is either a Lithium Polymer or Lithium Ion design. Charge rates are usually expressed in a "C" rating. An example would be "1C". This means that a battery should be able to be charged at an amperage charge rate equal to the battery rated capacity. Often times, the charge rate is much, much less, for safety. Where people get into trouble is by overcharging or charging at a higher current level, than what is safe. Personally, I would never charge a lithium battery beyond a "1C" rate. It appears that charge regulation, from the sun to the internal battery, is automatically done with this charger. Also, often times, with lithium batteries there are 'sense' lines, because the battery itself is made up of individual cells that need to be monitored, charged individually and evenly. Not all batteries are advanced designs tough. In the electronics repair world, it is referred to as "cell balancing" Lithium batteries are very volatile, especially if the lithium is exposed to oxygen. I.E. battery is dropped, damaged, cracked open, overcharged, etc. In addition, lithium batteries typically, don't like to be "stored" for long periods of time, fully charged. Roughly 40% - 60% is best for storage. Also, they don't like to be run down low either. If they are run down too low, there is a point where the battery won't recover. So, they are a little tricky, but can deliver a lot of power. Just my $0.02 on the matter.
  18. DaveSamsell
    Hi Bill, Really seems like a nice test of the unit. If I am understanding it correctly, they are rating the charged internal battery at a capacity of 26800mah? Would probably be much less than that for many reasons. Loss, efficiency, duty cycle, etc. I measured the current consumption of one of my USB Nano pumps at it draws about 120ma or .120 Amps equivalent, under load with about 5 feet of tubing, check valve & air stone attached. So doing quick math: The pump should run on a fully charged battery approx 223 hours without the aid of the sun. Now, again, that is in theory. It will be less that that. This is all assuming that the battery is rated at a true 26800 mah. Every Nano airpump will probably draw slightly different amounts of current, dependent on installation factors. If I had to guess, and it's only a guess, I would go with about 70% efficiency and it might run about 155 hours or 6.5 days of continuous operation, from the battery alone, at the stated current consumption. All ideas/information presented herein are my opinion.
  19. DaveSamsell
    Just having some fun: 😊 I like to make it easy on myself & my fish, by using quality products sold/carried by the Co-Op. Here are some aquarium products I have purchased and like to use; also of which the fish have enjoyed not only on Holidays, but throughout the year as well. Thanks for making the hobby easier & more enjoyable.
  20. DaveSamsell
    Hi Pete. Nice to meet you.😊 Personally, I don't consider any snails as "pests", but they get a bad reputation sometimes. Often, it might be from over-feeding & now there are a bunch, etc, in one's aquarium. Snails helped my aquariums a lot. Bladder & pond snails are great also. I like the MTS because they burrow into the substrate. I also have Nerites for eating the green spot algae & some Mystery snails for other benefits. But to answer your question: These particular MTS's pictured are from Aquabid.
  21. DaveSamsell
    Just adding some new Malaysian Trumpet Snails to the aquariums.
  22. DaveSamsell
    Streewise, What is the total wattage consumption that is needed? I feel that to be looking for a device such as this, one would need to know their power requirements, first.
  23. DaveSamsell
    Hi Bill, Nice to meet you.... I used a USB 2.0 mating connector and viewed the pin diagram on the internet for observing the proper wires to use. Also, proper direct current (dc) voltage polarity must be observed. There are 2 data lines (which will not be used) & 2 power lines which were used. Do a search on the connector and you will see what I mean. BTW, the pump, I would imagine is only rated for 5 volts, USB voltages and I definitely would NOT use higher input voltages. What might help is having higher current capable batteries, for longer run times, etc. With the above mentioned batteries fully charged, I can operate the pump for about 12 hours minimum. Of course, the above information is provided "as-is" and any personal experimentation is at your own risk.
  24. DaveSamsell
    I quickly made a small device for emergency/portable use for my USB nano air-pump. Had spare parts laying around and did some soldering. Can use 4 high capacity rechargeable size AA 2800 mah NiMh batteries, for the necessary input voltage required by the pump. Works great and now made multiple units, one for each aquarium. Just plugs in and it didn't cost me anything to build.
  25. DaveSamsell
    I feed the aquariums once per day. One day would be a Repashy product, the next day Xtreme Krill flakes with some Hikari sinking algae wafers and the following day just protein pellets & a Banquet food block. Of course, it really depends on the exact fish and livestock you are keeping. That will determine what is fed. Personally, I place all "opened" food in the freezer and just take out what is needed for that day.
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