Home Office 40B AIO "Letterkenny" Build
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OP
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ScubaSnacks
Active Member
While I'm waiting on parts to make the sensor pod for the controller, I decided to get a start on adding a third light. Right now I have reasonable LPS par levels if I am to believe the BRS study on the 40B with 2x AI Prime 16 HDs, but maybe as a result of my scape, there are a lot of shadows. I'm hoping adding a 3rd light will bump me up to SPS levels on the top of the reef, while reducing shadows for the rest.
I've been putting this off because directly in the center back of the tank is where the skimmer is and it is too tight of a space for the mount. I could mount from the ceiling, but I don't really want to do that. Instead I guess I'll design my own.
I bought an extra AI Prime 16 HD mount and I'll reuse most of the pieces. For the tank mount part, it has 2 (arguably 1) critical feature which is the anchor holes, and the alignment key. I pulled dimensions from that, and then found the screws that come with it are M4 and I have M4 anchors which measure 4 mm x 6 mm. Those will melt into the tank side of the mount, The rest is up to my imagination. I have 2 screws mounting the front and the back of the bracket. I decided on M5 for those with the melt in anchors on the grey part above. It has a spot for a nylon nut which I can use to tighten a nylon machine screw against the glass.
Nylon nut and bolt are supposed to come tomorrow, so I decided to print some test pieces for fit checks and to see how it goes together. After this test I put a 2 deg angle on the face connecting the front and back to give it a bit of a pinch and rounded some edges to make it look less ugly. Here's about how it will look at the back of the tank.
And here's a closer view of the components (ignore the cable messes).
This is part 1 of what I forsee as a 3 part lighting series. I still have to design similar mounts for the left and the right that offset ~2 in from where they are today, and finally buy the light and get it set up.
I've been putting this off because directly in the center back of the tank is where the skimmer is and it is too tight of a space for the mount. I could mount from the ceiling, but I don't really want to do that. Instead I guess I'll design my own.
I bought an extra AI Prime 16 HD mount and I'll reuse most of the pieces. For the tank mount part, it has 2 (arguably 1) critical feature which is the anchor holes, and the alignment key. I pulled dimensions from that, and then found the screws that come with it are M4 and I have M4 anchors which measure 4 mm x 6 mm. Those will melt into the tank side of the mount, The rest is up to my imagination. I have 2 screws mounting the front and the back of the bracket. I decided on M5 for those with the melt in anchors on the grey part above. It has a spot for a nylon nut which I can use to tighten a nylon machine screw against the glass.
Nylon nut and bolt are supposed to come tomorrow, so I decided to print some test pieces for fit checks and to see how it goes together. After this test I put a 2 deg angle on the face connecting the front and back to give it a bit of a pinch and rounded some edges to make it look less ugly. Here's about how it will look at the back of the tank.
And here's a closer view of the components (ignore the cable messes).
This is part 1 of what I forsee as a 3 part lighting series. I still have to design similar mounts for the left and the right that offset ~2 in from where they are today, and finally buy the light and get it set up.
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OP
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ScubaSnacks
Active Member
I did, but waiting for some time to pass and the guinea pigs to help resolve any bugs or quality concerns.
I'm in the dreaming phase for upgrading to a 4'. I figure with 3 of the primes, I can move to a T5 hybrid for the least cost.
OP
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ScubaSnacks
Active Member
Time for Part 2 of the lighting saga while I (im)patiently wait for sensors to show up. I had a heck of a time getting everything to print this weekend, and they looked like garbage so I spent the better part of last evening sanding and flame polishing to maybe a satin finish. They still don't look great so I'll probably refine the models and when the printer is cooperating, I'll make final copies. These will work for the time being:
New light, shade, and the nylon grub screws come in this week. Hopefully by next weekend I'll be running on 3!
New light, shade, and the nylon grub screws come in this week. Hopefully by next weekend I'll be running on 3!
OP
OP
ScubaSnacks
Active Member
So this is a long overdue update. First, one of the new additions brought BJD to the party and passed it to a few friends. I was able to get it cleared up with Cipro but not after losing about 6 heads and finally recovering from the nutrient spike.
On the bright side (pun intended) the third light is installed and looks great. I have it on acclimation mode but will probably keep the sides around 60% to not nuke the euphyllia.
The controller project continues. By that I mean I'm procrastinating the sensors because I loathe crimping and soldering wires. I finished the pegboardesque mounting system which took days of printing.
Then made a frame out of aluminum extrusion and printed more mounting parts.
And then after an embarrassingly long time untangling wires, it is installed.
Tank is mostly cleared up from the last of the cyano on the sand, but still looking pretty good. I'll start stocking SPS once I get nitrates to hold at 5 and phosphates at .04.
On the bright side (pun intended) the third light is installed and looks great. I have it on acclimation mode but will probably keep the sides around 60% to not nuke the euphyllia.
The controller project continues. By that I mean I'm procrastinating the sensors because I loathe crimping and soldering wires. I finished the pegboardesque mounting system which took days of printing.
Then made a frame out of aluminum extrusion and printed more mounting parts.
And then after an embarrassingly long time untangling wires, it is installed.
Tank is mostly cleared up from the last of the cyano on the sand, but still looking pretty good. I'll start stocking SPS once I get nitrates to hold at 5 and phosphates at .04.
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adamhicks198818
Community Member
Very nice tank great job
adamhicks198818
Community Member
Wish mine was this nice haha
OP
OP
ScubaSnacks
Active Member
Small update today. I was on work travel last week so I didn't make too much progress. The weather wasn't great this weekend so I spent a few hours finishing the cables, designing and printing the top for the sensor box, assembly, and adding a little flair.
I decided to name it Tagner Reef. My surname is Wagner and my wife's is Tanno and our friends call us the Tagners so I made a badge for the controller to break up the teal monotony. I still have to program and configure it, but I'm waiting on some BNC extension cords to get the probes installed. Optical level sensors need to be potted and they can be installed. I'm guessing I'll be up and running sometime next week.
While I was on the plane, I was reading about someone that made a light controller that tracked the weather at an actual reef... I want that. If anyone has a lead on the Mobius/AI API it would be greatly appreciated, though if there is anything I can provide this forum, it's probably reverse engineering the API.
If I can get it to work, I'll for sure post a time lapse (and my code) so others can see and replicate if interested.
That's all for this week!
I decided to name it Tagner Reef. My surname is Wagner and my wife's is Tanno and our friends call us the Tagners so I made a badge for the controller to break up the teal monotony. I still have to program and configure it, but I'm waiting on some BNC extension cords to get the probes installed. Optical level sensors need to be potted and they can be installed. I'm guessing I'll be up and running sometime next week.
While I was on the plane, I was reading about someone that made a light controller that tracked the weather at an actual reef... I want that. If anyone has a lead on the Mobius/AI API it would be greatly appreciated, though if there is anything I can provide this forum, it's probably reverse engineering the API.
If I can get it to work, I'll for sure post a time lapse (and my code) so others can see and replicate if interested.
That's all for this week!
BBarry
Community Member
Looks great man. Just started cycling my IM 15 cube yesterday.
I am going to end up replacing my tank. It's bowing. Sucks because it's not even 2 years old. I think I'm going to get their 50 Lagoon to replace the 40.... sucks that I basically have to start over but at least I've learned a lot along the way.
I am going to end up replacing my tank. It's bowing. Sucks because it's not even 2 years old. I think I'm going to get their 50 Lagoon to replace the 40.... sucks that I basically have to start over but at least I've learned a lot along the way.
Gumbies R Us
Another Fish in the Sea
That controller board is so nice looking!Small update today. I was on work travel last week so I didn't make too much progress. The weather wasn't great this weekend so I spent a few hours finishing the cables, designing and printing the top for the sensor box, assembly, and adding a little flair.
I decided to name it Tagner Reef. My surname is Wagner and my wife's is Tanno and our friends call us the Tagners so I made a badge for the controller to break up the teal monotony. I still have to program and configure it, but I'm waiting on some BNC extension cords to get the probes installed. Optical level sensors need to be potted and they can be installed. I'm guessing I'll be up and running sometime next week.
While I was on the plane, I was reading about someone that made a light controller that tracked the weather at an actual reef... I want that. If anyone has a lead on the Mobius/AI API it would be greatly appreciated, though if there is anything I can provide this forum, it's probably reverse engineering the API.
If I can get it to work, I'll for sure post a time lapse (and my code) so others can see and replicate if interested.
That's all for this week!
tharbin
2500 Club Member
This is looking really good. I started looking at the ESP32s and then got side-tracked by work. Are you putting any of the details of your Reef-Pi build up in another thread? The more I look at the commercial controllers the less enamored with them I am. This is looking more and more like a good alternative.Small update today. I was on work travel last week so I didn't make too much progress. The weather wasn't great this weekend so I spent a few hours finishing the cables, designing and printing the top for the sensor box, assembly, and adding a little flair.
I decided to name it Tagner Reef. My surname is Wagner and my wife's is Tanno and our friends call us the Tagners so I made a badge for the controller to break up the teal monotony. I still have to program and configure it, but I'm waiting on some BNC extension cords to get the probes installed. Optical level sensors need to be potted and they can be installed. I'm guessing I'll be up and running sometime next week.
While I was on the plane, I was reading about someone that made a light controller that tracked the weather at an actual reef... I want that. If anyone has a lead on the Mobius/AI API it would be greatly appreciated, though if there is anything I can provide this forum, it's probably reverse engineering the API.
If I can get it to work, I'll for sure post a time lapse (and my code) so others can see and replicate if interested.
That's all for this week!
OP
OP
ScubaSnacks
Active Member
Once I have everything dialed, I'll post my BOM, some instructions, my esp32 code, and all my 3D models. So much of this process has been me figuring it out as I go, if I kept a log it would be somewhat dishearteningly to all involved. Fortunately, you'll benefit from my failures!
Gumbies R Us
Another Fish in the Sea
Sorry that had to happen to you!Ugh, I'm so bummed right now. Apparently Dan, the longnosed hawkfish decided to go carpet surfing while I was doing a water change today... I just found him on the carpet.
BBarry
Community Member
That sucks.Ugh, I'm so bummed right now. Apparently Dan, the longnosed hawkfish decided to go carpet surfing while I was doing a water change today... I just found him on the carpet.
Lebowski_
Valuable Member
Small update today. I was on work travel last week so I didn't make too much progress. The weather wasn't great this weekend so I spent a few hours finishing the cables, designing and printing the top for the sensor box, assembly, and adding a little flair.
I decided to name it Tagner Reef. My surname is Wagner and my wife's is Tanno and our friends call us the Tagners so I made a badge for the controller to break up the teal monotony. I still have to program and configure it, but I'm waiting on some BNC extension cords to get the probes installed. Optical level sensors need to be potted and they can be installed. I'm guessing I'll be up and running sometime next week.
While I was on the plane, I was reading about someone that made a light controller that tracked the weather at an actual reef... I want that. If anyone has a lead on the Mobius/AI API it would be greatly appreciated, though if there is anything I can provide this forum, it's probably reverse engineering the API.
If I can get it to work, I'll for sure post a time lapse (and my code) so others can see and replicate if interested.
That's all for this week!
Looks great
Great organizational skills.
OP
OP
ScubaSnacks
Active Member
Ok... It has been a long time since I posted and there is a lot to catch up on. I had a tank crash. I don't know what caused it but my euphoria started to go one by one. My ammonia levels rose, a bunch of fish got sick, and the blenny, the Gramma, a pj, and a clownfish perished.
Since then, I have focused on stabilizing nutrients. After dinos and cyano, I got the tank dirty and now just have a small amount of GHA left and just detectable nutrients.
I've started restocking, starting with a peppermint shrimp (found and dispatched some aiptasia), then Biota Court Jester Goby and Links Goby.
I've had some weird issues with the skimmer, the ato, and the filters so I decided to redo all of it. I'm running the biggest skimmer I could find that would fit, and I built my own auto filter roller. It fits standard 4" filter cup holes. I'm printing a rev of the inner frame now, but it I'm happy with it, I'll write up a guide.
Finally, here is a picture of the tank finally happy again. Hoping the last of the GHA burns off soon.
Since then, I have focused on stabilizing nutrients. After dinos and cyano, I got the tank dirty and now just have a small amount of GHA left and just detectable nutrients.
I've started restocking, starting with a peppermint shrimp (found and dispatched some aiptasia), then Biota Court Jester Goby and Links Goby.
I've had some weird issues with the skimmer, the ato, and the filters so I decided to redo all of it. I'm running the biggest skimmer I could find that would fit, and I built my own auto filter roller. It fits standard 4" filter cup holes. I'm printing a rev of the inner frame now, but it I'm happy with it, I'll write up a guide.
Finally, here is a picture of the tank finally happy again. Hoping the last of the GHA burns off soon.
Gumbies R Us
Another Fish in the Sea
Despite the tank crash, your tank is still looking great!Ok... It has been a long time since I posted and there is a lot to catch up on. I had a tank crash. I don't know what caused it but my euphoria started to go one by one. My ammonia levels rose, a bunch of fish got sick, and the blenny, the Gramma, a pj, and a clownfish perished.
Since then, I have focused on stabilizing nutrients. After dinos and cyano, I got the tank dirty and now just have a small amount of GHA left and just detectable nutrients.
I've started restocking, starting with a peppermint shrimp (found and dispatched some aiptasia), then Biota Court Jester Goby and Links Goby.
I've had some weird issues with the skimmer, the ato, and the filters so I decided to redo all of it. I'm running the biggest skimmer I could find that would fit, and I built my own auto filter roller. It fits standard 4" filter cup holes. I'm printing a rev of the inner frame now, but it I'm happy with it, I'll write up a guide.
Finally, here is a picture of the tank finally happy again. Hoping the last of the GHA burns off soon.
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