Lasses Dream Build

[Lasse]

Sometimes you are lucky.

When I started my refugium I took an old DIY LED fixture with 620 nm, 660 nm and a few 450 nm. Total power input around 30 W. It is a little bit short so I decide to get some other fixtures also. I found some 10 W full spectra grow LED at a well-known bay in the Internet. I order two and they arrive a couple of days ago.

When I got them I realized that it was possible to rebuild them so they fit together with my old DIY fixture and that I could use the same driver as I did before and get them dimmable.

Screwdriver

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Fit into the old fixture

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Rather good light

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It will be interesting to see if this light give a better growth for the macros – till now - it looks good – there is more wavelengths than red and blue in it – even if red dominate

Sincerely Lasse

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[Arkayology]

Thank you for sharing your build. I have enjoyed reading through it and look forward to your experiences with the DSB.

 

[Lasse]

Thank you for sharing your build. I have enjoyed reading through it and look forward to your experiences with the DSB.

Thank you


The DSB is a part of the whole system and it will take some times before I know if it works as I aspect. It is constructed in order to fulfil more than one task and it will take some time before I know if it works the way I want.

The things I hope that the DSB will do for me is:

Denitrification and other anaerobic breakdowns will lower the pH by bacterial carbon dioxide production.

This is a task that I´m not sure that it will happen all the way. The denitrification process will counteract with this task. It will give a smal rise of the alkalinity and give a higher pH. I hope that the sum of all processes will lower the pH. Because I have a slow stream of water going through the bed – I hope that the water will get a pH that which solves some limestone on its way up through the bed. When the water reach the beds surface – pH will be around 7.6 – 7.8 – still containing some carbon dioxide. In order to produce CO2 I need a rather large bacteria population in the bed. I hope that after some time have an internal production of fast organic carbon so I do not need to ad organic carbon (read alcohol) to the bed.

The transport of carbon dioxide through the bed is critical for my idea so I have prepare a solution that can add CO2 to the plenum below the bed if I need more CO2.

The water coming up through the bed can have a pH as low as 7.6 – containing a surplus of carbon dioxide.

I will probably only run the circulation during the light time off the refugium. Surplus carbon dioxide will be a source of inorganic carbon for the macro algae and the uptake will rise the pH before it goes down to the sump.

Block and uptake of phosphorus

This task is also questionable if it will happen the way I want. If I have the water flow going from the top to the bottom it would work because the aerobic environment at the top of the DSB will favour metal bindings of phosphorus – on the other hand – if sulphur hydrogen will be produced in the bed – it will be released again. In my way I need a lot of organism providing oxygen to the top layer of the bed and always have an oxygen rich environment over the bed. I calculate with some release of phosphorus during the time when water flow take place and I also calculate that it will be a source of phosphorus for my macros. It’s also known that some macros will take up nutrients from the sediment (macros with “roots”).

Nitrogen

It will be necessary to ad nitrogen in this system.

Please – I welcome a discussion according my thoughts with the system



Sincerely Lasse

 

[najer]

What a great build, can't believe no-one asked about the oxydator, I just run off the shelf ones.
Got to love a "natural" system, my upgrade is 10 months old, just pumps and heaters, did you think anymore about mangroves?
I will be following, hats off to you. :)

 

[Lasse]

Thank you @najer

I just run off the shelf ones.

I do not have English (or rather American) as my mother tongue - I have problem to understand what you mean with that sentence. But I love to understand - so please explain with other words :)

Yes - I have thought of Mangrove - It is easy to redo my top over the DSB/refugium and it would be rather esthetically to have Mangrove plants growing from the tank. For the moment - its enough with macro algae but you never know what´s happen in the future

Sincerely Lasse

 

[najer]

What oxydator do you run, mine are small ones bought online that I just fill with hydrogen peroxide?

 

[Lasse]

I use söchting oxydator A.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[najer]

Oh cool, thanks, I have 2 Ds and was thinking of going bigger.

 

[Lasse]

I have one of those also (D) - but are not using it just now.

I have the A in the sump and D as a reserve.

If there will be a power break down – I move the A to the display tank and put the D in my refugium (over the sand bed). The oxydator will put oxygen to the water – saving all living things and neutralizes any hydrogen sulphide released from the sand bed.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

Peekabo

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Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

Only blue light change the colours to be more brilliant in some of my corals. This orange fungia is very beautiful when I only run blue wavelengths. The colours in the photo is rather alike how it looks IRL when I only run blue LEDs (410 – 470 nm)

Sincerely Lasse

 

[najer]

I have 6 fungias, that is very nice. :)

 

[Lasse]

A FTS

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One month ago I add a sea cucumber to my aquarium - I do not know the species. Early this morning it shows up for the first time

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Many aquarist dreams about different species of the genus Liopropoma - mostly the Candy Basslet (Liopropoma rubre). They are tough fishes and very gorgeous. But they are also very shy fishes. I put in one Liopropoma swalesi 2 months ago and today I got dissent pictures of the fish. I have seen him/her now and then but has not be able to take a photo.

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Sincerely Lasse

 

[Fudsey]

Looks spectacular ! !

 

[Lasse]

Thank you

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

By coincidence, I got an opportunity to buy a used Pacific Sun Metis Hyperion S - 3 * 145 Watts for a good price. This is an array of lights that I have wanted for a long time. 9 controllable channels and no phosphor coated LED ("white LEDs")

I am not dissatisfied with my old set - 3 pcs Coral Box Moon LED - on the contrary - they have working well and given a good light - both for me and my corals. My pictures at the aquarium also shows that this is a good set of lights.

There is also a good chance that I will be able to get some of the fishes I want but not been able to get before. We will see – in the end of the day – I know

For now - a picture of my Plectranthias inermis

Sincerely Lasse

 

[revhtree]

Looks nice Lasse!

 

[Lasse]

Looks nice Lasse!

Thank you. More will come. Got home with a lot of "whish" fishes this evening. Probably I´ll can shout some pictures tomorrow.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

As you probably have seen – I have a lot of shy fishes and fishes living near the bottom. My plan has been to have some fishes in the open water also but I want fishes that not grow to large. The Pajama cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera) fill up that gap but I want at least one more species that behave in the same matter. My choice was the Red stripped cardinalfish - Ostorhinchus margaritophorus . A fish I haven’t have before. Generally speaking – the cardinalfishes is hardy fish and works well when they have adapted to an aquarium. But they are not so easy to transport and adapt to captivity. It is always a gambling to introduce cardinal fishes to a new aquaria. This time it works out well and there is 14 swimming in my aquaria since Tuesday evening

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One more bottom species - also new for me and a tricky one - Signigobius biocellatus

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I also purchase some other fishes but they are hiding and it will take some days before I be able to take a photo of them.

You know that you are on the right path when guy like this show up

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And a good photo of a favorite

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Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

Movies





Sincerely Lasse