Some questions...

[cooder]

Hello,

I have some questions to ask, and they are pretty random so comments would be appreciated.

1st:

I am wanting to setup a few LEDs in my hood to create the dawn and dusk lighting effect. I obviously need the lights but what else will i need for the setup? I am hoping to purchase some sort of device to time it, So where can I get it? What should i buy? Wiring? Mounting? Anything else that is needed. i am not experienced with this so you tell me...

2nd:

I am also doing some aquascaping and intend on using a silicone to make rock formations that wont fall down. What type should i use? Where can i get it? Is normal silicone able to be used in my aquarium with out poisoning the fish?

3rd: I want to add some shell dwellers like gold occies to my growing tang display. They would be going with:

(excuse spelling mistakes )

2x N. Brichardi

3x N. Leleupi

6 or more C. leptosoma mpulunga

2x J. Ornatus

MAYBE some P. Nigripinnis

In a4 footer, 180 ltrs ( not sur if its a std 4footer cause store owner who i got it from has a personal builder for stands tanks hoods)

Would this be possible? i understand that they are a pretty sturdy little fish that can hold there own but would problems be frequent? How many shells would be needed per fish? How many fish could go in?

And finally: Where would i be able to get some white sand for my tank? my golden beach sand is giving the water a goldenish tinge even though my water is crystal clear, its the reflection. Ive heard that bunnings has white play sand but not sure and cant find any in pet stores.

Thanks for reading and any answers would be much appreciated!

Cooder

[Batty]

Don't know about q1 and q3 but use aquarium silicone to be sure it has no bad chemicals in it and allow it to air for a couple of days.

[mcloughlin2]

I am wanting to setup a few LEDs in my hood to create the dawn and dusk lighting effect. I obviously need the lights but what else will i need for the setup? I am hoping to purchase some sort of device to time it, So where can I get it? What should i buy? Wiring? Mounting? Anything else that is needed. i am not experienced with this so you tell me...

Best bet would be to buy one of these;

http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/moon_lights.php

Just buy a timer from Bunnings and push the buttons so it comes on and goes off when you want.

DIY led lights are tricky and can be quite expensive if you want it programmable so I would say it is out of your reach at this stage.

I am also doing some aquascaping and intend on using a silicone to make rock formations that wont fall down. What type should i use? Where can i get it? Is normal silicone able to be used in my aquarium with out poisoning the fish?

Selleys glass silicon is sold at Bunnings and is safe for aquarium use. It even says it is for use in aquariums on the back. However silicon does not bond rocks together that well. You would be better opting for a type of moulding clay such as this product which is designed for use in marine systems but would work just fine for your case;

http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalog...8&catID=111

3rd: I want to add some shell dwellers like gold occies to my growing tang display. They would be going with:

(excuse spelling mistakes )

2x N. Brichardi

3x N. Leleupi

6 or more C. leptosoma mpulunga

2x J. Ornatus

MAYBE some P. Nigripinnis

In a4 footer, 180 ltrs ( not sur if its a std 4footer cause store owner who i got it from has a personal builder for stands tanks hoods)

A pair of occelatus would be fine. I'd add half a dozen shells, maybe two groups of three on each side of the tank.

And finally: Where would i be able to get some white sand for my tank? my golden beach sand is giving the water a goldenish tinge even though my water is crystal clear, its the reflection. Ive heard that bunnings has white play sand but not sure and cant find any in pet stores.

Most reputable local fish shops should sell aragonite which is pure white. It can be found in a pool dust size which is a very fine sand. Coral sand is also quite white. If you can get there there is a landscaping place near Lakemba that deal with aragonite and it works out very cheap buying through them (Less then half the price of an aquarium store)

What lighting do you run on the tank? Look on the tubes and see what number Kelvin rating they are. It will say on the end of the tube they are 6500K, 14000K, 20000K. If you find your lights are yellow, upgrade the tubes to a 20000K tube. These lights are alot bluer.

[cooder]

Thanks for there replys,

What i mean by "for my hood" is when i get it! at the moment i am running a AquaOne FluroGlow.

It has 1x30W light in it it. Its kinda a aluminium shell with a tube stuck in it! Itr says it includes 1x sunlight tube.

That leads to another question: can i use my already existing lighting unit in my hood or do i have to buy some tubes.

If so, can u reccomend any?

Im assuming you can buy a set with the a timer and instructions for the wiring, but what do you mean by "it is out of my reach at this stage"

And i was actually thinking of adding six occies!

Thanks again

[Josh]

I would seriously look at getting the ones that have been mentioned. LED's aren't as simple as you would think. A simple DIY kit for LED's, to suit an aquariums needs, would run into alot more then then the ones from AOA.

Your lights should fit inside your hood. I have never had trouble fitting a standard light into a standard hood.

If your tank is looking yellow I would change the bulb. How old is it?

Josh

[ctaylor]

We have used the moulding clay in our marine tank with great success, you can stick it straight onto the rock with water in the tank, try and place the bond where it won't be noticeable as you won't want to see bright white putty throughout your aquascaping, remember as you won't have the same growths as in a marine tank it will be harder to conceal the visible putty.

As an alternative you could look at drilling holes through your rocks and placing clear perspex rods through the stack so that they are supporting each other. But its a lot more work to drill your rocks, than to paste them all together.

[mcloughlin2]

Thanks for there replys,

What i mean by "for my hood" is when i get it! at the moment i am running a AquaOne FluroGlow.

It has 1x30W light in it it. Its kinda a aluminium shell with a tube stuck in it! Itr says it includes 1x sunlight tube.

That leads to another question: can i use my already existing lighting unit in my hood or do i have to buy some tubes.

If so, can u reccomend any?

Im assuming you can buy a set with the a timer and instructions for the wiring, but what do you mean by "it is out of my reach at this stage"

And i was actually thinking of adding six occies!

Thanks again

You can use your existing light unit as long as it fits inside the hood. I have already recommended what globes you can buy to replace your current one if it is yellow.

As I said, buy the moonlights from the link mentioned, go to Bunnings and buy a cheap $10 timer. You then have programmable moonlights . The power plug from the moonlights just plugs directly in the timer which then plugs into the power point in the wall. Easy as.

Making your own set of led lights can be quite technical. You really either need to have had some experiance as a computor tech, sparkie or be a heavy DIY junky. At the end of the day it isn't worth the hassle when all you want it for is for a moonlight.

Reason I said it was probably out of your reach at this stage is because of the above reason. Leds are tricky to wire up with no experiance, and if done wrong it will be dangerous. Hence it is out of you reach.

I wouldn't add six occies. They are quite territorial.

[cooder]

Thanks again guys,

I am sorry mcloughlin2 i didnt look at the link in the first place but now that i have looked, those things you reccomended look pretty good. i also misunderstood what you said about the occies. I thought u said have three FISH at either end but your actually sayin shells right? My light is only about 3 months old. the tank the same age. my light has nothing wrong with it and it hasnt got a yellow tube.

The DIY LED idea was just an idea! So thats why i came to you guys to see how complicated it was. I will order some of that putty and one of the lights from AOA. the other things i orderd from them recently came untouched though late by about 2 weeks.

So: add a pair of occies instead of six, and add 3 shells per fish

Use the moonlight lights from AOA and a timer from bunnings instead of a DIY LED job

Use the special putty stuff instead of silicone

Another question : what type of shells can get an where from? just ordinary beach shells that ar suitable?

Cooder

[Phenomena]

A few years ago I used an LED strip bought from Ebay computer shop for my 2ft tank. It was about 30cm long and cost $15.

Hooked it to a mobile phone adaptor I had lying around. It was perfect n cheap.

I sold the tank and am using the LED as my bedroom night light now.

If you look at ebay, there're heaps:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Waterproof-LED-Stri...#ht_1669wt_1057

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/120cm-12V-Blue-Flex...#ht_2011wt_1002

[matsout]

Those LED moonlights from the above listed link to Age Of Aquariums, how much light do they actually pump out does anybody know? I have a 6 foot setup and wouldn't mind getting some but not sure whether to get a 4 foot or 2 foot strip since I don't want to flood the tank with moonlight, just the middle area. Just want to know how bright they are.

[cooder]

There called "moonlight" lights so i am assuming that they only put out a little amount of light. LEDs dont put out much light anyway.

Can i just use ordinary beach shells that have a large enough cavity and opening? If not, where do i get other types of shells?

Cooder

[Josh]

LEDs dont put out much light anyway.

Are you sure about that?

[cooder]

Well, yeah. LEDs are a bit softer than most lighting.Im not sure about the moonlight lights, but, becaus they are called "moonlight" lights im assumming they dont give out much light...

I AM PROBABLY WRONG!

Cooder

[Noddy65]

You can get some good LED light systems from overseas online stores now...many planted people are moving away from MH and T5 flouors and using LEDs lights...theyre not cheap at the moment for the initial outlay but do save money in the longer term with reduced power bills (significantly reduced) and the long life of the bulbs. You can also use different K ratings in the one fitting to suit your plants light needs, very flexible systems really.

Theres been some great posts on aquariumlife.com.au forum about peoples DIY experiences with LED light systems for planted tanks....well worth a read if your into that sort of thing

Mike

[mcloughlin2]

LED lighting have the ability to smash metal halide, T5, T8 lighting when setup correctly. LEDs produce some serious light that is incredibly intense. Have you ever looked directly at a LED torch? Trust me it hurts

If your serious about simulating a dawn/dusk in your tank you don't want a light blasting away in the tank, you want a softer moonlight effect. So buy the one from the link shown which is perfect for what you want.

Look in the classifieds for shells. If I remember 'Sloany' was selling some great shells not so long ago.

[cooder]

Yes he sent me PM. He put some links into his pm but they didnt work.

Ill have a look on the classified section but i cant reply to any posts yet because the admins havnt processed my application yet

Cooder