The Dark Side or What Lurks Beneath

[stu_]

This is excellent, i really admire it.
Loving the effect of the shady areas dotted here & there at the substrate level.
Bit like when you walk into a new garden for the first time, & there are lots of hidden nooks & crannies to explore (or maybe that's just me)
Good work with the lighting rig, though i'm not sure i'd get away it in our house...

 

[flygja]

Wait hang on... you? LEDs? Beautiful!

 

[Tim Harrison]

Thanks stu, that's a nice observation. And thanks also flygja...I think

 

[Tim Harrison]

Trimmed! It's surprising just how fast it goes over the top.

 

[justissaayman]

Did you just drill that into the roof?

 

[Tim Harrison]

Yep, its on an Arcadia suspension kit.

 

[justissaayman]

Have you by any chance got a picture of how you mounted it to the roof?

 

[Tim Harrison]

Hi this is a very similar aqua-medic kit it just screws in to the ceiling, obviously screwing it in to the joists is always preferable. aquafit 1 Hanging Kit – Aqua Medic

 

[AshRolls]

Hi Troi,

I will (probably) be replicating your DIY LED lighting on my tank. Can you indicate how much light bleeds into the rest of the room from the lamps at the height you have them? Do you feel the need for an additional canopy to reduce any stray light?

Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[Tim Harrison]

Hi, IMO the light bleed in to my study - where the tank is - is fine. It's noticeable in daylight but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. At night it's perceptively brighter than say an Arcadia luminaire, but I find it perfectly acceptable.

However, I think that if it was competing with the TV, for instance, I think I might find it a bit distracting. But on the other hand the same could probably be said for any suspended luminarie. So no I personally don't feel the need for an additional canopy. But it would be easy to fashion one out of aluminium sheet and attach it in a way that would be super cool aesthetically.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Last warts 'n' all update...my tank after I ripped the guts out of it yesterday Most of the missing plants are in isolation where they're being treated with molluscicide in a forlorn attempt to get rid of the snails that seem to perpetually plague my tanks, the rest will follow in due course. I couldn't believe the size of them - the plants that is - especially the Bolbitis, the thing is a complete thug and huge. I'll be breaking it up in to smaller specimens and recycling it; I've got 2 new scapes sort of planned over the next few weeks - 1 low-energy and 1 high-energy.

Curiously I quite like the scape below, must be something about the open space and actually seeing my fish actively swimming instead of geostationally hovering against the current amongst the dense veg. However, it's not a very auspicious ending to the journal..but I woke up one morning and hated everything Perhaps I should put it in From this to This (view from the bottom up) More of an anti From this to This though

This

From this to

 

[justissaayman]

What you using for molluscicide?

Also how are the lights working?

 

[Tim Harrison]

Today I'll mostly be using eSHa Gastropex...

As for the lights - I'm well pleased with them, thanks for asking. I must have the intensity and the balance with other parameters about right...massive plant growth and no algae. My only gripe was that the light was so much more intense and perhaps stark than I was used to so it made my plants look a bit washed out. However, the plants seemed to respond in a matter of days by greening up considerably and now appear very vibrant and verdant.

I'm kinda thinking that maybe it also has something to do with the spectrum the lights emit - but that's something of a moot point. In addition I've often wondered of late whether the ripple effect from point source lighting like mine also encourages better plant growth and discourages algae - as opposed to constant and even intensity given off by more diffuse sources like florescent bulbs. Maybe it's analogous to plant growth being stimulated by the different frequencies in musical composition, and therefore perhaps worthy of further investigation. But then my theories are often absent minded meanderings and probably complete nonsense.

Just noticed my message count is the number of the beast...666 Very appropriate given the title of the journal.

 

[Ady34]

Well you definitely succeeded with the high tech route Troi
Shame to take it down, it was looking superb, but onwards and upwards, looking forward to the next!
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Thanks Ady, that's kind of you to say so, hopefully, it's not a complete fluke and I can continue onwards and upwards - the bar is set very high here - but sometimes regression is the only way forwards... well that will be my excuse if my next attempt looks pants and it all goes Pete Tong...