New Build

Looking good!

Shame about the rope fish
Mine are awesome, but thank goodness for a lid and bracing. Did you put him back in the tank first? Sometimes they are more alive than they appear..

 

Hey Hendre
Ja, that's why he's wet in the photo. I was hoping he was just cold and lying still. But 3min in the tank and his gills weren't moving.

 

I painted the lid inside and out with a clear polyurethane sealant and drilled the holes for switches. I really need to pay more attention, I actually measured the spacing between the switches and still messed it up:

 

Inside the pine box I lined chrome stick-on-stuff you get from the car customizing shop. Then I stuck down three rows on obscenely bright LEDs.

 

A bit of soldering later...each row has it's own switch so I can do LOW, MEDIUM or ALGAE brightness.

 

Stay tuned for the next episode of....
Blinding Nemo

 

@adrian, don't the LED's get hot and need a heat sink?

 

Not at all. I don't know much about LEDs but these are R10 a pop from ChinaMall. They take 12V and shine like the sun. The only lesson I've learnt with them in aquariums is: No matter what the salesman says, they are not waterproof. You know all that humidity in the lid? It messes these things up. so I will be running clear vinyl over them and the switches....stealing them so to speak...

 

How many watts is each one?

 

They not labeled...
Just say 12VDC
I've still got a bunch left over, I'll measure the current and get back to you on the weekend.

 

Looks like 6 diodes and 2 resisters in each one. Not bad for R10

 

Hmm very nice, I will definitely be look out for those. Do they make them in 220 v ?

 

Dunno but I wouldn't suspend 220AC over water. I'm clumsy and don't like getting electrocuted.

 

Last week
I have all four knife fish still..

 

@Adrian Gatter Rebel Pets has 3 ropefish @ R70 each

Were you caught for possession? Eina!!

 

Wowzers, that's not a bad price at all!

 

The build continues, this weekend I got into the more artistic bits. I picked up a tree trunk cross section while on holiday 2 years ago. It was very rough so I knocked together a router planing jig and flattened it:


Lots of sanding later and I have a blank canvas to work with. I have to say these little Triton belt sanders are magic! And it only cost around R800.


I dug out a bit on the back to make it thinner:


Drew a tree:


A lot of jig sawing later:

Bit of back-lighting:

 

This is looks awesome! Great DIY skills there...