lduncan

The weather's crap and i'm bored so here's a collection of different monti's found from around the web:

DVP?

I can't run a standard distro because virtually all target generic x86 hardware. The board runs of a ARM9 system on chip, so a custom kernel build is the only practical way to go. It doesn't really save a lot of time anyway. There are a few kernel patches which makes things run better, as well as trimming a lot of the unnecessary fat out. After all linux isn't designed as a RTOS. There aren't really a lot of embedded distro's around, most stuff is custom built for particular devices, mainly because the with the level of customisation required for different hardware, you might as well build the whole kernel. Also, the particular SOC i'm using only made into the main kernel tree in the last few months, so up until then, you had to patch the kernel and build it to get it to run anyway. It doesn't really matter now, because I have a working kernel on the 1st proto, just not on the latest board. Layton

It's on the shelf at the moment. I've got the second prototype board made, but I'm having problems with it. They could be hardware or software related. But really to get any further I need a logic analyser which run from about $8,000 up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. So it's just a matter of accumulating the cash for that, or getting access to one down here. The University ones are shit. There are a couple of companies which have suitable ones, but getting access is a problem. What are you wanting to control? This (even if it was finished) may be overkill for what you want. Here is the latest circuit board anyway:

Guess i'm one of the crazy 0.1% then.

No problem here. I avoid windows where possible, too much effort .

If I could be bothered logging stuff i'd use this: http://www.everydaysoftware.net/maquarium/index.html

Nope, but from Sanjay's tests, if you get a 400W XM 10k bulb, it will have pretty much a linear increase in PAR over their 250W XM 10k bulb. That's what I was getting at. The efficiencies are pretty close for the same make and colour temp of bulb no matter what the wattage.

Baking soda is sodium hydrogen carbonate (bicarbonate) NaHCO3 You can use the calculator here http://reef.diesyst.com/ to figure out how much you need to add.

From Sanjay's test, it looks as though the efficiency (PPFD per Watt) of 250W DE vs 400W SE are pretty much the same. PAR is basically just the spectrum of visible light (it doesn't specifically relate to whether it's useful photosynthesis, that's what PUR is for). It's the number of photons hitting a square metre every second, so it's a measure of intensity. Reflectors change the intensity by redirecting power into a specific area. A reflector running a 250W SE bulb, may spread light over a different area than if a 250W DE bulb was used in that same reflector, depending on placement of the bulb in the reflector, and it's geometry. But you will get the same power output, just a different intensity due to the difference in area it confines the light to. In short, yes you will get more PAR with higher wattage, and it generally seems to be linear (similar efficiency). What makes the difference is intensity and reflectors.

Yip I thought of that when I wrote that. The introduction of a hobby phosphate test kit changed all that. It turns out that acropora's requirements are pretty basic, low nutrients and plenty of light. There may be other practical limitations of keeping these non photosynthetic corals, like being able to culture the right kind of food, (once someone knows what it is). Then being able to supply enough of it, and remove it quickly enough before it breaks down. It may turn out to be like breeding yellow tangs in captivity. Possible to do, but practically impossible for a hobbyist to achieve. Layton

You know I was just asking a question in that thread. If you actually knew what was really going on, rather than just regurgitating what someone else has told you, you would have had no problem showing me WHY that information was wrong, and you wouldn't have made it into such a big deal. But as you could not do that, you obviously do not fully understand why it is that way. You just know it is because someone else said it's that way. What happens when you get conflicting information? Do you pick the one that sounds best to you? Or do you dig deeper and find out which one is actually correct? I was doing the latter. Turns out that you did not "run me through the facts" because you didn't really understand what was going on, I asked Randy some questions, and he pointed me to a small mistake, which now explains everything. It's called learning. Layton

My mistake, 2.8dKH. Thanks wasp.

It's not just a matter of feeding, it's a matter of what to feed for some of these animals. There is a difference between nutrient poor, and food poor. Ideally our systems should be nutrient poor, but food rich. But to achieve this we need skimmers to remove food before it breaks down into nutrients. It may turn out that it's just not practical to provide the amount and type of food they need, while maintaining low nutrients. I've only ever seen Lobophytum referred to as Devils Hand, while I've seen Alcyonium referred to as Dead Man's Finger?

1 meq is around 3.5 dKH. I've added over 4 dKH at once on several occasions, with not problems. YMMV. 2 grams of baking soda (1/2 teaspoon) will raise the alkalinity of 100 litres of water by 1 dKH

Photosynthetically Active Radiation. It gives you an idea of how much light in the output spectrum of a bulb is useful to plants. (In our case zooxanthellae) Higher PAR means there is more of the right type of light for the plants to do their thing.

I'm sure others have tried, and failed. I've failed on gonipora, sun corals, and Dendronephthya. Several months then they die. Layton

Devils hands are generally Lobophytum spp. L. pauciflorum is the common orange brown with white polyps one.

Hey wasp, there is a difference between understanding something, and just regurgitating what some one else has said ;-) I try to understand stuff. Anyway, what sort of laminate is it? Heat or pressure sensitive? The heat sensitive ones are usually just PVC. The PSA laminates could have other stuff which may not be so good, but i think it depends on the manufacturer.

I agree with cracker, 400's are overkill on anything up to 600 deep. $0.11 kWhr is pretty cheap! $0.17 to $0.22 down here.

What's worse? Overheating during shipment, or cold water during shipping? Overheating is far worse for corals than cool water. You know some acropora species live happily in waters as cold as 15 degrees? Temperature tolerance is determined more by the zooxanthellae than the coral itself. They get itchy feet when the temp gets too high, but tend to stay put longer when it's low. But that's not to say they can tolerate it indefinitely.

Check out Joe Berger's site for info on PAR ratings of heaps of different brand halides. The XM 10ks get good ratings: http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm

Guidelines say: Post removed. Bill Mod

You're just assuming that.

I think hell might have frozen over. It's probably cold enough anyway.