henward Posted July 11, 2013 Report Share Posted July 11, 2013 shame enough people [me included] weren't keen to fork out for the ornate pims they were looking at bringing in a few years back... haha i gave levon hff mt roskill my word id grab 2 if they come in. i guess 2 wasnt enough:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Lighting has been ordered, two 3' and two 4' units of these; http://www.current-usa.com/aquarium-led-lights/satellite-freshwater-led-plus But in the mean time here's some fairly average pics taken with the current 4x T8 fluro lighting. Geos Angels, they seem to have lost their stripes since being added to this tank, not sure if it is stress or feeling comfortable, but they seem perfectly happy and healthy... Plecs Aro FTS and someone who has been spending as much time on the couch in front of the tank as me.... I'm hoping the new lighting will make it a bit easier to get some clear pictures, I probably need a bit more practice using the camera too! I couldn't seem to stop the big stump getting over-exposed and looking all bright and white. It was hard getting a good shot of the aro too, it doesn't sit still like the others and the crummy lighting tends to make it hard to focus on it, let alone get a good shot of the colours. I think part of the problem is that the 4' width of the tank is only illuminated by two narrow tubes sitting directly on top of the tank, the new LEDs will be raised up about a foot above the tank to allow the light to spread a bit more before hitting the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 How much were the leds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 www.kensfish.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 I've seen them on Kensfish I really wish you could program them. As far as I can tell you have to manually activate the modes like sunrise/sunset, is that right, David? edit: oops, you beat me to it :facepalm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 That stump is spectacular! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 That stump is spectacular! It really is! It looks better every time I see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 I really wish you could program them. As far as I can tell you have to manually activate the modes like sunrise/sunset, is that right, David? Yes that is the only downside, a built in timer so you could set the sunset/sunrise/moonlight modes would make them perfect, however from what I've seen of them they are still a big step up from the other "cheapo" LED units in terms of quality and what they can do. Just hope they don't bring out a programmable model in a couple of months time ... :facepalm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Could you set up a timer and relay, or even a raspberry pi and a relay controller to 'press' the sunrise/sunset buttons? EDIT: I see that it is a remote control unit, could probably still use a pi to run the internal control? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 I have these lights and to be honest the sunset, lightning effect etc is a bit of a gimmick. It is however some very nice lights. Great build quality and very very cool that you can tweak them to exactly the colour and intensity that is right for your setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karina Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Looks great David Do like that sand. Does it look as dirty as white? I got disgusted with being unable to keep sand clean that I removed it from all my tanks ages ago. Are Altifrons available in stores at all? David what kind of angels are those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarletmonuka Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 is the tank fully stocked? if not what else do you wanna put in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 There is certainly room for more fish in there, but I quite like the under-stocked look. It's not until all the plecs come out to feed that you realise how many fish are in there, and when you consider that seven of the plecs could get to a foot or more in length, and the geos and the aro still have a bot of growing to do, I don't want to get carried away with stocking it. I would like to add more angels, and if I could find some nice uaru I'd like to add a pair or small group of them. Karina, the altifrons are available in most stores as "surinamensis", which was the generic name for most Geophagus back in the early days when they were first available in the hobby, they have since been classified into several different species, altifrons being the most common. The angels are "Peru Altum" P. scalare. The sand doesn't really get dirty, the waste does build up on top of it though, which is far easier to clean. Before I added a powerhead to keep it moving this is what it looked like 24 hours after adding the plecs (and before I'd fed them a thing!). Thomas, I agree the sunset effect (and the lightning...) is kinda gimmicky, the only thing I'd like to be able to do is to switch it to moonlight for a couple of hours before it switches off. I'm sure there is some way to make it happen, will try figure it out when they're set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 The tank and plecos look amazing! I still have my large dull eye at a friends place - if she cannot take care of it any more, are you able to? She is approximately 6 years old I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruju Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 Haha those plecos are meeesssaaay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 I still have my large dull eye at a friends place - if she cannot take care of it any more, are you able to? She is approximately 6 years old I think. Hmm tempting, how large is large?? Thing is with this tank I really want to have a one-way policy for fish, once they're in there they are there for life. It took two of us to get the stump in there when it was dry and the tank was empty (one standing in the tank, one lifting it in), so getting it out if ever I needed to try catch something would be damn near impossible. Even the other smaller pieces of wood are hard to reach, catching anything in there would be such a nightmare I don't ever want to go there! Nothing much else to report, everything ticking over nicely. I added a couple of Philodendron cordatum poked thru the lids with their roots submerged in the water to help with nitrate removal and reduce the need for water changes (not that it has been very demanding so far with the current stock!). I'd still really like to find a Pothos plant, but haven't been able to track one down yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Yes that is the only downside, a built in timer so you could set the sunset/sunrise/moonlight modes would make them perfect, however from what I've seen of them they are still a big step up from the other "cheapo" LED units in terms of quality and what they can do. Just hope they don't bring out a programmable model in a couple of months time ... :facepalm: I've asked Current USA if they have a programmable timer in development. I'll post back here when I get a reply. I reckon they'd have trouble keeping up with orders if they could come up with something :bounce: Jeez those plecs sure do poop a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 I've asked Current USA if they have a programmable timer in development. I'll post back here when I get a reply. I reckon they'd have trouble keeping up with orders if they could come up with something :bounce: :thup: There may well be a couple of cheap 4' and 3' units up for sale if they bring out a unit with programmable modes/timer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 "Dear Simon, We actually just unveiled our ramp timer pro last week and we should start shipping early October. Please let your club members know. Best, Current" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 :thup: There may well be a couple of cheap 4' and 3' units up for sale if they bring out a unit with programmable modes/timer... I'll be keen on the 4's lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 "Dear Simon, We actually just unveiled our ramp timer pro last week and we should start shipping early October. Please let your club members know. Best, Current" So is it a unit that retrofits the old models, or an entirely new unit meaning my nearly brand new lights are out-dated?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 The tank and plecos look amazing! I still have my large dull eye at a friends place - if she cannot take care of it any more, are you able to? She is approximately 6 years old I think. I am more than happy to have a dull eye:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 So is it a unit that retrofits the old models, or an entirely new unit meaning my nearly brand new lights are out-dated?? Yes :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 This is an image from their facebook page of what's coming up. So yeah definitely a new remote and lcd display. but not sure if can use with older unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 From someone who went to SuperZoo: They are plug-n-plug controllers that connect to existing Current USA lights. They have a single & dual "Ramp Timer" (they call them Ramp timers just FYI) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.