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Category Archives: DIY
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AVAST Marine Works Debuts CS3 Cone Skimmer, Working on DC Controllable Models
After more than a year of designing, building, and testing, AVAST Marine Works has finally put their CS3 Cone Skimmer into production. This DIY kit skimmer is the big boy of the AVAST lineup, sporting a 10″ diameter cone body and twin Sicce PSK-1000 needle wheel pumps that crank out a combined 2200 lph air. The impressive array of features allows the CS3 to handle marine aquariums ranging from 300-500 gallons, and its recirculating design means it can operate at just about any water depth. While we’re always excited about new product releases, we’re really looking forward to what AVAST Marine Works is currently in the process of testing. Like many of the different protein skimmer manufacturers, AVAST is currently tinkering around with controllable DC pumps. A few models have been built around the Waveline DC5000 and DC10000 water pumps, and at some point those pumps should be optional equipment for the AVAST skimmer line. We’ve been told that a larger CS5 skimmer might be coming out really soon. We have really liked our Waveline DC pump driven skimmer that we’ve been using long term, as the pumps are solid performers and run very quietly. The pumps will definitely benefit this skimmer lineup. Technical Details of the CS3: Tank Rating: 300-500 gallons Footprint: 16″x16″ Height: 25″, with Swabbie 27.75″ Cone Diameter at Base: 10″ Neck diameter: 5″ Collection Cup Diameter: 10″ Collection Cup Drain: 1/2″ Union Disconnect Air Silencer: Over sized 2x Sicce PSK1000 performance: 2200 lph @ 46w For in sump use only. 0″-16″ depth. The standard recirculating configuration allows the skimmer to run in any depth up to the level of the neck union. Water feed required (recirculating mode only): 300-500gph Pump Warranty: 1 year. « Previous post Next post » MORE: AVAST Marine Works Debuts CS3 Cone Skimmer, Working on DC Controllable Models… More:
Posted in DIY, Equipment, Uncategorized
Tagged avast, impressive array, optional equipment, swabbie, worki
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Aquarium Plumbing Guide Part II: Basic & Advanced Plumbing Schemes
In this second part of the article I would like to present two example plumbing schemes for the beginner reefer-plumber. Both those ideas are based on my own as well as other hobbyists setups and require little to no previous plumbing experience. They can be expanded and modified to individual hobbyist’s needs. Once you learn how to build a basic PVC grid, other, more sophisticated systems would be much easier to plan-out.… More:
Aquarium Plumbing Guide Part I: Basics of PVC&tubing
There’s no doubt sump is a heart of healthy aquarium system and it has been a staple in the hobby for a long time, evolving many times to incorporate new equipment it houses. However, no sump can serve it’s purpose without a properly designed plumbing system. The easiest way of connecting your main system with sump comes in a form of flexible tubing and, while it’s certainly an acceptable method of aquarium plumbing, it has many limitations. This is where PVC pipes, so common in many households’ plumbing grid, come to play, offering flexibility close to that of tubing while being modular and rigid, withstanding saltwater environment conditions with ease.. In this two-part article I would like to showcase the basics of PVC and help design a fully functional aquarium plumbing based on plastic pipes.… More:
Marine Depot Offers Informative Protein Skimmer Infographic
At the core of most reef aquarium filtration approaches lies the protein skimmer. This ingenious method of dissolved organic removal has been tried and true for decades within the hobby but rarely gets the credit it deserve. In comes Marine Depot with their protein skimmer infographic! 
Photo courtesy of marinedepot.com Although we tend to simply buy protein skimmers for their plug-and-play applications understanding their functionality has been left to interpretation. With this wonderful “how it works” color rendering of a protein skimmer each function is diagramed and provides informative text on a part-by-part basis. The diagram will be a perfect tool for new hobbyists learning how protein skimmers work as well as those who wish to design their own. Read more here! … More:
Posted in DIY, Equipment, Fish, Industry, Invertebrates, Science, Tanks
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Local Fish Store Teases Kessil Owners With New Mounting Hardware
A leader in the SF Bay Area reef market has introduced a new product for Kessil A350 LED spotlights. The “Premium Light Bar” appears to have been designed and manufactured by Neptune Aquatics in Milpitas, CA. Teased Tuesday on facebook this product has yet to see any other specs disclosed. 
Utilizing a clean hollow (probably milled steel) tube to hide the wire creates a simple and elegant look, while the light itself is cradled in a circular frame for the light housing base. Although Kessil lighting solutions come with mounting hardware this product is sure to have a following, adding a revenue stream to a company that already specializes in not only saltwater aquariums but also freshwater aquariums. Check out the pics here and contact Neptune Aquatics here!… More:
DIY Guide:Dimming DIY LED lights with Neptune Systems Apex Controller
High power light emitting diodes quickly became the new standard in providing an artificial light source for photosynthetic animals in our reef tanks. Most emitters output enough light to grow almost any coral in captivity, thus aquarium LED manufacturers shifted their focus to the software part of their lights in order to sell their product. Therefore, it’s all about control now…… More:
DIY Your Hobby: LED Stand&Sump Light
Most of articles about DIY LED projects for our saltwater tanks focus on providing an adequate lighting solution for photosynthetic corals and other light-loving invertebrates. In this article, I would like to write about something different instead- how to lit-up things inside the stand that support our display tanks.… More:
Posted in DIY, Equipment
Tagged aquarium LED, led cabinet light, light in the stand, organizing stand, refugium light, smd LED, sump light
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Product Review: RapidLED new solderless LED kits
Despite the falling prices of new LED lights coming out, DIY approach is still the most cost-effective solution along with the highest level of custom-ability and an unmeasurable amount of fun and pride of building something yourself. In one of my previous reviews I wrote about Rapid LED solderless kit (check it here LINK), an interesting solution for people who are eager to go the DIY route but don’t want to hassle with the soldering part of it. Recently, staff at RapidLED made few changes to their solderless kits and I received the redesigned package for review. Let’s see what’s new in this DIY kit…… More:
Posted in DIY, Equipment, Industry
Tagged aquarium lighting, DIY LED, green diode, led light, Rapid LED, rapidled, solderless LED, violet LED
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Vossen larval catchers put to the test with Lipogramma klayi
It’s been several months since I raised my first Lipogramma klayi at the Long Island Aquarium. Sadly, I’ve only had two more reach settlement since then. One of the bottlenecks to the mass production of this beautiful deepwater basslet, as well as other grammatids, is that they are what we sometimes refer to as “trickle” spawners because although they spawn often, they lay only a few eggs at a time.… More:
Posted in DIY, Equipment, Fish, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged Aquaculture, breeding, Chad Vossen, fish, larvae, MBI
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XP-G2-New LED emitter from Cree announced!
Good news for everyone interested in DIY LED lights- Cree, one of the best known corporations manufacturing high power LEDs, just went public announcing a new emitter. A successor for the greatly respected XP-G chipset, the new Xlamp XP-G2 ffers up to 20% brighter light and better lumen to dollar ratio. XP-G2 has identical to it’s older version dimensions, which means all the optics made for xp-g should work with the second generation without any problems. This move allows Cree to shorten the manufacturing process and release it to markets much faster. Quick look at the data sheet (you can download it as a pdf file here: http://www.cree.com/led-components-and-modules/products/xlamp/discrete-directional/~/media/Files/Cree/LED%20Components%20and%20Modules/XLamp/Data%20and%20Binning/XLampXPG2.pdf ) reveals how powerful the new chipset is. The lumens output seems to be lower at the same current when compared to original XP-G, but the forward voltage on XP-G is lower at given current by approximately 0.1V, giving the new chipset higher actual lumens to watt ratio. It’s not revolutionary, but XP-G2 is clearly more energy efficient. The new dome lens gives a different light emission angle, 115 degrees instead of XP-G 125 degrees, making Cree’s XP-G2 a little narrower beam of light. The biggest advantage of the new XP-G2 is not the efficiency, but new materials used to built the chipset. Cree tried to lower the cost of LED manufacturing for a long time and with the use of silicone carbide as a build material, XP-G2 could be much more affordable than any previous high power LEDs. Cree didn’t publish any info about pricing yet, but if their claims prove to be true we can expect another LED revolution soon and a step forward for LEDs to replace other light sources in everyday use. I’ll keep you informed once I know more about the new LED. … More:
Want an Affordable Underwater Robot? No Problem!
This is a very interesting project I came across on Kickstarter earlier today. As of this writing you still have 31 days to jump on and support the project/ get your own R.O.V. or even fund an expedition! As you can see in the video, this is an open source unit which means the plans and code for all the equipment is made public so others can jump in and help make improvements or addons. Being in New York and having plenty of water around us there would be plenty of opportunities to play or do some actual work with these seeing as how the price point is well within the reach of most people especially when you consider the price tag on a conventional R.O.V (who knew there was a website just for buying and selling subs and R.O.V.s?). So far they have only taken these down to about 20m with an estimated 100m being the max depth it was designed for which leaves plenty of room to go exploring. The bottom has been designed with four crossbars to act as hardpoints for extra equipment such as metal detectors or articulated robot arms among other things. I could easily see myself “wasting” a lot of hours on boats or docks and maybe a few tanks with these things. The company website is http://openrov.com/… More:
Posted in DIY, Equipment, Science
Tagged DIY, Equipment, kickstarter, open rov, science
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Gearing up for the MBI workshop – Breed somthing!
In anticipation of the MBI workshop coming up on July 28th in Bloomfield Hills, MI, I have been breeding everything I can get my hands on – including the dwarf seahorse Hippocampus zosterae pictured above. These little seahorses max out at about an inch, and both parents and fry can be raised and maintained with easy to hatch, enriched Artemia. If you have a fuge or a spare 5 gallon tank, why aren’t you breeding these guys? Or some clownfish? Or some Banggai cardinals? Seriously, find someone who is breeding any of these easy fish (buy captive bred animals as it is possible wild populations of some of these fish may be in trouble), get some yourself and do it. Little to no impact on wild populations, super fun, super educational, very easy, and there is nothing like the cuteness of little animals you can raise yourself…why isn’t everyone doing it? No reason I can think of, so get to it.… More:
Posted in Conservation, DIY, Events, Eye Candy, Fish, Opinion, Too Cute
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