Hey /diy/, /an/ here. I have an LED fixture over my reef tank, and wondered if it would be possible to create/buy a device that will slowly make my light brighter throughout the day, peaking at noon, and then going back down slowly til nightfall (basically a dimmer setting on a timer. They have things like this already called apex controllers (other brands but thats the biggest) but their fuckin expensive, and i always prefer to do it myself. Anyone got any interesting ideas? Pic related, my reef.
>>947533
Power it through a transistor thats driven by a photodiode.
>>947559
hmm.. interesting. so are you saying it would be able to control my tanks light intensity based off the the light outside of my window, basically mimicking the natural light cycle of my area?
>>947575
Yes
>>947582
Can you be any more specific? I'm not particularly good with circuitry. Like should I try and go the arduino route? Or is there something simpler?
>>947559
isnt that more of an on/off switch based on lighting conditions? wont using a photodiode as a resistor work better?
![IMG_0091[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/jTERCqW.jpg "IMG_0091[1].jpg")
Bumpin with my cleaner shrimp on a purple ribbon gorgonian
Aren't there those timers that you can plug into devices that turn on and off at certain times?
>>947658
I have one already that turns the light on and off on a 24 hour schedule, but I want something that will just gradually brighten the lights throughout the day, then slowly lowering the lights at night.
simple answer ? yes you could no biggie
are these grow LEDs? like 50k/10k/6k type equivalent?
depending on how it affects the growing( i may be over thinking it, but with salt water it could worst case scenario cause like an alge boom or something) but it could be done easy through turning off one at a time through out the day, or dimming via PWM
you would need some kind of board thing to program with a real time clock
there will def be documentation already for most of it around the net depending on how you choose to do it.
post innards of your leds
needs more pistol shrimp
![IMG_0204[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/tuP9VSG.jpg "IMG_0204[1].jpg")
>>947662
It's a 165w Chinese black box special. It has two different on/off switches, one for the blue lights, one for the full spectrum lights. Thanks for the help, should at least get me going in the right direction.. Best pic i could get of it, It's actually two broken LEDs rigged together, and the old frame doesnt fit anymore so the PCB board is literally super glued to the backs of the ballasts. Undoable, but not easily enough for a picture.
I actually believe I have either a pistol shrimp or a mantis somewhere, I hear clicks every night, and I've had to stop buying special crabs because they seem to go missing. Haven't seen anything though.
>>947533
Yes, lots of ways to do it. On phone so can't really get into all the options.
>>947687
If you can get back to me in more details sometime soon that'd be great. I'll be checking this thread for awhile.
>>947687
> Phoneposters
Why post at all you useless fuck?
>>947723
Because this is an interesting fucking topic and I like to show interest and keep it bumped until I get off work and awake enough to devote the attention it needs.
Despite this being a slow board, like no one fucking goes past page 3. Bitch.
>>947722
Yea, Probably be tomorrow if no one has posted everything.
>>947749
hahah thanks man, look forward to hearing more from you.
![IMG_0170[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/7gK5eVB.jpg "IMG_0170[1].jpg")
Bumpin with my cute baby cubicus boxfish
>>947678
>it could worst case scenario cause like an alge boom
That appears to be more a factor of light color than timing. Actual reefs are deeper than a tank. So the water tends to filter out the reds and yellows, leaving the greens and blues to reach the reef. Algae likes red and yellow (longer wavelengths). So there is some argument about filtering the light you use to illuminate your tank to simulate greater water depth.
Another bonus (maybe): There was a PBS program on bioluminescence and biofluorescence on TV the other day. Researchers take blue lights down to a reef at night and then view the fish/coral through a yellow filter (blocking the blue illumination). The fluorescent colors are spectacular if you have the right species.
>>948006
This is a picture of a zoanthid garden, under actinics, through a filtered lense.
>>947683
>I actually believe I have either a pistol shrimp or a mantis somewhere, I hear clicks every night, and I've had to stop buying special crabs because they seem to go missing. Haven't seen anything though.
hahaha yeah you have something,
the fact that you have coral on the ground floor makes me suspect a mantis, but when a pistol shrimp isnt paired with a goby, the4y are kinda scared/blind
dude you should get a pistol/goby combo best salt water anything or at least close to.
>>948006
my comment was in reguards to if changing the PWM on the leds would fuck with the wavelenght. i know its different than when flourecent lights dim and go old but just an idea to watch for
>PBS BIO LUMANICNE
there was an article in National G about this last month or something aswell with fat pics
>>947683
gonna need better pics of the inside, because it will probably be something like "splice the wire here, and plug this into the computer"
![IMG_0210[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/DwqHoAV.jpg "IMG_0210[1].jpg")
>>948809
Lol yea there's definitely something in there... suspecting it's a pistol shrimp, all the crabs its possibly killed so far have been relatively soft shelled (pom poms).
The coral on the ground is just because I've run out of room on the live rock lol, and some of them need to be down there because they're relatively new to the tank, and haven't acclimated to my light. Here's a pic of the inside of another fixture I have, their basically identical though.
![IMG_0211[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/XrDf88h.jpg "IMG_0211[1].jpg")
>>948831
and a closeup of the ballast
>>948809
>my comment was in reguards to if changing the PWM on the leds would fuck with the wavelenght.
No. But depending on what kind of LED lighting you have it may or may not be dimmable. The actinic lamps referred to earlier are similar to standard LED lamp replacement units in that they contain the 'ballast' (constant current) circuitry and power supply. Some are dimmable, some are not.
An Arduino home brew solution could be designed to be dimmable from the ground up and could incorporate time of day dimming functions.
>>947533
hey man you sure that's the best idea for the corals? even good quality lighting does not compare to the sun, if you do it personally i would have it at peak 90% of the time still.
looking at the tank i'm sure you know that though, really nice setup, clearly have some great growth. what do you filter with? cheato?
>>948832
>constant current
>variable voltage dimming
OP out of curiousity i googled for about 5 mins and found several devices under $100 that simulate dawn and dusk.the experts here may have reasons why this wont work for you but i think any of these programmable switches could be useful for solving your problem.
>>948831
>pompoms
so fucking adorable
i think i had a bristol worm killing all my pompoms or something
ohh man so fucking funny pompoms
>these new purple xenia cutting will look great in my tank,
>sure were expensive
>pompom lawnmowers them instantly
like a fucking mexican gardener there were gone as soon as they went in,
>>948989
the actinic ones dont really need dimming though do they? mostly just the 10k?
>>950703
This light is crazy powerful, and as it is, I can't run the lights at 100% all day long without the corals becoming fatigued by they end of the day. So I've been manually adjusting them recently, about 25% power in the morning, rising to 100% by noon, and back down to 50% by dinner, and then actinics only for a few hours. I mean the solution could be as easy as some programmable servos or something to turn in the built in dimmer switches ( >>950715, it has built in dimmer switches on the top that allow to you dim from about 5% up to 100%)
>>950767
Could you put some links out?
>>950809
Mine never bothered any corals, such peaceful little guys. I only have some of their pom poms (little anemones) in my tank. Purposefully separated from dead body and has started to thrive. Hopefully that doesn't backfire on me lol.
http://www.amazon.com/StandardPlug-Programmable-Dimmer-Plug-in-Outlet/dp/B01B26WOUY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1456257733&sr=8-7&keywords=dusk+dawn+outlet+dimmer
Do you guys think that this would work? The plug in isn't three prong, like it needs to be, but that can be gotten around.
>>951163
nice!, i used to keep them but back then it was pretty much t5's or halogen. seems its come on a long way.
if i had the cash i would start keeping them again in an instant, so rewarding
>>951174
Yea the new LEDs make reef keeping much easier. Don't need to run expensive huge t5s anymore, or crazy expensive halides. Although halides are pretty cheap now, I have a 150w halide over my 4g dwarf puffer picotope. the light used to be on my reef, until I upgraded. The new LEDs kick ass though, great growth out of everything from sps to softies. Just got a new birdsnest frag over the weekend to :) free from my LFS.
![IMG_0231[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/SEfwTkI.jpg "IMG_0231[1].jpg")
>>951174
Just snapped this shot on the reef
>>947749
>no one fucking goes past page 3
there are people who don't use the catalog?
>>951374
To be fair, the last time I said bump, this OP was in the last three posts of the last page. Been a slow thread
![IMG_0235[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/dlj5bHU.jpg "IMG_0235[1].jpg")
Bumpin with my large brain coral, surrounded by some also quite large featherduster worms. I have about 20 or so of these large featherdusters that came as hitchhikers on a rock, and have since taken off.
