[mh] Pictures...

[Joey F. <joe...@gm...>]

>
> Joey,
> I was wondering how your aquarium project turned out.  If you have any
> digital pictures, and don't mind sharing, I'd love to see them!
>
> Dave Stenhouse
>



Okay, sorry for the wait. I have a ton of projects going on, and exams are
on their way! Heheh... I suspect you are more interested in animal pics
moreso than technology, so here you go...

Here <http://www.joeyfrench.com/list_images/180_gallon_university.JPG> is
one of the two display systems (end shot) that greet students in the Earth
and Water Sciences building every morning. I will get a pic of the other
when I am not running around crazy. The system is quite old (established
well over a decade, with some long term residents).

Behind the scenes is the first coral prop
tank<http://www.joeyfrench.com/list_images/coral_prop_tank.JPG>,
where fragments of different species are left to grow out. It also houses
specimens crucial to my lab coworker, Jake Adams, and his continuing
research in zooxanthellae. This system has a large (+100 gallon) Carlsen
surge device which fires every few minutes, and is first on my list of
things to get control of under MH. A bank of 3x400 watt Iwasakis light this
system quite well, emulating equatorial reef crest illumination.

Here <http://www.joeyfrench.com/list_images/future_180_system.JPG> is a pic
of my future home project, a 180 gallon custom made for me, that will be
completely automated. Ah, if only time and money were not an issue. Someday=
.


Upstairs is the home test
system<http://www.joeyfrench.com/list_images/home_prop_tank.JPG>.
For the best bang for the buck, this system uses 50 and 100 gallon
Rubbermaid containers for maximum volume (cheap!). My collection of coral
fragments live here, under a 400 watt Iwasaki metal halide, and a growing
array of MH controlled lighting elements to simulate dawn, dusk changing
daylength and moonlight (thanks David Norwood!). Moonlight/ Moon phases are
crucial to spawning behavior in the wild, along with daylength and
tide/currents, and with MH, I am able to integrate them with relative ease.
I would have this project much further along if my perl didn't suck so bad!
The Carlson surge device has been removed for cleaning. You can see my
Copperband Butterfly (eats out of my hand) and Foxface Rabbitfish posing...

Sump of the system<http://www.joeyfrench.com/list_images/home_test_system.J=
PG>with
DIY kalkwasser reactor, Beckett skimmer and Skimmate collector.

Here is the bank of X10
modules<http://www.joeyfrench.com/list_images/module_row.JPG>,
on a fantastic 48" vertically oriented powerstrip that is absolutely perfec=
t
for my needs. I have heard a lot of negative stuff about X10, but my system
seems to go without a hitch. I am however, very careful, and use repeated
signal sends, lots of "print" outputs to make sure stuff is working right, =
I
go slowly, and I have email and cellphone text messaging working in case
anything fails.

Here is my Misterhouse<http://www.joeyfrench.com/list_images/my_misterhouse=
.JPG>,
soon to be set up on a headless mini HP eVectra, with a 7 inch touchscreen.
It is running on my main box for now, till I work out the kinks. I want the
final controller to be as small and elegant a solution as I can find, as I
am not really too fond of the "mad scientist" moniker that I have acquired
of late.

Here's another of the wetlab's stream
tanks<http://www.joeyfrench.com/list_images/urchins_stars.JPG>,
this one holding urchins, seastars, conchs, snails, etc. pretty blurry, but
you get the drift. Again, these systems would truly benefit from the abilit=
y
to regulate surges and so forth according to a cycle. I also have some pics
that I couldn't put my hands on of our recent spawning event in the other
display system (not shown). Our male and female pajama cardinalfish produce=
d
a clutch, which the male proceeded to mouthbrood. We were able to get a
hatch which survived for about 72 hours, but then failed. Again, in terms o=
f
captive marine animals, a cycle (of some sort, light/dark, current) is of
utmost importance to reproduction. Hence my interest in Misterhouse!

Thanks again, and if you want more pics let me know!
Joey French