New UAS for mantis shrimp nano

[Creekview]

I have had an odd couple as the only large inhabitants of my 33 long reef. The snowflake eel has grown large enough to try to eat my thumbsplitter mantis. The eel got thumped on the nose trying to get into the mantis cave. So I stopped by the local LFS for a 5.5 gallon tank ($12) and a Tetra PF10 HOB filter ($14).

Modified the HOB to be the scrubber filter for the mantis nano. Three 3w LEDs, two red and a blue, were chosen. Holes were drilled in the HOB, and 120 degree lenses were epoxied over the holes. They were then mounted with the wired LED array, potted with RTV. An aluminum tube heatsink was RTV'd to the LEDs. A hole was drilled at the bottom on one side for the air line, which was epoxied and then RTVd in place. A 6"x3" screen was cut, and is held in place on the filter screen with the existing clip. Overnight cure, and leak tested, it's now in place. I seeded the screen with GHA from my other scrubber.

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p645/Mellwood/07712643-FF47-417C-B37A-EF46D8748CF4_zpsxfoa6uba.jpg

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p645/Mellwood/278ED493-F9F3-4411-8B6B-C278FCBD1821_zpsjjcwunep.jpg

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p645/Mellwood/73C0CBE7-34DA-467E-8F46-C7A0DB314FC6_zpspgfsrj0c.jpg

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p645/Mellwood/270F37DA-B0EC-460E-9DC5-6F3970B03826_zpsvkke2vdn.jpg

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p645/Mellwood/670C4A70-087A-472C-87D1-A0056AD763FC_zpsykyozarz.jpg

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p645/Mellwood/41ADB4E5-2B81-4980-AED0-9BA6B86D4B91_zpsbgqkhtc5.jpg

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p645/Mellwood/7756B0C1-8D03-4FB9-AD06-CF2E260A12A7_zpsmb9zcajo.jpg

Screen hasn't been roughed up yet.......

[SantaMonica]

That's one way to do it... LED's on the outside :)

[Creekview]

I didn't want to have the heat added from an epoxy dip array to such a small tank.

[Creekview]

The nano has been up for a week now. The scrubber is working flawlessly, save for a trimming of the screen for a better fit. I scrapped the filter frame, and just put the screen in the slot furthest from the LEDs. You'll notice a burn hole in the center of the bottom algae growth. A bowing of the screen put it too close to the LED. The top LED is a 455nm blue, next down is a 630nm red, then the 660nm with the burn hole. Planning on putting in a piece of prismatic plastic in front of the LEDs to get better blending and spread. I think it's pretty obvious that different wavelength LEDs grow different algae.

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p645/Mellwood/64C32500-0922-4470-929B-38502F44CCAE_zpsshsnvahi.jpg

Top down view

http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p645/Mellwood/DFD00727-C552-4097-9890-27A2B2420BDF_zpsamtfsfmu.jpg

[SantaMonica]

After it fills in, you can turn the screen 180 and see if the pattern continues.