zjpeter's zoatope build

this is such a cool idea!

 

made a little progress tonight, the idea of running the LEDs under the lid wasn't going to work (wires too messy and angle of the light wasn't great enough to sufficiently light the center of the tank) so i ran to Ikea and got a cheapo desk lamp,

after getting creative with some silicone and eggcrate, i zipped tied the LED strips to it. not the prettiest job but i think it's going to work. i'm not sure the wattage on these suckers (iso 9001) but they are wicked bright. these pictures are in a fully lit room, they darkened the camera that much. nice color too

 

Very nice, great idea for the lights. Can't wait to see it done and on the little tank.

 

ISO 9001 is a set of rules for an accreditation.

 

so after a mammoth meal at Maggiano's Little Italy (first time and definitely NOT the last!) the silicone was set enough to slap it all together. the wires are still a mess but you get the general idea

 

ugh, forgot pictures... this is 18 whites and 18 blues. i've still got 15 of the UV/purples but i've left them off in case i put the shrimp in there. myh understanding is that UV or black light will blind aquarium critters.

 

I think that light will blind them anyway LOL.
Looking good.

 

Looking awesome. LEDs are some amazing stuff. Probably going to be making a big impact on the hobby in the near future. I want to see some corals in that thing! Keep the pictures of your progress coming!

 

i've run into a bit of a wall. the overflow is all squared away but i'm having a bit of trouble sorting out what to do with my return. the pump i'm using is a Mini-jet. which has a 3/8th outlet. what can i do so that my return come into the tank and still looks a minimalistic as possible? i don't want a big chunky pvc hanging over the tank

 

Drill it and put the return into the hole. Don't use any fittings besides bulkheads and I think it will look good.