Thingiverse
Phytoplankton culture LED base by Zephrant
by Thingiverse
Last crawled date: 4 years, 5 months ago
This is a prototype light base for growing phytoplankton.
To complete the project you will need both items printed, and may need to print the disc to use as a pattern for trimming a piece of 1/4" clear acrylic to make the lens.
Suggested parts:
Microswitch: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DN7Z67E
Grow LED string: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XHRYX2O
DC Jacks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GO56CCE
Power supply: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073ZF19QV
I also used a 5 ohm, 5 watt power resistor inline to dial down the LED current to around a half amp, to keep it from getting too hot.
I've not yet started my Phytoplankton grow operation for my reef tank, so I don't yet know if I'll need more or less light to get a good culture going.
Update: I can now confirm that 6.6 watts of red/blue grow LEDs does a great job with 1 liter flasks. I'm getting good growth, and need to split each flask once a week. (100ml phyto to 900ml new water, with 1ml f/2.) The box does get warm, I would not recommend using in a hot area or with any more light than 6 watts without making vents.
I have a second version in the works that uses an aluminum PCB for the 1W LEDs, and has some ventilation that should give me more light, with less heat retention in the case.
To complete the project you will need both items printed, and may need to print the disc to use as a pattern for trimming a piece of 1/4" clear acrylic to make the lens.
Suggested parts:
Microswitch: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DN7Z67E
Grow LED string: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XHRYX2O
DC Jacks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GO56CCE
Power supply: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073ZF19QV
I also used a 5 ohm, 5 watt power resistor inline to dial down the LED current to around a half amp, to keep it from getting too hot.
I've not yet started my Phytoplankton grow operation for my reef tank, so I don't yet know if I'll need more or less light to get a good culture going.
Update: I can now confirm that 6.6 watts of red/blue grow LEDs does a great job with 1 liter flasks. I'm getting good growth, and need to split each flask once a week. (100ml phyto to 900ml new water, with 1ml f/2.) The box does get warm, I would not recommend using in a hot area or with any more light than 6 watts without making vents.
I have a second version in the works that uses an aluminum PCB for the 1W LEDs, and has some ventilation that should give me more light, with less heat retention in the case.