Automatic Cascading Planktonic Feeder System

[Mouse]

For those of you that haven't seen earlier threads regarding this topic, may i introduce you to the latest Holy Grail.

A bunch of us have talked before about how a piece of equipment like this could revolutionise how we keep our Aquaria. But we allways fell short on one aspect, how to affectively sterilise the water from the aquarium so that no cross culture contamination can occur. Well i think i may have just cracked it.

RADIATION!!!!

As far as i can recall we never thought about this as an option. Going by radioactive half lives a source of suitable radiation could last a lifetime. And it wouldn't polute the water at all. Infact ive owned a couple of cheap imitation watches that probably pump put enough of the stuff to make do with wrapping it round some tubing. We probably wouldn't even have to go that strong, nothing like Gamma. I think maybe some type of Beta emitor would suffice providing the steriliseation point was tuned to the radioacives requirements.

So what do you think chaps, speak up :wink:

 

[Mouse]

Danmhippo, check it out. :wink:

 

[danmhippo]

Dude, I just woke up.......I am in the west coast.

Let me read it.....Before I read it, I must say that's a brilliant idea, just need to know how safe and effective it may be. I was also thinking about heating up the liquid in a small tube hot enough to sterilize all life form.

 

[danmhippo]

I am not familliar to the radiation and it's common application. Can someone direct me to a place to read about it?

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
I am not very familiar with radiation other than to say that I used to make leaded acrylic shield that protect people from low level radiation.

I doubt that it is a good way to do what you want, since to make it useful, the amount of radiation from a watch is not sufficient. To be useful, you will need to consider the potential problems such as leak and unintended exposure. It is just too much work for this application.

UV is much safer, and easier to control. Heating will also work (I smell a coffee maker... . But depends on the flow rate, it can be wasteful... what is the expected flow rate?

 

[Anonymous]

hmmm, sometimes its hard to tell if you guys are being serious or not. I will say that what this idea lacks in practicality it certainly makes up in originality.

It might be amusing someday to see posts under DIY about schemes for harvesting the radioactive tritium goop from watches.

 

[wade1]

Good innovation, terrible liability. I'd go back to sleep now Dan!

 

[AF Founder]

For those of you that haven't seen earlier threads regarding this topic, may i introduce you to the latest Holy Grail.

A bunch of us have talked before about how a piece of equipment like this could revolutionise how we keep our Aquaria. But we allways fell short on one aspect, how to affectively sterilise the water from the aquarium so that no cross culture contamination can occur. Well i think i may have just cracked it.

RADIATION!!!!

As far as i can recall we never thought about this as an option. Going by radioactive half lives a source of suitable radiation could last a lifetime. And it wouldn't polute the water at all. Infact ive owned a couple of cheap imitation watches that probably pump put enough of the stuff to make do with wrapping it round some tubing. We probably wouldn't even have to go that strong, nothing like Gamma. I think maybe some type of Beta emitor would suffice providing the steriliseation point was tuned to the radioacives requirements.

So what do you think chaps, speak up :wink:

Mouse,

Have you read the article in Marine Fish and Reef 2002 by Craig Bingman? If you haven't I think you will find that Craig has envisioned a similiar device, but uses UV or O3.

 

[liquid]

I'd vote for germicidal UV lamps over a radioactive source. Good thought, but implementing would not be an option due to shielding and whatnot. Do you have any idea what it takes to even get a low level radiaiton source? Let's just say that it would not be easy...

Shane

 

[Anonymous]

Just drill a couple of holes in your microwave and run a line through! I actually have an old microwave similarly modified that I now use as a weed killer. I just attach it to a long extension cord and wander around the yard with it- when I see a nasty dandelion- just place the hole over it and give it 10 seconds- bye bye weed!

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
Dan, I will use a propane torch instead of lugging that u-wave around your 10 acre lot

FYI, dandelion make good salad (taste like lettuce, its relative). No heating needed :wink:

But the use of microwave as a sterilizer is a good idea to be checked.... More efficient than coffee maker!

 

[danmhippo]

Forget it guys.....I am going back to square one with a small UV sterilizer. 16Watt of UV bulb with flow rate of 4 gallon per day.......enough to mutate a mantis shrimp, if not killing it.

Anyone know if the flow rate is too slow, will I fry the UV tube? How does typical UV tube disperse heat?

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
UV tube are just a NO florescence tube (without the phosphate). With low flow rate, I doubt that it will doing any damage, but I am open to other experiences.

 

[danmhippo]

Seven, I thought slower the flow rate thru UV = stronger the killing power?

 

[liquid]

A UV sterilizer is definitely not just an ordinary NO tube w/o the phosphate coating. It's specially designed to have a peak irradiance somewhere around 280 nm or 350 nm or something like that -- right around where it will efficiently kill everything going thru the light source. This type of bulb *requires* that the bulb is made out of pure quartz as ordinary glass will effectively filter out the majority of the kill power of the UV bulb. P.R. Escobal goes over this in his book Aquatic Systems Design.

Longer contact time = increased kill power

Shane

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
I was just making a general statement, albeit misleading in technical details, to make Dan less worry about having the UV burnt out because of slow flow rate. The "damage" I refered to is damage to the bulb from heat, not damage to the organisms. I should be more explicit in what I say.

Again, the UV operate in the same principle of all florescence bulb, like VHO, NO, powercompact, compact florescence.

 

[Anemone]

Why do I have a mental image of Russia offsetting their national debt by selling radioactive materials to american hobbyists (those americans will pay anything for their tanks...)?

Kevin

 

[Ritteri&Bubbles]

I personally can't see a 9 or 16 watt UV sterilizer overheating regardless of flow rate through it. I would think it would be fine.

 

[Mouse]

My reference to the watch was because when i was on holliday in Thiland i bought this real cheapo Rolex. I happend to have access to a Giger counter (used for mesuring radioactive discharge), and the damn thing went off the scale. Apparently if that had been a pocket watch id have made myself sterile in no time.

Even smoke allarms have a small radioactive element to Ionise the surrounding air. Radioactivity is our freind, and i think in this application would be very usefull.

The way radioactivity is grouped is into three main wavelengths. Alpha, Betea and Gamma. Alpha waves are so weak they couldn't even penetrate a piece of tissue paper so their no good, Gamma waves are so strong they need an inch of lead to stop the radiation. But Beta waves are just in the middle, you could block them with sufficiently thick wood, but a piece of airline hosing with a peristaltic pump producing the flow would be radiated just right. And you could handle it without too much precaution, and no fear of growing extra limbs or anything.

My only concern with the UV is the reliablity of the slieve that the water is passed through. I think someone told me once they do tend to encourage precipitation which is deposited on the Slieve rendering it less affective, and possibly allowing cross culture contamination.

I wonder how much radiation a PC monitor pushes out, i bet its not far off our requirements, especially if you consider monitors are radioactively shielded.

Wheres Monty Burns when you need him :wink:

 

[Mouse]

Found this place, check it out.

http://www.atomicrocks.com/index3.htm