"Kevin Livingston" wrote in message
...
Shortened for ease of reading:

"NetMax" wrote in message
...
The canopy of the future will resemble what we have today, but will be
much bigger, possibly 8 to 12" thick. It will incorporate things
like:

1. Filter system
- integrated biowheel, and sponge media which would be serviced
through a hatch in the canopy.
- backwash capability into overflows (see para. 7. below)

I agree but I would say that the hobbyist should be able to add modules
as she/he sees fit. I would also say that an optional UV sterilizer
module could be added to the final stage.

UV module, check )


2. Storage
- nets, test kits etc

That could be easily part of the stand.

True, but I'm not a carpenter and didn't want to get involved in stands.

3. Heater
- why use precious aquarium real-estate for an unsightly heater

I would also add an optional chiller module too.

Check, discussed in another post.

4. Food storage
- empty/mix all your dried fish foods, pellets, flakes, freeze-dried
etc into a compartment which is sealed when the hatch is closed.
- there is a screw-type feeder with rubber blades (to keep humidity
away from the food) operated/programmed from a keypad (integrated into
the canopy)
- level indicator (proximity switch) provides visual indicator of low
food levels (ie: by reversing light operation to get your attention)
- filters would automatically turn off for 10 minutes during feeding

I don't think I could buy into that. Another poster metioned the joys
of having one's fish great you as you feed them. It's kind of like when
Duncan Heinz cake mixes first came out. Everything was included in the
mix so that the busy mom/wife could "just add water" and be done but so
many women at that time camplained that they felt that they weren't
trully baking if eggs and other "liquid" ingredients were powdered and
that they could add them themselves. So Duncan Heinz (and others)
changed the formula to allow for the "baker" to add "liquid"
ingredients his/herself. Why the history lesson? To illistrate what you
might run into with "too much automation".

I think the missing operative is too much automation *too fast*. Duncan
would probably find less resistance to the all included recipe now, but I
think a key element (not to critique your example), is that 'perception
is reality', and dried butter and eggs were perceived to lack the quality
of the real thing.

I will however take the resistance to too much automation to heart.

5. Light System
- staged lighting, programmed from same keypad
- dawn/dusk lights, small halogen making a spot light effect, with
ripples shadowing the substrate, used to transition to/from nightfall
and daylight main lighting
- main lights (two CF groups, morning 1/2 on, mid-day all on, and
evening 1/2 on again)
- programmed variability (cloudy periods) to reduce algae (currently
done with timers set to 1 hour off)
- twilight lighting (typically red or actinic) not programmed, set
manually, for those bottle of wine by the fire late evenings.

Let's not forget "moon light" LEDs to make nocturnal effects. Maybe
even adding "phases" would be good.

) relatively inexpensive (LED lighting). I wonder if advances in LED
technology will even allow for their use as the only light source,
variable in intensity and frequency (different colours) right down into
the infra-red. I wasn't planning on designing this hood anytime soon, so
we shall see.

6. Ventilation & Cooling
- all that lighting will require that the ballasts are in a separate
vented area (separate from the air under the canopy)
- stainless steel tubing (with cooling fins) replaces conventional
hoses, allowing atmospheric cooling using a small fan triggered by a
thermocouple.

No arguments here.

7. Water/Atmospheric control
- pH regulated through CO2 injected inside canopy (or skip to next
item)
- low pH amber/tannic appearance through black-water concentrate
pellets, or processed/compressed leaf pellets
- kH regulated through baking soda pellets
- continuous monitoring of conductivity (TDS control)
- plumbed directly into home's DWV and cold water supply line (for
continuous water changes through a drip system)
- thermocouple (replaces thermometer), to activate dynamic cooling
(para.6) and reduce lighting to cool as required. (heater's
thermocouple would be a separate unit in-line with heating elements).
- backwash cycle which would pulse water in through the gravel,
trapping mulm in screens located near overflow pipes

Again no arguments.

8. Power distribution
- plug the canopy in and all peripherals connect to canopy's
integrated GFI protected power bar.

9. Water Purification option
- clear plastic bell fits on top of canopy (semi-integrated), housing
various bog/terrestrial plants whose roots would strip out any
remaining NO3 from non-planted tanks (silk plants would make a come
back, but some people will always want real plants).

Can't give much thought on thst one.

10. Live Food option
- habitat section in canopy for growing small creatures (ie: white
worms in earth, feeding off decay from mechanical filtration stage, or
mysis shrimp hatchery etc). Hatchery occupants will randomly 'escape'
into main tank to be eaten.

Too much complication IMHO

complication, yes, but my motivation is a pet peeve close to my
heart. As important as a HOB filter is, what aquariums *really* need is
an HOB hatchery which would randomly release creatures into the water to
be eaten by the fish. The problem is that my fish are bored. Their
tank-mates have been selected with some scientific rigour. Their
environment was researched, and they are generally in the biggest
aquarium that I can afford them. They are happy, healthy and bored.

Along with boredom, their food supply is a little too artificial, double
feedings of dry processed foods with the occasional frozen treat when
their caretaker remembers to do it. Their digestive system would be a
lot happier with a more irregular diet scattered throughout the day, plus
the thrill of finding a live creature swimming around, and then the
chase, the catch, the satisfaction of beating your tank-mates, the
swallow... and then if fish could smile ).

From Oscars to Neon tetras, fish like to spend most of their time in the
pursuit of a meal. This is what they were hard-wired in nature to do.
Eat, sleep, spawn, roam and avoid being eaten. In the confined
controlled space of an aquarium, they eat (boring), sleep (boring), spawn
(ok, though their choices of mates are always very limited), roam (to the
end of the tank and back), and stay alive (usually no predators are in
with them). Boring.

So while the design of a hatchery would certainly be a complication, I
would like to include it for the sake of their mental health ;~).

Did I miss anything? Today, this equipment & electronics exist
separately, much of it in high volume consumer goods, except for:
a) the canopy itself (fairly straightforward mould with several
options and expansion panels to include odd sized aquarium
dimensions).
b) the canopy horizontal filter (plastic moulds) utilizing twin
(redundancy) generic powerheads
c) the controller and fairly straightforward programming
d) integration of all the components

I would add that it should be easy on the hobbyist and that optional
modules can be added or removed depending on the hobbyists desires.

A recurring theme I've been hearing. This will be an interesting design.

Alone, I could prototype this in about 6 years (it is that easy), so a
group of people could probably get one into pre-production testing in
12 months, and into production, 6 months after that.

The question is, would it sell. Would you buy one? Is it complete,
anything missing?
--
www.NetMax.tk

Anyway these are jusy MY opinions

.....and I thank you for taking the time to write them ).

Statistically, every single opinion expressed represents a large number
of similar opinions which were not expressed, so you're actually speaking
on behalf of *many* people.

cheers
--
www.NetMax.tk