hydrophyte
Member
- Joined
- 22 Aug 2009
- Messages
- 1,051
Ripple Tank
This is a continuation of another discussion where I explained a few steps in developing a water ripple mechanism for use with an aquarium, a project in turn following my water wave machine as kinetic water sculpture integrated with a planted aquascape.
Like wave tanks, ripple tanks are captivating to watch while also being widely used in education and research to demonstrate and test physical principles and fluid dynamics. Check out this fascinating video demonstrating a water tank at in a University of Nottingham laboratory used to study gravitation waves and black holes....
It's so interesting that they are able to model dynamics at such vast spatial and temporal scales with plain water!
The design I have built uses an electromagnet to actuate a length of rod with an up-and-down motion and create ripples with a dipper, the round white bead, positioned at the water surface.
The electromagnet pulls the steel collar attached to the rod, while the steel spring and elastic band enable fine tuning of the rod motion. Electromagnet amperage and speed is controlled with an Arduino hooked up with power, ground and signal connections.
Last night I installed the mechanism with one of my 24" X 24" shallow square tanks. Here's a quick Instagram reel showing operation...
It's pretty clear that for a very good view of the ripples propagating across the tank, most of the center area should remain open with bare sand...
My aquascape plan is just a basic submerged root hardscape assembled with a few spiderwood pieces and rounded basalt stones. I'm going to cut a couple inches from the bases of those wood pieces to open up the middle of the tank some more. The light is also hung in a provisional way and when I move it to suspend directly over the middle of the tank, that will likewise bring the ripple shadows and reflections closer to the middle with more space...
I'll attach bases to the spiderwood pieces to hold them down in a more sturdy way. With my Dremel tool I can also shape those cut root ends for a more natural appearance. I also need to track down a bag of sugar-sized aragonite sand for a 1" layer covering the tank bottom.
There is also a plan for a few plants nestled in among the roots. This scape could just be enjoyed as a simple planting and kinetic water sculpture, but I think a few nano fish would look good with it. My current favorite idea is a dozen or so White Cloud Mountain Minnows, but it will be a while before I add any livestock.
Thanks for reading! I will try to have more updates on the way pretty soon.
This is a continuation of another discussion where I explained a few steps in developing a water ripple mechanism for use with an aquarium, a project in turn following my water wave machine as kinetic water sculpture integrated with a planted aquascape.
Like wave tanks, ripple tanks are captivating to watch while also being widely used in education and research to demonstrate and test physical principles and fluid dynamics. Check out this fascinating video demonstrating a water tank at in a University of Nottingham laboratory used to study gravitation waves and black holes....
It's so interesting that they are able to model dynamics at such vast spatial and temporal scales with plain water!
The design I have built uses an electromagnet to actuate a length of rod with an up-and-down motion and create ripples with a dipper, the round white bead, positioned at the water surface.
The electromagnet pulls the steel collar attached to the rod, while the steel spring and elastic band enable fine tuning of the rod motion. Electromagnet amperage and speed is controlled with an Arduino hooked up with power, ground and signal connections.
Last night I installed the mechanism with one of my 24" X 24" shallow square tanks. Here's a quick Instagram reel showing operation...
It's pretty clear that for a very good view of the ripples propagating across the tank, most of the center area should remain open with bare sand...
My aquascape plan is just a basic submerged root hardscape assembled with a few spiderwood pieces and rounded basalt stones. I'm going to cut a couple inches from the bases of those wood pieces to open up the middle of the tank some more. The light is also hung in a provisional way and when I move it to suspend directly over the middle of the tank, that will likewise bring the ripple shadows and reflections closer to the middle with more space...
I'll attach bases to the spiderwood pieces to hold them down in a more sturdy way. With my Dremel tool I can also shape those cut root ends for a more natural appearance. I also need to track down a bag of sugar-sized aragonite sand for a 1" layer covering the tank bottom.
There is also a plan for a few plants nestled in among the roots. This scape could just be enjoyed as a simple planting and kinetic water sculpture, but I think a few nano fish would look good with it. My current favorite idea is a dozen or so White Cloud Mountain Minnows, but it will be a while before I add any livestock.
Thanks for reading! I will try to have more updates on the way pretty soon.
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