Use of Lasers in Controlling Pest Algae and Corals

[RalphsReef]

Good one! I can't imagine burning a hole into my frag tank, then the resulting crack, and subsequent flooding.

Not at all. Acrylic, especially in tanks, is quite translucent. A laser won't have any visible/negligible effect... however on a molecular level it's likely to weaken the structure resulting in a small breach in acrylic over time. It's vital that the laser be aimed at the appropriate entrance angle in order to maintain your tanks structural integrity...
I'm joking. It'll do nothing to your tank 

 

[revhtree]

So what is a good laser option for around 200 bucks?

 

[Liquid360]

Sent you a PM... speaking as a guy with an $800 laser I'm saying don't get it! I've got a MUCH cheaper and better solution!!!

So what is a good laser option for around 200 bucks?

 

[eel-byte]

Sent you a PM... speaking as a guy with an $800 laser I'm saying don't get it! I've got a MUCH cheaper and better solution!!!

Care to share?

 

[Liquid360]

Lol sorry. I borrowed one of these from a fellow reefer. It's the most brilliantly well thought out product I've ever used. Using electrical current to convert salt water to hydrogen, which is most what Aiptasia is comprised of, upon contact with the needle ended probe/wand it turns the water to hydrogen gas which liquifies them. If they reseed into their crevice the needle easily fits in to reach them. My coral shrimp and sally lightfoot crab make quick work of the remains. It's completely safe and VERY effective and only $110. Can't shock you or hurt your fish unless u poke them. If you've heard stories don't listen. It's exactly what I think we've all been seeking... and on top of that its extremely emotionally satisfying to fry them!!
It's called an Majano Wand Aiptasia & Majano Eliminator

Care to share?

 

[Reef Fever]

found a class III green down in AZ for $40, had my boss pick me up one. When he brings it to me at the end of the month I will let you guys know how it works

 

[Liquid360]

My green one is the most powerful production laser there is at $800 and over 500mw... it kills them but takes 5min and can't reach ones I don't have clear line of sight to. The wand is sooooo much better and soooo much cheaper. A $40 laser will be a 3-5mw pointer. Won't kill them sorry.

found a class III green down in AZ for $40, had my boss pick me up one. When he brings it to me at the end of the month I will let you guys know how it works

 

[Liquid360]

Here us my $100 astronomical laser pointer vs my big one...
At night the big one can be seen from 86 miles away... it reaches high into the atmosphere, on a clear night into space... I'll take a photo tonight and you'll get what I mean.

 

[eel-byte]

Lol sorry. I borrowed one of these from a fellow reefer. It's the most brilliantly well thought out product I've ever used. Using electrical current to convert salt water to hydrogen, which is most what Aiptasia is comprised of, upon contact with the needle ended probe/wand it turns the water to hydrogen gas which liquifies them. If they reseed into their crevice the needle easily fits in to reach them. My coral shrimp and sally lightfoot crab make quick work of the remains. It's completely safe and VERY effective and only $110. Can't shock you or hurt your fish unless u poke them. If you've heard stories don't listen. It's exactly what I think we've all been seeking... and on top of that its extremely emotionally satisfying to fry them!!
It's called an Majano Wand Aiptasia & Majano Eliminator

Our club has one, and I found that it's impossible to get all the bits and pieces, and they come back a few weeks later.

 

[Liquid360]

My inverts rapidly consume what's left. Believe me it's far better than the laser. I wish it wasn't cause I was so excited to find a use for my class 4 laser! Also it's easy and quick enough that doing it once once a month is fine with me!! There aren't any alternatives short of nudibranches. I've tried them all and short of boiling your rock the wand is the best solution. Were there a perfect solution we wouldn't be having this chat.

Our club has one, and I found that it's impossible to get all the bits and pieces, and they come back a few weeks later.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

My green one is the most powerful production laser there is at $800 and over 500mw... it kills them but takes 5min and can't reach ones I don't have clear line of sight to. The wand is sooooo much better and soooo much cheaper. A $40 laser will be a 3-5mw pointer. Won't kill them  sorry.

500mw is pretty low power output for this purpose. The two 445nm units demoed in this thread were 1.8W (1800 mw) and 2.4W (2400mw) I paid ~$350 to have the 2.4W unit built and I'm sure cost have continued to drop as outputs have increased. Anyone wanting the contact information on the gentleman that built mine, just send me a PM.

Our club has one, and I found that it's impossible to get all the bits and pieces, and they come back a few weeks later.

Most of the results I've read of the electric wand were similar. It looks cool, but is largely ineffective at killing pests.

 

[Liquid360]

green lasers 532nm are more expensive and bright than blue... but doesn't matter. Please feel free to tell me how mine can't kill aiptasia. Don't let the fact that it has dissuade you.

 

[Liquid360]

Perhaps I shouldn't have responded like that but I just so dislike being told i couldn't possibly have done something I've done. I'll leave it at that.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

My green one is the most powerful production laser there is at $800 and over 500mw... it kills them but takes 5min and can't reach ones I don't have clear line of sight to. The wand is sooooo much better and soooo much cheaper. A $40 laser will be a 3-5mw pointer. Won't kill them  sorry.

Assuming the your aiptasia didnt simply return, 5 minutes of lase time to "hopefully" kill a single polyp is not efficient. Even a relatively low power 445nm such as the 1800mw used in the below video completely eradicates any pest in about 30 seconds. The larger 2400mw 445nm has the same effect in just a few seconds.

[video=youtube_share;AvPltwSOZDc]http://youtu.be/AvPltwSOZDc[/video]

green lasers 532nm are more expensive and bright than blue... but doesn't matter. Please feel free to tell me how mine can't kill Aiptasia. Don't let the fact that it has dissuade you.

I never said your can't kill Aiptasia. Apparently based on your comments - if you focus the laser on the target for 5 minutes...it might. I simply stated 532nm is the wrong tool for the job as it does not burn nearly as well as 445nm.

Perhaps I shouldn't have responded like that but I just so dislike being told i couldn't possibly have done something I've done. I'll leave it at that.

Once again, you should re-read my post. In summary,

445nm blue is a far better (and far less expensive) option for this intended purpose. 405nm, is even better but the emitters are more expensive and higher output versions are not yet available. Also please note that eye protection is specific the the wavelengh laser being used. You can't just use any set of eye protection (free or otherwise) and assume you will be protected. Make sure the eye protection used is for the specific wavelength laser being utilized.

If using 1w laser you won't accidentally hurt anything. It takes a min or more to kill anything. It's not as though your wielding a light saber.... but I'm working on that lol

This is a foolish and dangerous statement. A focused endpoint of a 1W 445nm laser will instantly begin burning and an eye strike (even glancing) will can cause permanent eye damage.

For anyone questioning the potential damage a 1000mW laser can do - Here's a story about a laser hobbyist inadvertently struck in the eye by a 1 watt 445 nm, blue laser (less powerful than what many are using in aquaria.) Even though the laser struck his eye for only about a second (as it rolled off a table), it resulted in burns to his retina requiring surgery (at the time time this was written, the outcome of surgery was still pending.) Photos of the retina damage were provided earlier in this thread.

In short, anyone considering using a laser, PLEASE read this entire thread before taking any action that could result in permanent injury.

 

[Liquid360]

Well the focusing lens on mine is damaged which is the problem but even mine is very capable of frying them in seconds... with a focusing lens.

Assuming the your aiptasia didnt simply return, 5 minutes of lase time to "hopefully" kill a single polyp is not efficient. Even a relatively low power 445nm such as the 1800mw used in the below video completely eradicates any pest in about 30 seconds. The larger 2400mw 445nm has the same effect in just a few seconds.

[video=youtube_share;AvPltwSOZDc]http://youtu.be/AvPltwSOZDc[/video]

I never said your can't kill Aiptasia. Apparently based on your comments - if you focus the laser on the target for 5 minutes...it might. I simply stated 532nm is the wrong tool for the job as it does not burn nearly as well as 445nm.

Once again, you should re-read my post. In summary,

445nm blue is a far better (and far less expensive) option for this intended purpose. 405nm, is even better but the emitters are more expensive and higher output versions are not yet available. Also please note that eye protection is specific the the wavelengh laser being used. You can't just use any set of eye protection (free or otherwise) and assume you will be protected. Make sure the eye protection used is for the specific wavelength laser being utilized.


This is a foolish and dangerous statement. A focused endpoint of a 1W 445nm laser will instantly begin burning and an eye strike (even glancing) will can cause permanent eye damage.

For anyone questioning the potential damage a 1000mW laser can do - Here's a story about a laser hobbyist inadvertently struck in the eye by a 1 watt 445 nm, blue laser (less powerful than what many are using in aquaria.) Even though the laser struck his eye for only about a second (as it rolled off a table), it resulted in burns to his retina requiring surgery (at the time time this was written, the outcome of surgery was still pending.) Photos of the retina damage were provided earlier in this post.

In short, anyone considering using a laser, PLEASE read this entire thread before taking any action that could result in permanent injury.

 

[Liquid360]

Over 8000 times brighter than the sun. Introducing the world's brightest laser you can legally own.
Under review by Guinness World records, the Spyder 3 Krypton is the world's brightest handheld laser. Our Earth's atmosphere ends at 62 miles, but the Krypton goes beyond and breaks through our atmosphere, into outer space. With its extreme range of 85 miles, the S3 Krypton is the first and only handheld laser visible from outer space. Directly viewing the dot of the Krypton <1W laser (86 million lux) will appear over 8,000 times brighter than looking directly at the sun. Safety goggles are a must.
The human eye perceives pure green light 800%, 2,000%, and 19,000% brighter than red, blue, and purple light respectively. If you enjoyed wielding the awesome power of the S3 Arctic, then you'll want the S3 Krypton, the brightest handheld laser on Earth, in your hands.
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Tactical Smartswitch 2.0. You have total control of the 85 mile visible laser beam. Now with nine operation modes - including five new tactical modes - SOS (Hi/Low), Beacon (Hi/Low), and Tactical Hibernation.
100% unlimited duty cycle. Operate the laser continuously, 24/7 with no risk of damaging the laser diode.
Strong laser in a strong body. The aircraft grade aluminum chassis, same as the S3 Arctic, is a fully tested and proven quality construction that lets you be confident that the S3 Krypton is as well built as it is strong and bright.
Powerful safety features. The SmartSwitch technology locks out unauthorized access to your S3 Krypton making this super-powered laser inoperable when unattended.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Liquid360, Wicked marketing text aside, you have completely missed (or ignored) the point. Visible brightness (LUX) doesn't matter. What matters is burning power. While 532nm (green) appears much brighter to the human eye than 405-455nm blue, it does not burn as well. For use in astronomy where visibility is paramount, 532nm is a great choice. For our intended use, it's the wrong tool for the job.

It's probably a good thing you have a 532nm - Had you been using a 1W+ 445nm, you would have burned the shelf pictured in your beam-shot photo.

 

[Liquid360]

Lol yes I understand. I just don't agree with you and I don't see the point in arguing. thanks for schooling me though! You're crazy smart.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Lol yes I understand. I just don't agree with you and I don't see the point in arguing. thanks for schooling me though! You're crazy smart.

For the record, my intent was not to "school you" as it seems you know all you wish to know about the subject; rather to protect those that might mistakenly take your comments and advice as fact and risk injury i.e. your comment about laser safety...

If using 1w laser you won't accidentally hurt anything. It takes a min or more to kill anything. It's not as though your wielding a light saber.... but I'm working on that lol

A 1W laser used carelessly absolutely poses a threat to the user, any bystanders (people or pets) and the tanks inhabitants. Even a beam reflection can blind an unprotected eye in seconds.

 

[danielpower]

I have used my Laserto 1500mW Levin series blue laser pointer. The beam is extremely powerful and bright.
Here is a burning laser picture i made last year.