- Joined
- Jul 20, 2017
- Messages
- 5
- Points
- 0
First let me thank everyone in advance for taking the time to read all this.
I need a burning handheld laser to help in culling invasive mushroom corals in reef aquariums. Without getting into it deeply, these corals, while pretty, multiply rapidly in a reef tank and sting/kill other corals. They can't simply be removed because any piece left behind will result in a new mushroom.
I am also a professional in the marine aquarium industry and would like to use it to control other sessile pests in customer's aquariums. A few days ago a customer lent me a "high powered laser" to try on some of these mushrooms. He doesn't know much if anything about lasers and simply said make sure you wear these glasses and keep the beam on them. The laser he lent me seems to be doing the trick but it takes Many repeated burns of 30+ seconds to get the mushrooms to really shrivel (15-20 times). Due to that I believe I am using the wrong caliber weapon for the job. Even with the precision of a laser I would like to minimize the time I flash a death ray into these delicate tanks. I wish I could tell you what laser he lent me but there are very little markings anywhere on the unit. The label says <1000mw and it runs off of 2 x 16340 batteries. It is a 450nm blue beam. In my reading I have learned that these labels are pretty much useless. If anyone has instagram I posted a photo of it, my username is the same as on this forum. I have since done enough reading to make my head hurt and am finally posting for advice since I can not seem to get a clear answer on what to pull the trigger on. Here are my questions:
I need something that will burn coral through up to 5/8" glass and 24" of water. It needs to burn, but not slice as many corals will simply reproduce if lacerated. How much power is too much for this?
I see so many powered by 16340 batteries but through years of experience (other hobbies) I know that 18650's have better cells available for purchase. I have found some lasers that will run on 18650 batteries. I will be using the laser for up to an hour at a time (not continuous). Are 16340's really adequate or should I look for an 18650 rig?
Thanks again for any help you guys can give me.
~Mike
I need a burning handheld laser to help in culling invasive mushroom corals in reef aquariums. Without getting into it deeply, these corals, while pretty, multiply rapidly in a reef tank and sting/kill other corals. They can't simply be removed because any piece left behind will result in a new mushroom.
I am also a professional in the marine aquarium industry and would like to use it to control other sessile pests in customer's aquariums. A few days ago a customer lent me a "high powered laser" to try on some of these mushrooms. He doesn't know much if anything about lasers and simply said make sure you wear these glasses and keep the beam on them. The laser he lent me seems to be doing the trick but it takes Many repeated burns of 30+ seconds to get the mushrooms to really shrivel (15-20 times). Due to that I believe I am using the wrong caliber weapon for the job. Even with the precision of a laser I would like to minimize the time I flash a death ray into these delicate tanks. I wish I could tell you what laser he lent me but there are very little markings anywhere on the unit. The label says <1000mw and it runs off of 2 x 16340 batteries. It is a 450nm blue beam. In my reading I have learned that these labels are pretty much useless. If anyone has instagram I posted a photo of it, my username is the same as on this forum. I have since done enough reading to make my head hurt and am finally posting for advice since I can not seem to get a clear answer on what to pull the trigger on. Here are my questions:
I need something that will burn coral through up to 5/8" glass and 24" of water. It needs to burn, but not slice as many corals will simply reproduce if lacerated. How much power is too much for this?
I see so many powered by 16340 batteries but through years of experience (other hobbies) I know that 18650's have better cells available for purchase. I have found some lasers that will run on 18650 batteries. I will be using the laser for up to an hour at a time (not continuous). Are 16340's really adequate or should I look for an 18650 rig?
Thanks again for any help you guys can give me.
~Mike