Electrocuting Mojanos

[user 2204]

I think to make it a marketable product might be $75, but to just make a functional tool that you use occasionally and if it corrodes that's ok....I think I spent maybe $10.

Yes, I think you're correct on that. From a marketing stand point cost would probably need to be higher.

 

[Paul B]

They cost me about $22.00 to build. The transformer with shipping is $11.00, the acrylic is about $1.00 the switch maybe $2.00 and maybe another $8.00 for wire, shrink tubing, sealant and switch housing. If I built them one at a time it takes about two hours, not counting the 20 or so miles of driving to collect the materials.
If I sold them for $75.00 I would make about $53.00.
They could be much cheaper if I built 20 at a time because the shipping is the same as is all the driving to collect materials.
But I am not in the mojano zapper business so I will only build a few. I have two of them lent out now and I lend them out for free as long as I get it back.
I am building three more at the moment. They are just fun to build.
I think if I had to sell these in stores I would charge about $90.00 for them because you would have to wholesale it to the store and they would have to make a profit.

As the parts can be had relatively cheap and power sources are about $1.00 at any of the local thrift stores.

You can of course get the parts at a thrift store, but if you want to build a bunch of these you want them to be all the same and use reputable parts.

 

[Paul B]

I took a video of it working. The mojano becomes a little ball of slime that disappapears in an hour or so.

 

[Paul B]

 

[tvdao]

Wow... It looks kinda kinky.... I want one

 

[Paul B]

Someone on another forum posted that on the model he was building he had to replace the graphite electrode in a few minutes so I did a test. I ran these two electrodes in salt water continousely for one hour. As you can see by the picture, there is no decay on either electrode. The graphite is slightly discolored because it is still wet.

 

[apollothesun]

im gonna make mine this weekend, do you guys think an old impeller graphite rod will work?

 

[Paul B]

I guess, test it out

 

[Paul B]

Here is my newest model. The shrink tubing is just for looks to hide the solder joints inside the tube.

 

[ac7av]

Now that looks slick.

 

[Paul B]

Now that looks slick.

I have it down to a science now. The first few models I had some problems with leakage and corroding electrodes but now I feel they are perfect.
My daughter loves to zap mojanos so I grew some nice fat ones for her to Zap.

 

[trido]

That is pretty slick. However, I think I would still be partial to the original coat hanger design I was using so that I could bend the prong into a U turn or 90 degree angle to reach the mojanos and aptasias that are on the underside of the rock work etc.

 

[Paul B]

bend the prong into a U turn or 90 degree angle to reach the mojanos and aptasias that are on the underside of the rock work etc.

It definately needs a bend, if you look at the above picture I posted, you can see the 40 degree bend near the tip. I have found this to be perfect to reach around just about anything you can see, And if you can't see it, you can't zap it.

 

[Paul B]

My wife who has no interest in reefing has found a new hoby, killing mojanos.
She wanted to use the zapper so I told her to leave me some mojanos because some people who come over like to try the thing.
She zapped all of my mojanos in a few minutes. Now I have to find some and feed them to make them grow so I can have other people Zap them.
My daughter loves this also.

 

[trido]

Somehow its not suprising to me. Zapping aptasias always gave me a certain joy that no part of reefing ever could. I am suprised however that more reefers arent using zappers as part of their regular routine over kalk paste and other means. Its been proven by you, me and several others throughout the
country to be very safe.

 

[Paul B]

Maybe not that many people have mojanos. I shipped about 50 of them so far with no complaints of it hurting anything but mojanos or aiptasias.

 

[pescado]

Hi Paul,
Your latest model looks like the graphite doesn't need to be all that close to the needle for the current to complete the circuit between the 2?
Are you just wrapping the + wire around the graphite or is that a spring or something?
What are the specs on that final transformer and wire to your electrodes?
Really nice piece of work.

 

[Paul B]

The graphite is connected with a spring which is soldered to the positive terminal on the DC power supply which is 12 volts 250 ma.
The wiring is #24

 

[ashton]

Congrats on the post in glassbox about your aptasia zapper.
http://glassbox-design.com/2010/killing-aptasia-with-electricity/

 

[user 2204]

Great design now that it's perfected and looks great. How much are you selling these for?