DIY Lighting Very Easy

[GIS Guy]

I decided to pursue a semi-planted tank for the immediate future.
As I am able to purchase more plants the artificial plants shall be replaced.
Today I purchased 2 java ferns, 2 clumps of anachris and 1 marimo ball.
These plants may be seen in the following pictures.

To begin with, I reviewed the stickie (Everything...about DIY lighting...) and decided that I wanted to do something similar.
I needed to boost the WPG in my 20 gallon high from 0.75wpg to 2.0wpg.
In order to raise the WPG I purchased 2 CF bulbs (u-shaped) each of 20w.
The bulbs are 6500k.



The first thing I did was disassemble the existing NO florescent light.
I needed to know what was behind the fixture and ballast.
Behind are 2 screw holes on each side of the fixture that I thought could be used to hold the DIY sockets.
I didn’t want to drill any holes for nuts and bolts.





I made a trip to Menards to acquire the pieces needed.
I went right to the electrical department and located the light sockets.
I purchased ceramic sockets because those were all they had which were pre-wired.
Easy is the name of the game here.



Next I needed something to attach the sockets to the screw holes.
I found several sizes of tube straps and choose the 1.5” size.
These were very malleable to fit around the sockets.
The original screws would fit through the matched up holes.



The tube strap holes were a little large for the screw holes so I purchased a couple washers to place on the back for the support it needed.
By using washers, the tube strap was then able to tighten properly and securely hold the fixtures.





I lined the inside with aluminum foil for reflectivity, screwed the bulbs in place and attached the sockets.
I used wire nuts to fasten all the wires together.
The original power wire, switch wire and switch were also used.



There is enough space remaining to add a third bulb and I may need to shortly.
As you can see from the "room lights off picture" the center of the tank is a bit dim.



But on the other hand the "room lights on picture" shows ambient light is penetrating the water.
I will still add another light to even the light out for more plant growth.



I was amazed as to how inexpensive the DIY method is.
The bulb were by far the most expensive at $8+, the sockets $2+, washers $1- and everything else was pre-existing.
Using as much of the existing conditions as I could (screws, screw holes, wiring, etc) the cost was also kept to a minimum.

[Lonewolfblue]

Looks pretty good. Another thing you could probably add is from a local hobby shop. They have reflective sheets that are a bit more reflective than aluminum foil, plus they don't have the wrinkled look, which can also cause some light loss due to stray light reflecting off them. The sheets are thick, and can be glued or siliconed in place, just cut to the size of each surface inside the hood until all surfaces are covered. I did that on my 26G before I got my CF setup, and the visible output looked almost double compared to the stock reflectors that were in it. And I believe 1 sheet is only about a dollar or so.

[GIS Guy]

Thnx for the tip.
I shall have to look into it next time I'm out.
I am going to wallyworld tomorrow, perhaps they carry it.

[Orion]

Looks good. I agree on the adding of the third light in the middle, the way it is now leaved a dead space. Looks like you've enough space in the strip to turn the sockets around, where both bulbs point at each other and that would take care of the dead spot, and still be able to get light to all corners of the tank. But I don't think that adding the extra light is going to hurt, so personly I would do that.

Deffinatly do something for a better reflector. Your paying for the electricity, so might as well squeeze every bit of light into the tank that you can.

[Joe Fish]

Nice post. I'm thinking about making one of these for my refugium.

[GIS Guy]

I just bought 100 pieces of 1/2 inch square glass mirrors.
These will be hot glued to the inside of the fixture to replace the aluminum foil.
The glass mirrors should provide the reflectivity that I want for maximum water penetration.
This project is set for this week.

[GIS Guy]

I glued in the mirrors.
They cover an area over 1 of the bulbs.
I am going to test the reflectiveness of this as a small experiment.
The other thing I did was add a third bulb.
This brings the wattage up to 3.25 wpg.
I am attempting to keep the wattage below what I would need for Co2.
At this time Co2 is not an option.
The third bulb is 25w and 6500k.
Same exact bulb as the others with 5 more watts.
I am expecting that there will not any dead spots in the tank now.
The tank should be bright and colorful.
The other day I received a positive comment that the colors in the tank were vibrant.
.
.
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[Igor The Cat]

cool project, im very happy with DIY lights, there on of the few aquarium DIY projects that really save you a lot of money!

cheers

-Java

[TheFighterFish]

Good thread GIS guy. I will definately take this DIY project into consideration when I am planting my 10 G. It sucks that the most you can ever find on an eighteen inch flourescent is 15 W.

[rohnds]

I have seen these at Wal Mart. The one show in the picture that GIY Guy purchased is rated at 20W and but produced 75W.
So, do they really produce 75W of light, consuming only 20W. Or is it just a marketing gimck.
Rohn