# My DIY Light with a "Twist"



## Hoosier Tank

When I bought my used 48" 40g long tank it came with a hood but no light. I had some wood left over from buiding my stand but without my board stretcher it just wasn't enough to make an entire canopy. So I measured the hood and built a light housing out of the 3/4" oak I had.

Because of the demensions I could not use a 48" flurescent lamp, and fixtures for twin shorter bulbs with ballast were not cost effective. So I found screw in "Twisted" Power Compact bulbs in a 6500K at Wal-mart. The local Rural King had screw in light bases that were for "Stage Lighting".

I used one bulb on each end and two in the middle on each side of the center divider that sets on the center brace.

I painted the inside high gloss appliance white.


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## jacca5

I have the same problem with my 29 gal tank that I am setting up when i got the tank it had just the tank, lid and no light.I have considered DIYing the light might have to look and see if i can find those light fixtures like that. I have already DIYed a stand and painted the background. How much were the light fixtures?


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## fishwolfe

nice!thanks for the idea :thumb:


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## Hoosier Tank

jacca5 said:


> I have the same problem with my 29 gal tank that I am setting up when i got the tank it had just the tank, lid and no light.I have considered DIYing the light might have to look and see if i can find those light fixtures like that. I have already DIYed a stand and painted the background. How much were the light fixtures?


The fixtures were $2 a piece 8) and I need to give credit where it's due. "Mcdaphnia" had several posts on the screw-in Power Compacts and I PM'ed him for details. at first I had my doubts on how the colors of my Mbuna would show up, thought they might look washed out. But the blues in my Mainganos, the yellows in my Labs and the reds (orange) in my new zebras look AWESOME! I bought the "75W" replacements. They also have 60W and 100W equivalant versions but make sure the say "Daylight' those specifically said 6500K.


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## beaker99

nice work. I was thinking of retro fitting the 4' light on my 120g with screw in flourecence.
Thanks


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## Mcdaphnia

beaker99 said:


> nice work. I was thinking of retro fitting the 4' light on my 120g with screw in flourecence.
> Thanks


Go for it. The simplest way to do this is just buy an incandescent tank light and replace the bulbs with the smaller sizes (that will fit) into the fixture. These bulbs run cooler thanm incandescent, but if you replace florescent tubes, you may want to add a muffin fan (like you probably can hear right now running on the back side of your computer).


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## Hoosier Tank

Mcdaphnia said:


> Go for it.


Hey Mcdaphnia, I hoped you would see this, thanks a ton for your suggestions and insight. I just realized I posted how it looked but didn't post a pic of the lights performance...


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## Mcdaphnia

Looks good, though it's hard to photograph the visual impact difference between tube lighting and point source. It's very obvious to the human eye, creating a more "underwater" appearance because surface ripples play with the light reflections from point source lights, something that is cancelled out when you have a tube light spanning the tank. And it is a closer approximation of how the fish would perceive natural sunlight in their native habitats. I hope it helps them feel more at home and ready to breed!

BTW if you have a fish club near you with an annual auction, head there. The incandescent light strips sell cheap. They can hardly give them away, everybody wants florescent, but they are perfect for compacts. I just checked this thread before leaving for the Youngstown fish club's auction this afternoon, so I'm taking my own advice and see you later!


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## fishwolfe

how about more info on the wiring of these?and where did you get them for $2 ???


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## Hoosier Tank

fishwolfe said:


> how about more info on the wiring of these?and where did you get them for $2 ???


I got the fixtures at a chain store named "Rural King" don't know if they have them in Portland area. I would think "Home Depot" or "Lowes" would have them as well.
As far as the wireing goes it was too easy. Each fixture has two screws, attach 1 wire to each screw. Code is black wire to the gold screw and white wire to the silver screw. But that really is nit-picking. I stripped the outer casing and used the white and black single strand copper wire from inside 14-2 romex (house wiring). Each light has its own pair of wires that join at the wire nuts in the center to the power cord that was a lamp replacement with a standard 2 prong plug. All 4 whites to one side and all 4 black to the other.
Click on these thumbnails to go to a big picture that is much easier to see the details.


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## Mcdaphnia

I'd be upgrading from the wirenuts if I used your fixtures. If I couldn't do all my connections inside a "workbox", I'd at least use heat shrink tubing or even better liquid tight connectors on all connections.


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## chillout

Hey are those the energy efficient bulbs? Thats a pretty nice setup, I built something similar for a 55g but it holds a double shop light fixture with 2, 48" bulbs. Mine is heavy and eventually the shop lights don't work right I think due to moisture. I think your setup is more practical and would use a lot less energy to run if its the energy saver bulbs running.


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## Hoosier Tank

Good observance "Mcdaphnia"... At work we use wire nuts on electrical connections that have the potential of a water hose busting in the proximity and soaking the connections. I used the same tactics on my lights. Wires are first twisted together. Electrical tape wrap the twist. Then wire nut the connection. finally wrap the wire nut with elecrtical tape overlapping down past the wires and back. The wire connections at the lights fixtures are terminated into spade connectors. AND the light is above the original Hood. Yes there is a possibility of getting moisture, but none of it is directly above the water. I tried to make it last but only time will tell. :wink:

Yes "Chillout", they are power saver bulbs. That is, when compared to incondecsents. They advertise to give off the same amount of light as a 75 watt bulb with only 20 watts. BUT, I used 4 of them, thats 80 Watts. I would be willing to bet your 48" flouecsents are 20 watt lamps and you use two, that's only 40 watts. What I don't know is the power consumption of the ballasts to drive your lamps  :?


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## chillout

Actually 4' fluorescents are 40w a piece, so a total of 80 as well. I think I could run just two of the 13w energy efficients and be just as happy as I am with these. All the 80w does for me is make me have to scrape algae once a week  .


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## Babykong

Light Housing looks really good! does it generate a lot of heat using those lights


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## Hoosier Tank

Babykong said:


> Light Housing looks really good! does it generate a lot of heat using those lights


 Not much heat at all, the light does get _warm_, but not enought to raise my tank temp like an incondescent would. I have checked my water temp in the mornings after they have been of for 12 hours and at the end of the day when they have been on that long. It always reads about 80 degrees.


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## cody6766

I have those over my 2 planted tanks. It's a cheap way to get a lot of lumens into a tank. I haven't had any heat issues with mine and I have a 10w over a 2.5gal and 2x20w over my 10gal. Warm is a good word for the bulbs, but they don't get too hot to touch or anything.

I'm actually working on plans for my 55gal's new hood with c/f lighting like that. I'm thinking about planting it if I can keep my sev from getting too munch-happy.


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## chillout

Just wanted to say thanks for sharing this thread, I myself haven't used it yet but fully intend to put it to good use. Would of never even consider those energy stars b4 I read this. :thumb:


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## fishwolfe

i liked the idea so much i ran out and copied it  i used 6 sockets and the wireing was simple,just ran them in series and used liquid electric tape on the connections.took about 15 minutes to complete.i love the new look of the tank.i was using a standard cheapo home dumpster shop light fixture before.this looks so much better.and easier to do in my canopy im makeing.heres pics :thumb:


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## Hoosier Tank

I helped somebody! 
I helped somebody!
I helped somebody!


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## prowler09

i really like this idea. are you just painting it white for reflection? is that plenty enough? i dont wanna make it too bright.


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## fishwolfe

i had painted the top of the lid white,but i got a mirror that goes on the back of a door that i use to get all the reflection i can into the tank.plus the door mirror was 6 bucks at target :thumb:


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## mithesaint

board stretcher

Hahahahaha! Where can I get one of these? :lol: :lol:


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## MalawiLover

mithesaint said:


> board stretcher
> 
> Hahahahaha! Where can I get one of these? :lol: :lol:


The fantasy aisle. Righ between the wall stretcher and the shingle stretcher. The shelf below the instant water powder.


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## CSchmidt

Does this set up work good for planted tanks? I like the idea and the cost to set up a light fixture like this. Right up my alley.

Thanks.
Chris.


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## Hoosier Tank

prowler09 said:


> i really like this idea. are you just painting it white for reflection? is that plenty enough? i dont wanna make it too bright.


Wow one of my threads resurected! I just saw it was back...
Yes I painted the inside white for reflection purposes and it is plently bright that way. I am sure polished aluminum would have been better but this is a nice even look to it. If you find it too bright you can buy the same "Daylight" 6500k light in a lower wattage. I used the 75W equivilant but that have one that gives of the same light as a 60W replacement



CSchmidt said:


> Does this set up work good for planted tanks? I like the idea and the cost to set up a light fixture like this. Right up my alley.


I have plastic plants in the tank but it sure grows green alge well, my B/N Pleco isn't starving  
Thanks for the renewed interest!!!


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## joevc1

After doing a quick check at Home Depot I found Daylight bulbs but rated 5500k. would this be OK?


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## illy-d

I've brought this idea up on a planted tank forum and a lot of the 'hardcore' greenthumbs figure you loose a lot of light due to "strikeback" - which is apparently a problem caused by the spiral bulbs...

I still like your design and I think I am going to copy it for my next hood.

I'm going to put together a parts list for what I would need to do it this way, and I am going to compare that with the route the greenthumbs suggested...

At the end of the day I'm not growing difficult plants so I think this design will be perfect for my needs...

I used to be wary of doing any sort of electrical work myself - but after replacing all the light fixtures inside and out on my house I have a lot more confidence in myself.

My idea is to divide the lights up so that I can have some come on at one time, a few more at a later time etc - to try and create a dawn/dusk effect... I'm also thinking about LED moonlights - anybody have any experience wiring those?

I really appreciate all the photos on this thread as it really helps to give me ideas - it's like having 'instructions' right at your finger tips 

Thanks for the renewed inspiration!


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## afoctober2

i have a 90g how many lights would i need at least could i get away with possibly 3. 2 on the outside 1 min the middle? Whats the power ussage of this would i save over the tube lights. At the moment i have 2 48" strip that and each has 2 24' light.


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## kornphlake

illy-d said:


> I've brought this idea up on a planted tank forum and a lot of the 'hardcore' greenthumbs figure you loose a lot of light due to "strikeback" - which is apparently a problem caused by the spiral bulbs...
> 
> I still like your design and I think I am going to copy it for my next hood.
> 
> I'm going to put together a parts list for what I would need to do it this way, and I am going to compare that with the route the greenthumbs suggested...
> 
> At the end of the day I'm not growing difficult plants so I think this design will be perfect for my needs...


I made a canopy for my 10g using two 5500K 15w spiral compacts from home depot. I've grown easy plants very well for about 3 months now. Before my CO2 got out of whack I was pruning about every 3 days. I'm trying to get ferts blanced now and get rid of an algea outbreak but that has nothing to do with the lights, they're great.


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## Leviathan25

one of the nicest and simple light jobs I've seen Thanks nuff said


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## afoctober2

I wonder how mettalic spray paint would work on wood? Would white still be a better reflector?


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## blairo1

Nothing wrong with CFL's.

Good use of them, plenty of light for the average requirements and they stay a lot cooler, well, a bit - it's more that the heat is better radiated away from them due to their design....

I'll be using a 200 watt, Blue spectrum CFL over a tank which I intend on planting up, will see how it performs, easier to manage the heat with these things than a MH bulb, plus the CFLs don't really need running through a compact relay unit, nice, cheap and easy, the way it should be!

:thumb:

For the love of God people, don't use foil as a reflector, white paint is much better than foil. If you really want to get the most out of your bulbs you should buy some Mylar - it'll only cost you a buck or two to get plenty of material to knock up a highly reflective hood that reflects 99% of the light spectrum back down into the tank. I would advise that over any reflective paint/spray etc.

Blair.


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## afoctober2

Do you use this with a timer ? I"m wondering why do they advise not to use cfl bulbs with electric timers? They also advise not to put in enclosed spaces has anyone had issues from any of these two ?


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## blairo1

Probably because most average timers aren't made to take the sort of load you get when you turn one of these things on. Ie a Metal Halide has a massive inductive load when it kicks in (can be up to 6x) and so this will EAT timers for breakfast unless you run it through a contactor timer, or through a contact relay unit before the timer. I will be running my 200w CFL through a 10A 2kw contact relay unit (allows me to plug in two ballasts so I can run one red, one blue, giving me the right spectrum for my aquatic plants), because I'm using a contact relay unit I only use a cheap timer - the timer doesn't suffer any more load than your usual appliances.

If you want the CFL plugged straight in, great, no problems, no additional equipment required, if you do want one into a timer then you'll need to spend the money on getting a timer that was made for inductive load apps (called a contactor timer). Or as I say, get a contact relay unit (probably the cheaper of the two.)

Contact Relay Units (as an example) work with one plug into mains, other goes into timer and it controls the relay box like that - what that means is that you have to have two mains sockets next to each other that each plug can go into (mains and timer). I would not advise that you use this set-up through an extension lead, I have for a long time, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone else as if you overload the strip you really risk fire. If you want to spend more money then get a high quality extension strip made for high loading apps.
Contact Relay Unit:
http://www.hydroponic-shop.com/product_ ... ucts_id=58

Contactor timer:
http://www.basementlighting.com/Merchan ... /PROD/mgtc

You can obviously get the contactor timer individually but that gives you an idea of what you're looking at if you go down the CFL/MH road.

HTH.


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## Mcdaphnia

For those using 120 volts instead of 240 as in Blairo's links....

http://www.timers.bz/


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## blairo1

Nice one, didn't think about the US electrics  ....


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## jcollette3

afoctober2 said:


> i have a 90g how many lights would i need at least could i get away with possibly 3. 2 on the outside 1 min the middle? Whats the power ussage of this would i save over the tube lights. At the moment i have 2 48" strip that and each has 2 24' light.


How much light do you need? I did a 55 gal curved radius fixture in spiral fluorescents with a total of 6 sockets. I am using 5500k bulbs with two 27 watt and four 18 watt bulbs for a total of 126 watts which gives me just a hair over 2 watts/gallon. Since I have vals growing in my tank, I need at least that much light, you may not. You might still get away with 6 sockets even if you need around 2 wpg. 6 x 27 = 162 = 1.8 wpg. I used aluminum flashing for my reflector. Works well. Here is the link to my DIY -
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=160446
I believe lighting starts on page 2.


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## Mcdaphnia

I use three sockets over my 75's and 90. Five sockets over my 125's. With 27 watt bulbs, that gives me a little over a watt per gallon (PAR or other measurements of light are more useful just not printed right on the bulb free). It turns out to be enough for low light plants like Java moss, Java fern, Bolbitus, baby tears, and Najas, plants most of my cichlids either don't eat or don't eat as ast as the plants grow. One thing I would do differently is wire the sockets so that I can control one with a different timer. That way I could have one bulb come on for ten hours, two hours later the rest of the bulbs would come on for ten hours. No bulb would be on for more than ten hours a day but I'd get a twelve hour light cycle. If I want to grow plants that need more light I can switch out to larger bulbs.


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## joevc1

blairo1 said:


> I would advise that over any reflective paint/spray etc.
> 
> Blair.


Why?


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## afoctober2

Are we talking about same bulbs? i'm talking the twist bulbs not anything thats 200w possibly some 20w ones. 


blairo1 said:


> Probably because most average timers aren't made to take the sort of load you get when you turn one of these things on. Ie a Metal Halide has a massive inductive load when it kicks in (can be up to 6x) and so this will EAT timers for breakfast unless you run it through a contactor timer, or through a contact relay unit before the timer. I will be running my 200w CFL through a 10A 2kw contact relay unit (allows me to plug in two ballasts so I can run one red, one blue, giving me the right spectrum for my aquatic plants), because I'm using a contact relay unit I only use a cheap timer - the timer doesn't suffer any more load than your usual appliances.
> 
> If you want the CFL plugged straight in, great, no problems, no additional equipment required, if you do want one into a timer then you'll need to spend the money on getting a timer that was made for inductive load apps (called a contactor timer). Or as I say, get a contact relay unit (probably the cheaper of the two.)
> 
> Contact Relay Units (as an example) work with one plug into mains, other goes into timer and it controls the relay box like that - what that means is that you have to have two mains sockets next to each other that each plug can go into (mains and timer). I would not advise that you use this set-up through an extension lead, I have for a long time, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone else as if you overload the strip you really risk fire. If you want to spend more money then get a high quality extension strip made for high loading apps.
> Contact Relay Unit:
> http://www.hydroponic-shop.com/product_ ... ucts_id=58
> 
> Contactor timer:
> http://www.basementlighting.com/Merchan ... /PROD/mgtc
> 
> You can obviously get the contactor timer individually but that gives you an idea of what you're looking at if you go down the CFL/MH road.
> 
> HTH.


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## blairo1

*Joevc1* - because Mylar is the most reflective material known to man......

Also because a lot of the Mylar you can buy nowadays is also fireproof (great for use in ballasts next to your warm bulbs).

Thirdly - a meter square of Mylar will cost you a dollar, maybe two, that's a lot of reflection (99% reflective of FULL light spectrum) for not a lot of money.

So, most reflective material available, cheaper than reflective paint, (can be) fireproof, easy to use....

I think that says it all .

*afoctober* - sounds like you are talking more about the fluorescent energy saving bulbs, in which case I don't see why anyone would tell you not to use a timer with them or that they would get too hot. Might just be me but the little ones talked about here I just called spiral compacts, but they are technically CFLs.

Assumptions are bad - I assume that when CFL is used, we are talking about the much larger, enviro-light type bulbs:









Realising that you are talking about these spiral compacts, no contact timer/relay should be required.... A little 20w bulb isn't going to burn out any timers too soon, inductive or not. As for heat - in testing for my hood design I experimented to reveal potential heat issues - at 1 inch from the 200w my radiant temperature is 30C, that's RADIANT temp, ambient temps (ie sensor shaded from light) is +/-25C 2-4 inches away. So a 20 watt, :lol: I wouldn't worry, good ventilation will keep it all sweet.


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## afoctober2

Yeah thats what i was talking about the spiral ones that he used for his hood. They are not compatible with all digital and electric timers. They will work but could shorten the life of the bulb.

"Most electronic controls such as electronic timers, photo sensors, motion sensors, touch lamps, and remote light controls are designed to work with the simple technology of an incandescent rather than the complex circuitry of a CFL. Electronic controls draw a small amount of electricity to operate that would concurrently run a small amount of electricity through the CFL ballast, placing stress on the electronics. Since CFL ballasts are designed for a specific input voltage and are not designed to handle deviations, imposing them can cause the circuitry to malfunction or not be able to effectively light the lamp or keep the current through the lamp well regulated. The result is that operating CFLs on controls can significantly shorten the lifespan of the product, though it should not pose a fire hazard.

It is possible for electronic controls to be designed to work with fluorescent technology, so check with the manufacturer of the electronic control device for compatibility.

Note that CFLs can be used with mechanical timers (those that do not use electricity to operate) without adversely affecting the performance."


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## blairo1

> Electronic controls draw a small amount of electricity to operate that would concurrently run a small amount of electricity through the CFL ballast, placing stress on the electronics. Since CFL ballasts are designed for a specific input voltage and are not designed to handle deviations, imposing them can cause the circuitry to malfunction or not be able to effectively light the lamp or keep the current through the lamp well regulated.


Ah, you see, I plan on running mine through a contact relay so I won't have problems like that, I've run it in testing for a while now before I actually apply it to the tank. A contact relay unit takes the load off between the timer and the lamp so I _can_ use electronic timers which is great because I can program different light schedules for each day of the week for this tank.

With a contact relay unit the timer only switches the relay, not the lamp - ie the timer switches on contactor which then relays current from mains plug (remember it had two - one straight into the mains, one into your timer) to the lamp - hence no strain on timer, or lamp.  . Good bit of kit for the security and reliability, plus you can run a lot of lighting on some of these units. Solves your problem with any CFL start-up and timer problem. On smaller scales I'd probably just use a Contact timer as this can handle the load of the lights, won't draw anything from them and is probably cheaper than a contact relay unit (with smaller bulbs) as you can wire in the extension sockets yourself, rather than buy a whole unit.

But then, what do I know, I've been electrocuted 3x in my life by the mains, not for a long time now. But still. Electricity = fear X respect2


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## Hoosier Tank

To help clear up any confusion I went back to Wal-mart and took this pic of the 20W 6500K spiral compacts I used in the original post. They have the output equal to a 75W indandecent bulb. They also have 60 and 100 Watt equivilants.
P.S. the "$44" is the energy savings over a year NOT the price :wink:


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## bulldogg7

Thought I posted here before??? guess not.
After reading this I did my fry tank, now a 20L planted tank:

















Those little green specs on the substrate I haven't touched, most of the big plants I've taken out. 
Here are same little green specs on the substrate:









sorry, it was time for a water change.


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## bulldogg7

after that I decided to do my 55g after a ballast burned out, I had 6 48" t-8's in it.
I found this at Home Dumpster








removed the remaining 4 lights and the ballasts








here is the fixture's heart








after finishing the job








The new Sylvania bulbs I found at Lowes took about 5 minutes to warm up, the GE Walmart bulbs were almost instant








a few minutes later, 8 bulbs








It ended up being as bright or brighter than 6 32-40 watt 48" fluorescent bulbs, and alot simpler to change. And I still have room underneath to add an overdriven 48" if needed, but this light is plenty, when I get a bigger tank, I'll probably plant this one.

This was the best DIY idea of the year, you should get a reward for it :thumb:


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## Hoosier Tank

> This was the best DIY idea of the year, you should get a reward for it


Thanks for the props BullDogg7, but I can't take all the credit... Mcdaphnia planted the seed in my mind with these screw in PCs. I just ran with it in my own "twisted" version and posted the build-up. I agree, it's a great way to light a tank and apparently it does well on planted ones too  . I guess this makes us even, I am using your "Skimmerless Overflow" on my 180 project.


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## jcushing

btw i used this thread to install 3 screw-ins into my 30" perfecto hood and im about to make another one for my 110 :thumb: :thumb: to you

sometimes its not about coming up with the idea, its about taking an idea and documenting step by step with lots of pictures for the unimaginative ppl out there (like me)


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## aaxxeell

how does the diy lighting compare in terms of energy consumption tho???  
if its not bad in terms of efficiency, i'll go nuts and build these set ups for all my tanks :thumb:


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## jcushing

energy consumption is whatever wattage your bulbs are (mine are 14) x how many bulbs you have.

you will find that for the same length of fixture a screw in fixture will be slightly higher output (watts) than a dual fluorescent.


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## Hoosier Tank

aaxxeell said:


> how does the diy lighting compare in terms of energy consumption tho???
> if its not bad in terms of efficiency, i'll go nuts and build these set ups for all my tanks :thumb:


"chillout" asked the same question early in the post. I used 4 bulbs at 20w a piece for 80w total. He reported his 4' florescents are 40w so its the same as a twin tube light. I don't know if they were T-12's or T-8 bulbs, yours will tell their wattage on one end.


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## aaxxeell

ahhh okay, cool.
i just built a 2-tier 3ft stand and still have scraps of wood... i may as well get started on my hoods and DIY lighting 
thanks hoosier, mcdaphnia and bulldogg7 you have really saved me a fortune :thumb:


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## booba5

now i'm curous, i have a canopy on my 75 and i'm getting 4 of the Ge lights that'll hopefuly be around 6500k as well, would these spirals be better? i already have all shop lights and such, i'm just curious what would be better


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## Hoosier Tank

booba5 said:


> now i'm curous, i have a canopy on my 75 and i'm getting 4 of the Ge lights that'll hopefuly be around 6500k as well, would these spirals be better? i already have all shop lights and such, i'm just curious what would be better


Better? I don't know that I can say they are or aren't. Cheaper? probably... Easier, IMO definately.
But if you have already purchased the materials for a 4' shop light canopy I don't see any reason to change direction in the middle of a project.


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## booba5

word, i was just curious, cuz i havea 55 gallon begging to have a stand and canopy build for it, so i now have a cheaper route to do it lol


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## Israel2004

I'll either post in this thread or start a new thread for my stand build for the 150 gallon I'm picking up tomorrow. I'm going to use this DIY Lighting idea for my hood.


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## Mcdaphnia

Israel2004 said:


> I'll either post in this thread or start a new thread for my stand build for the 150 gallon I'm picking up tomorrow. I'm going to use this DIY Lighting idea for my hood.


 One thing I'm doing next time I build these lights, is to wire them on two separate power cords. That way I can stagger two sets of lights -- 8 hours on 16 hours off -- with separate timers, but one set starting 4 hours earlier. That way I get 12 hours (optimal to match natural environment) but only use 8 hours worth of electricity.


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## travis2k

> That way I can stagger two sets of lights -- 8 hours on 16 hours off -- with separate timers


Hopefully someone can confirm this, but I don't think you can use the spiral energy saver bulbs on a timer.


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## Mcdaphnia

travis2k said:


> That way I can stagger two sets of lights -- 8 hours on 16 hours off -- with separate timers
> 
> 
> 
> Hopefully someone can confirm this, but I don't think you can use the spiral energy saver bulbs on a timer.
Click to expand...

 I have been using them on timers for years, from small ones to the huge yard size mega ones equivalent to 500 watts. Travis2k may be thinking of dimmers, or he may be thinking of older information still out on the web that has not been updated. Like this....

http://www.ci.tacoma.wa.us/power/Reside ... ghting.htm

Updated sites seem to have deleted the topic.

http://www.gipl.org/pdf/Study_Guides/CF ... arison.pdf

It would be wise to locate the timer remotely from the lights and use a powercord for electronic equipment that shields against interference. Using these lights when they first came out, I did not take that precaution. I cannot say I ever noticed any problem I could ascribe to interference. I did have a problem with some indoor only light timers that stopped timing. I had not read the fine print and had them hooked up to too many bulbs. I now use the "Christmas time" outdoor light timers that have higher wattage ratings. They have shields covering the timer face, so misplaced cans of fish food don't jam them.

When you buy your bulbs, look for newer packaging that says they are OK to use with timers. Not sure there is any difference other than the print on the cardboard, but at least then you have the written promise.


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## Israel2004

I have the spirals on cheap timers in all my reptiles enclosures and have no problem with them.


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## booba5

I don't see why there would be a problem with timers, these are just flourescent lights, with the ballast built into the bottom, thats all they are, thats why they are coiled like they are, so there's a longer bulb in a smaller area. I have my 48 inch flourescent lights on a timer with no problem.


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## Hoosier Tank

Heh Heh, thats why they call it "Electrical Theory"!! It's not an exact science and does some crazy stuff :lol: 
You would think a timer is a simple set of mechanical contacts that "Make" and "Break" at settable points on a wheel with a geared motor that takes 24 hours to make one revolution. So there shouldn't be a problem, same as a switch at the base of a lamp.... now if it is an "electronic" timer I can see how noise interferance would be an issue and all bets are off.


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## afoctober2

I was wondering how would it look if you used day light bulbs and added a blue light those party lights they sell. They cost about 5 at walmart 15w i think


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## Hoosier Tank

It might look pretty good but use caution, those party bulbs are incandescent light bulbs and get HOT.


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## Mcdaphnia

Hoosier Tank said:


> It might look pretty good but use caution, those party bulbs are incandescent light bulbs and get HOT.


 Hot and not a blue spectrum, just a coating that blocks other colors wasting that part of the bulb's light production and making them hotter than the normal already hot incandescent. Coralife among others makes actinic (blue) power compact bulbs. Cooler, brighter than incancescent! Plus they have "untwisted" the PC bulbs in the 10 and 20 watt range so that they fit in incandescent hoods and strip lights.


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## afoctober2

Hoosier Tank said:


> It might look pretty good but use caution, those party bulbs are incandescent light bulbs and get HOT.


they make the spiral bulbs for this to now there 15w I saw red, blue, and black


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## Awugod

I'm having problems with wiring this set-up. Each time I plug it in the circuit pops and I have to reset it. I am using light sockets called "cleat sockets" labeled 660W-250V maximum made by Cooper. I went cheap on the wire as I didn't want to pay for Romex prices. I just bought 20 feet of 12-solid copper wire from the Depot at 24 cents a foot.

I also bought a push button switch to turn the lights off. Not sure what they mean but the numbers on the box say "6 A 125V AC / 3 A 250V AC".

I am then wiring them all up to a standard 2-prong replacement lamp cord. Since my wires are all the same color I am basically just making sure the wires on each wire on each socket matches up. The sockets themselves have different colored screw posts for attaching the wires, one gold and one silver. I am just making sure the wires on the gold posts link up with the wires on all the other gold posts. Likewise with the wires on the silver posts.

I hook them all up and plug it in, then POP...and a spark.Circuit trips and I have to reset.

I then revers the wiring of the plug, just basically flip-flopped them. Tightened all the wire nuts again, plugged it in with a POP...spark...and this time shorted out the power strip I was plugging it into, but the breaker didnt trip.

If you cant tell by now, I am no expert when it comes to electricity. ANy help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.


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## bulldogg7

You need to be careful with the neutral and hot wires, if you have them swapped it could give you a bad shock when you try to change a bulb. The neutral plug end is the one with the wider prong on it, trace that wire back to your lights, and have it hooked to the silver posts.
Any way you could get a pic of that switch? Is it just one wire in and one wire out?


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## Awugod

bulldogg7 said:


> You need to be careful with the neutral and hot wires, if you have them swapped it could give you a bad shock when you try to change a bulb. The neutral plug end is the one with the wider prong on it, trace that wire back to your lights, and have it hooked to the silver posts.
> Any way you could get a pic of that switch? Is it just one wire in and one wire out?


Yeah, one wire in and one wire out. I'll see if I can get a few pics up after dinner. Thanks for the reply. :thumb:


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## bulldogg7

If that's the case, it's likely not the switch. Try it with all the bulbs removed, see what happens. If it still trips then it must be the wiring or something inside one of the sockets.


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## Hoosier Tank

*Awugod*, those Cooper cleat sockets are exactly what I used originally and on two additional fixture since my original post. Alwo, because your switch is a one wire unit I doubt that is the problem it mearly opens or closes one wire to complete the circut. Bulldogg7 has a good idea to remove all the bulbs and try it. That would eliminate one of them having an internal short. If it still blows the circut recheck your wiring. The two screws (silver / gold) on those sockets are so far apart I doubt thats it... usaully its in the plug where it's easiest to get them touching.
Also as a FYI, the lamp cord with you bought usually has one with a stripe or ridge molded into the plastic on the outer edge of the insulataion while the other side is smooth. This helps keeping them polorized. But even if you get them swapped that shouldn't trip the breaker. Back in the day, lamp plugs spades were both the same size and you could plug them in either way...
Staying tuned for the pics.

*Bulldogg7*, That skimmerless overflow works GREAT on my 180g!!!! 
Thanks for your DIY


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## bulldogg7

Cool, meant to ask, do you have any pics of your skimmerless setup? Maybe a new thread, I was limited on supplies when I did mine so long ago.


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## Awugod

Alright, I took the push button switch off and made sure I had the polarity right, plugged it in and it worked like a charm, no sparks whatsoever. I guess I will forego the switch and just invest in an electric timer to turn on and off. I hope to get some pics up soon. Thanks


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## Hoosier Tank

Well congrats but if it was only one wire that was cut to install the switch it's got me baffled. It should have just not worked, unless it was grounded I guess. Huh... :?

And I guess I shouldn't hyjack my own thread on the overflow statement!! Ill update my DIY cheap sump post HERE


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## rancherlee

I've done alot of research on this as far as energy efficiency goes for Lumens per watt. Least to most efficent.....

LEAST efficent
-Spiral compact ~55 LPW (Lumens per watt)
-T12 
-T8ho
-T8
-T5ho
-T5 ~75-80 LPW
Most efficient

Most spiral bulbs on the market are made out of "T3" tubing which will put out 85-90LPW BUT since they are wrapped up in a spiral about 30-35% of the light is directed into the inside of the spiral and wasted as heat thus creating only 50-60 LPW. VERY cheap alternative to expensive T5/T5 HO lighting though and on par with cheap T12 tubes as far as efficiency goes.


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## bulldogg7

Has anyone noticed the bandwidth degrading yet? Like the regular tubes change color after a few months, do the CFL's do this? Mine still look like they did when I set them up.


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## fishwolfe

mine seem fine after 6 months or so.but i have 4' long plant/aquarium lights that after a few months they change from a pink/blue to a yellow.


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## Hoosier Tank

I built the original over a year ago. Then, about 3 months ago I retrofitted my old AGA hood light when a new bulb and starter didn't fix it. Most recently I have used them in my 180's canopy thats about 1 month old. I was just admiring how all three tanks now seem to have the same color lighting.


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## John_Auberry

That DIY light looks great. The plastic light in front looks crappie in comparison. Id retro fit your main light into the cool wood case. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!! :thumb:


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## Hoosier Tank

John_Auberry said:


> That DIY light looks great. The plastic light in front looks crappie in comparison. Id retro fit your main light into the cool wood case. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!! :thumb:


 :-? Are you refering to the original post in the this 7 page thread that starts with....


> When I bought my used 48" 40g long tank it came with a hood but no light. I had some wood left over from buiding my stand but without my board stretcher it just wasn't enough to make an entire canopy. So I measured the hood and built a light housing out of the 3/4" oak I had.


That black piece in front of the oak isn't a light, it's the twin lids that open on the original hood.
But thanks for the props!


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## Mcdaphnia

rancherlee said:


> I've done alot of research on this as far as energy efficiency goes for Lumens per watt. Least to most efficent.....
> 
> LEAST efficent
> -Spiral compact ~55 LPW (Lumens per watt)
> -T12
> -T8ho
> -T8
> -T5ho
> -T5 ~75-80 LPW
> Most efficient
> 
> Most spiral bulbs on the market are made out of "T3" tubing which will put out 85-90LPW BUT since they are wrapped up in a spiral about 30-35% of the light is directed into the inside of the spiral and wasted as heat thus creating only 50-60 LPW. VERY cheap alternative to expensive T5/T5 HO lighting though and on par with cheap T12 tubes as far as efficiency goes.


Where do those mini-twist lights fit in to your chart? I bought one and the light tube is thinner than spaghetti. I put it in a table lamp and it lights up the room enough to read a book, and it's 3 watts.


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## afoctober2

How do the led lights work walmart has been carring these they a 4 watt bulb claims to be as bright as 40w. Kind of expensive though at almost $6 per bulb


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## John_Auberry

Oh sorry, It still loojks great though :lol:



Hoosier Tank said:


> John_Auberry said:
> 
> 
> 
> That DIY light looks great. The plastic light in front looks crappie in comparison. Id retro fit your main light into the cool wood case. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!! :thumb:
> 
> 
> 
> :-? Are you refering to the original post in the this 7 page thread that starts with....
> 
> 
> 
> When I bought my used 48" 40g long tank it came with a hood but no light. I had some wood left over from buiding my stand but without my board stretcher it just wasn't enough to make an entire canopy. So I measured the hood and built a light housing out of the 3/4" oak I had.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> That black piece in front of the oak isn't a light, it's the twin lids that open on the original hood.
> But thanks for the props!
Click to expand...


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## Mcdaphnia

afoctober2 said:


> How do the led lights work walmart has been carring these they a 4 watt bulb claims to be as bright as 40w. Kind of expensive though at almost $6 per bulb


There are several new light technologies out there. The local salt club had a speaker last winter claiming LED's would be the wave of the future, but that is only one of the possibilities.


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## John Edwards

Thanks again for a great topic and write up.

Just got back from WallyWorld where I was able to pickup the GE 6500K 75 watters for 6.97 a pair.

Read the posts but perhaps I missed the subject of how many lights.

180 gallon 72 x 24 Malawi tank is what I plan on making the canopy for. Being that the tank is fairly wide. 
Should I be putting two lights in a row ? For a total of 6 or perhaps 8 hanging overhead ?

OR

Perhaps I might want to consider mounting the lights to the SIDE of the canopy. Say around the inside edges every 18 inches (+/-) ? Maybe with a row hanging down the middle ?

Not trying to grow coral or algae but would like a nice illumination of the tank/fish.

Thanks again !!


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## Hoosier Tank

Hoosier Tank said:


> I built the original over a year ago. Then, about 3 months ago I retrofitted my old AGA hood light when a new bulb and starter didn't fix it. Most recently I have used them in my 180's canopy thats about 1 month old...


Thanks!
On my 180 I mounted a center divider running front to back and put one on each side of the divider and then one close to each end. All 4 are mounted to the front board and pointing towards the back of the tank. Because of the 24" depth and only 4 lights I bought the 100 watt equivilants. LOVE the look. I thought I posted pics of it as well but I'll see what I have.


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## D-007

It is good to give yourself a pat on the back every now and again :wink: :lol: ; especially when you introduce an excellent cost saving project. :thumb:


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## phish-keeper

Hoosier Tank said:


> I helped somebody!
> I helped somebody!
> I helped somebody!


Yup you sure did!! I have a 6' tank that needs lighting, I will not pay $400-$600 for a light, just won't!! Now I can set my tank up, hurray THANK-YOU


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