namehater

im getting ready to plant my 29g, but i only had a basic hood and T8 fluorescent bulb. i went up to home depot today and picked this up - LINK. i got home and gutted the stock light strip, removing all electrical components. i noted how the wiring was connected to the ballast so i could easily replicate it with the new fixture.

i test fitted the new fixture, but it doesnt come with a reflector at all so i decided to make due with the white plastic one that was in the original light. all in all there was nothing difficult about the change over and it took me less than 15min from start to finish.

the fixture came with bulbs, but it wasnt stated what their specs were. all i know of the bulbs is that they are 14w, according to the information on the link they are 3k. they dont really fill any need i have so im going bulb shopping tomorrow. the 14w 3k bulbs give my tank a yellowish hue and im not sure if that lighting will hurt my fish so im not running them, but i can tell you, it lights the tank up VERY nicely.

i didnt document the process with pictures, but heres a picture of the final project.



here is a picture of the tank taken at night with no flash to give you an idea of how bright it is, the tank is a mess right, im getting ready to revamp it.

ckarta

Hi namehater Good work, and the tank looks cool!

You can do 1 thing for the reflectors, I do it all the time.

Take some food grade aluminium foil, enough to cover your lights completely, fold it to make 2 layers, so now it can cover half of the lights. noe place and adjust it over the lights so it reflects the light to water, from upper half of the lights, and the lower needs no reflection!

do not forget tofix it to hood or light with adhesive tape, or it could end in the water.

tell me how it works!

mr. Clown Loach

how did you wire that?

ckarta

How did I wire what?

You do not wire the foil, you just put it between the hood and the light so it reflects the light back to the aquarium.

Seriously I did not get your question, and assumed it was for me...

namehater

i guess i forgot to update this thread...

after researching more into T5 lighting i have found out that my fixture cant handle T5 high output bulbs, so ill be returning it when i get a chance.

when i do make the return, im going to pick up the supplies to make a DIY CFL fixture out of my existing light strip casing. for a reflector im going to line the inside of the light strip with 2" wide aluminum tape, wont be the best reflector ever, but should handle the task just fine.

i believe the wiring question was directed towards me. the wiring from the stock ballast was the same configuration as the wiring on the T5 ballast, so i just basically just replaced the old one with the new. super easy to do.

mr. Clown Loach

i was talking to namehater and cool pleco man

namehater

thanks, i just got him a few weeks ago. i finally introduced some driftwood to the tank yesterday and hes been in heaven ever since lol

mr. Clown Loach

post a pic of the tank with the driftwood

namehater

so demanding lol. i didnt feel like getting up so this picture is from my recliner haha. the white cave that you see on the right side of the tank is new today, it a piece of PVC pipe covered with substrate, simple yet effective.

mr. Clown Loach

thats a nice tank , and wow man way to push deep lol jk

dodgers948

Haha the tank looks good!

corycalogero

i made a DIY CFL light (twist in self ballasted)... i get around 108watts in a 29gal using 4 "daylight" 5500k 27watt bulbs i bought from home depot, used the tape you mentioned but wish i used white paint instead ... works good enough for the money spent..... im actually going to post it now.....

namehater

maybe i made another post... im not sure... i redid my light hood, painted the inside white and installed 3 of the CFL twist type bulbs. they are 6700k, i believe 14w. i have room to add a 4th bulb, but im kinda worried about heat. with just the 3x 14w bulbs going all day the lamp shroud gets pretty warm.

ill dig up a picture and post it later on if i havent made a thread for it already.

corycalogero

ahhhhh, how did the white paint work out for you ive been really curious about that! and where did you find 6700k twists? ive been going nuts and all i can find is 5500k!!!! lol

namehater

i had to hunt around as well, i believe i got them at walmart. i didnt try the lights before painting it white, but i can tell you this - looking at my light bar from the bottom is pretty comparable to looking into the eyes of a god. ok, maybe its more like the sun.

heres some pics of it

corycalogero

after seeing your painted hood i went and tried to rip some tape off my hood but the hot lights made it all "melty" !!! **** your well painted reflective surfaces!!! lmao.... im going to need to get another hood! what kind of pain is it, flat or gloss? krylon fusion maybe?

namehater

ill post the brand and everything when i find the can

mathas

Worst case, you can order them online.

http://www.bulborama.com/store/cart....t_detail&p=802, for example.

According to everything I've read, flat paint makes for a better reflector.

I would provide a link or two for you, but most of the Google results on this topic are located on hydroponics forums, which often deal with plants that probably shouldn't be showing up in my browsing history while I'm at work