JustFishingAround

Ok i came across this thread and it looks like a perfect solution to my non-existent lighting i currently have. It seems very cheap and easy enough to do but i want to know if it is safe and what might needed to be changed in order to make it even better. Also noticed that it doesn't exactly say or show how to keep it from getting water splash or if the cfl bulbs get hot enough to possibly melt or warp the hood plastic.
Any feedback on this cool little project would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.aquaria.info/index.php?na...wtopic&t=65060

GreenMan13

Yes, CFLs are great. Those that he uses there are only powerful 6500k out there too. And they are cheap...Walmart

Sounds like you do not have any kind of lighting currently. Do you have a hood at all? I make a cheap hood with similar CFLs in this thread...DIY Light Canopy. I have pictures there too.

I have nothing protecting the bulbs from splash, they are still working strong though. They have created a little bit of build up of calcium I think on the bottom closest to the water. You could block water splash by using a glass top to the tank.

The heat will not be a problem cause they produce little heat and with the foil , very little will even get to the plastic. I have a 19 watt CFL on a small 5 gallon tank with a plastic hood with no problems with the plastic.

susitna-flower

Lighting is one of the biggest expence in the aquarium. I think there are many ways this could expand the scope of our choices.

RiffDawg15

hey man if your looking for a sweet look and inexpensive moon lighting check out this site.

www.digikits.com

Cheap and very fast shipment.

JustFishingAround

Ok good to get some feedback about this sweet little money saver, lighting is way to costly but i think this will work just fine at a fraction of the cost. I'll have to look around for a glass top, my LFS doesn't have any and my HOB filter has some splash effect so i would feel much safer with it covered. Will the glass make much of a difference to the amount of light my plants will get?
Also i was thinking instead of using 2 1 sockets i might use 2 duel socket so i can run 4 cfl. Would this work or would it cause heating problems or something worse?
And i do have a hood at the moment but i might look around for a better one.

Thanks for the link Riffdawg that moon lighting system looks pretty nice and the price is cheap, but for now i'm gonna just focus on one lighitng project at a time.

sirdarksol

If you are using compact fluorescents, you shouldn't have heating problems as long as you have decent airflow. I suggest using a frame of some sort to support the light an inch or more above the hood. I have a small CFL setup that is almost too hot to touch when it's on, and have it resting on some legs to keep it from overheating the glass/tank.

JustFishingAround

Yea i will be using cf bulbs although i'm not sure how to raise the light an inch or so from the hood but i can probably rig something up that sits on the glass and some how attaches to the hood(i think)kinda like legs i guess, the main thing i'm concerned about is over heating and something shorting out or melting while i'm at work. I might just stick with the 2 single socket set up and run a bit higher watt bulbs.

miker

Try it out on Sat/Sun when you are at home. Check how hot it gets. You can then decide if you want to continue doing that.

GreenMan13

What kind of hood is it? Can we get a picture and we can maybe come up with more specific ideas.

Dual socket plugs are great. That's what I have on my 55 gal in the link that I posted. It has 2 dual sockets with 19 watt CFLs. When I bought my tank off craigs list it came with to small plastic lids that had dual screw-in sockets so I used those. I can't seem to find dual sockets in the local stores here though.

You shouldn't have a problem with heat, especially melting. Cooling would be the only problem which can be solved with just more airflow which is easy.

sirdarksol

If there isn't a way to raise it (which would create natural airflow all around the system), you could install a fan (you can get them pretty cheap, and I've heard that they're really quiet.)

Further, I should say that I was thinking of power compacts, not the normal compact bulbs. I have a compact fluorescent that has been on for around an hour now, and I just went and touched it and it was cool. Not all are quite as efficient as these (I've had some get pretty warm), but they're generally cooler than the power compacts.
I apologize for my confusion.