Safe DIY Lighting

So, I now have a 30 Gallon Extra Tall as my planted tank.
Background info: In my 27G Hex (that recently sprung a leak), I had made a Lexan cover for and used a 20G tall's light and the stock 16" light that came with the tank to give enough light for the plants (lowlight). I gave away the 16" with the Hex's tank/stand. The 30G came with a hood but the light does not work. I still have a 20G hood (several actually after my cat broke our 55G) and it is the same size (22" uses 18" bulbs). So I do have working fluorescent fixtures and one not working.
Money is tight and I can't spend a lot on a new spiffy light.
My thoughts...
Can I put this in the hood that came with the tank (taking out the old fixture) Standard plastic light hood. Is if safe? Would I need to elevate it away from the tank? Could I spray paint the inside of the hood white instead of the foil? And is it safe for the lights to be so close to the hood? Would two of these bulbs be good for a 24" deep tank?
My other thought is using two of the 20G lights on top of a glass canopy. But I think I would still get more light out of this DIY project.
Thanks

 

I think it would provide enough light for low light plants in a 30tall but I don't know how safe it would be to have it close to the top of the aquarium. I would be inclined to have it mounted at least 6" above the glass lid & I would not consider using it without the glass lid on the tank either. Find a more solid way of mounting the fixtures than they show though. I think their way is pretty sloppy & potentially quite dangerous. Painting white is fine. Use flat white, it is a far superior reflector to foil anyway. You could use Mylar/mirror film if you really want to maximise the light that is reflected. You can get that at hydroponic supply stores fairly cheap.

 

So either way I need a glass lid. Any suggestions for mounting the hood above the tank? It does look a little unstable, which made wonder if it should be so close to the foil. Would flashing be a good reflector?

 

I agree with nutter about having a glass lid on the tank. Best to be safe. I have pretty much the same setup on my 55 gallon tank except I'm using 6 of those sockets in a hood originaly designed for one 48 inch fluorescent bulb. I'm using six 20 watt cfl light bulbs.

The sockets are hot glued to blocks of wood which are then hot glued to the light fixture. Then I drill a couple holes for zip ties to insure everything stayed snug.

It got fairly warm but not hot enough to cause concern. I did end up installing a couple of fans just to extend the bulbs life a little.

 

Also flashing would be better then foil but white paint or paper seems to work the best for me.

 

paint would work fine but over time the radiation from the light would make the plastic brittle... I would suggest taking foil to it... But other than that why wouldn't it work? looks sound

 

paint would work fine but over time the radiation from the light would make the plastic brittle... I would suggest taking foil to it

To quote myself from almost a year ago (with an updated link):

The main drawback to applying a metallic reflective material like mylar, aluminum foil, etc. has to do with diffusive reflection (there's a good explanation of the difference here). If the material isn't applied as smooth as glass, any wrinkles will diffuse the light all over the place rather than reflect it downward, reducing the efficiency.

For further reading, discussion, and links, see pepetj's thread from last year: https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/easy-diy-pvc-lighting-upgrade.48679/

 

Thanks mathas for that link, I know I had read somewhere about the light white paint/foil debate...
It sounds like these lights may get too hot for a standard hood (which is what I was going to put it in).
Also, any suggestions for raising the light above the tank? Even if I don't do it to this tank I have a bookshelf aquarium I was going to take the annoying frame off of and elevate the light. I thought I saw someone who made DIY arms for their light but I can't seem to find the thread and I am not sure what to put in for an appropriate search.
Do you think elevating the light above the tank would decrease the heat enough to not risk the plastic melting? And/or would using an aluminum deflector help with this as well? Lighting is so confusing to me.

 

Hey I have a very similar if not the same tank. 24lx12wx24h

I just got done rigging up some cheap lighting also.

Right above the tank I put up a shelf. 3' long, the tank is centered under it. On the underside of the shelf I mounted 2 3' shop lights.

The first light has a wire with a male plug end on it, and another wire coming out and going into the second light. My lights are plugged into a power bar of there own which acts as my light switch. (Everything else filters, heaters, etc are on a different bar.)

I cut a piece of Lexan for a top. and my lights sit about 5'' above.

I designed this so everything is fastened to the underside of the shelf.. (Lights, power bar, wires, all of it..) So if I need more than 5'' to work in the tank, I take 2 screws out, and the whole shelf/light assembly comes down in one neat tidy piece.

It produces a ton of light into the tank.. the 24'' depth is not an issue.

(I've swapped out the bulbs since the pictures were taken..lol..)

 

Yep, that's my tank! As tall as it is wide!
I was at the store today looking at these CF bulbs and I can't figure out what "K" rating they have to know if they are best for the plants. Are "Daylight " ones best?
Also, I was looking for something more like the arms of this Nova light to hold it above the aquarium but made for the standard plastic hood casing. If I were to elevate it above the tank 6" would Lexan be OK as a cover (though my fingers might be mad at me later, that stuff is hard to cut!) The only good think would be I would be easier cuts than the Hex tank!

 

Well let me save your fingers some troubles.. With the paper still on the Lexan, take a skill saw, turn the blade around backwards and use that to cut it.. Works like a charm.. won't damage the saw or the Lexan.. Much faster/easier..lol

 

I was at the store today looking at these CF bulbs and I can't figure out what "K" rating they have to know if they are best for the plants.

While correlated color temperature values (or the "K rating") are a great way to determine how the bulbs will look to you, they aren't a good way to determine which bulbs are best for plants. In general, anything in the 5000-10000K range is likely to be appropriate for plants, and any differences between bulbs in that range will probably not be related to the color temperature.

Are "Daylight " ones best?

Daylight bulbs are usually good, since they try to simulate a full spectrum.

 

Well let me save your fingers some troubles.. With the paper still on the Lexan, take a skill saw, turn the blade around backwards and use that to cut it.. Works like a charm.. won't damage the saw or the Lexan.. Much faster/easier..lol

LOL! And there I was using a utility knife to make a hex shape! Took me forever! Then the stupid thing sprung a leak. Just my luck! I don't think I have a skill saw, maybe my FIL does.
I was under the assumption that 6500k or higher was better for plants. That was why I was looking for something on the package. I know if it was unplanted it wouldn't really matter.
I am trying to understand why it is suggested white flat paint for reflection. What about high gloss?

 

Well that should save you some time then. lol.. Just make sure you turn the blade around backwards or you'll have a nice mess on your hands..lol