T5 Canopy Build

I'm building a 4-54W T5 canopy for my newest tank. I built another fluorescent canopy a couple of years ago, and it's worked out well, so I'm repeating the process, though with a higher output.

This first post is going to have some of the basics, as well as a running tally of the costs involved. I'll be updating it as I go along, so if something is listed but doesn't have a price next to it, that just means I haven't purchased it (or haven't figured out where I'm buying it from).

Ballast- GE Ultrastart 4x54W T5 ballast $48
Purchased from eBay

Endcaps- $12 Purchased from local indoor gardening store; also, see note on this below

Switch- Generic push-button switch, roughly $5
Menards (hardware store)

Power Source- Heavy-duty, three-prong type (so I don't have to ground through the frame) $10
Menards

Wires and twist-type wire connectors- I've got a bunch of these left over from other projects... if you don't normally do electrical stuff, you could probably get everything you need for $10
Menards
Wood to build the frame-

Reflective mylar- $16(plus shipping if I can't find it at a local gardening store, unsure of the cost of that yet)

Bulbs- Probably at least $60, unless I can find a local store that sells plant bulbs for cheap.

Running Tally: $161
Pretty expensive, particularly when you figure in the cost of the frame (which I'll get to as soon as I decide how I'm going to build it), but considering I'm looking at simple, sit-on-top-of-the-glass fixtures that cost of $200, this is pretty good.

Note about the endcaps I'm cheaping out on these. I'm getting the standard grade, rather than the waterproof kind. The lights are going to be at least half a foot above the tank, with a sheet of glass or acrylic in between. If you have an open-top tank, or are at all worried about splash, pay the extra for the waterproof endcaps. IceCap makes some quality ones that run for about $10 a pair.

 

Sounds neat! what size is the tank? can you throw up some pictures when you get there?

 

120g. The theory is that I will be taking pictures as I build. We'll see how the theory works out.

 

Make the theory happen : ) I would like to see how you do it : )

 

Where did you buy the items from? Especially the ballast.
Dylan

 

I'll add that info into the main post.

 

was the ballast used?

 

Nope. New in box.

 

Another question about your ballast, is it electromagnetic or solid state?

 

Electronic (not magnetic).

 

Huh. When picking up the endcaps, I saw individual T5HO units for $32 apiece. They were built to be daisy-chained together, meaning I could have used them and bypassed most of the headache for a bit less than this setup.

Of course, the daisy-chain setup likely would be less efficient (cord to ballast to bulb to cord to ballast to bulb to cord to ballast to bulb), and I wouldn't be able to get quite the same reflection I'll be able to pull off with my homemade setup.

 

have you done anything with this project yet?