Print PDF
Favorite
Email
I'm sure many of you are like me and buy a tank kit for whatever reason. My reason was because I'm in college and I don't have a million dollars to drop on a tank. Pet Co had a sale on their 20 gallon 16" tall kits and I jumped on them (got the last one). However, I was never satisfied with the light. It came with an 18" fixture and a purplish fluorescent bulb. It made my plants look kind of green-brown at best, and the dark green "mature" leaves looked brown under it.
Good light in a planted aquarium is also important for keeping the aquarium healthy. As detritus breaks down into Ammonia, Nitrites and then to Nitrates, the plants will help absorb them and keep their overall concentrations closer to 0. A well lit, well planted aquarium will not only be beautiful but be more likely to be healthy too (not counting fish diseases of course).
Ideal light for aquarium plants is in the green and blue spectrum- reddish light promotes algae growth. In fluorescent light terms that means you want 6500K-10000K. Different people will tell you different things. The second thing to consider was the Watts/Gallon. I was at 3/4 (15 Watts / 20Gallons) of the wrong light. 2 Watts per gallon is considered to be a good, strong amount of light (adjust some for extra depth on a tank like this) Obviously what I have won't do.
So I thought about it and came up with the simplest and least expensive design I would think of that would give me a lot more light. I didn't think of making an instructible out of this until after I'd started, but I hope my pictures can still help. And if anyone has questions, just message me!
Parts:
2 two-packs of Sylvania 13W 6500K micro-mini "Daylight" bulbs- $6.98/pack
(They also have 26 Watts, but I didn't get them. If I decide I want more light yet, I might try them. They
might get hotter though)
3 sockets with brackets and leads- $2.17/each
1 GFCI adapter- Ask and decide what you want. This is NOT necessary, but it could save your life. I bought one.- $15.28
Some tinfoil for a reflector
A small metal bolt, washer, lock washer, and nut
30 minutes to an hour, depending on your efficiency at hands on stuff.
Total- $20 some without the GFCI
$35 some with the GFCI
*Note that all this is is your doing and therefore you are responsible. I would only do this if you have a glass humidity shield. If humidity gets on this it will almost certainly ruin the light socket, and could potentially cause a short, meaning melting or a fire. So, be smart.
Good light in a planted aquarium is also important for keeping the aquarium healthy. As detritus breaks down into Ammonia, Nitrites and then to Nitrates, the plants will help absorb them and keep their overall concentrations closer to 0. A well lit, well planted aquarium will not only be beautiful but be more likely to be healthy too (not counting fish diseases of course).
Ideal light for aquarium plants is in the green and blue spectrum- reddish light promotes algae growth. In fluorescent light terms that means you want 6500K-10000K. Different people will tell you different things. The second thing to consider was the Watts/Gallon. I was at 3/4 (15 Watts / 20Gallons) of the wrong light. 2 Watts per gallon is considered to be a good, strong amount of light (adjust some for extra depth on a tank like this) Obviously what I have won't do.
So I thought about it and came up with the simplest and least expensive design I would think of that would give me a lot more light. I didn't think of making an instructible out of this until after I'd started, but I hope my pictures can still help. And if anyone has questions, just message me!
Parts:
2 two-packs of Sylvania 13W 6500K micro-mini "Daylight" bulbs- $6.98/pack
(They also have 26 Watts, but I didn't get them. If I decide I want more light yet, I might try them. They
might get hotter though)
3 sockets with brackets and leads- $2.17/each
1 GFCI adapter- Ask and decide what you want. This is NOT necessary, but it could save your life. I bought one.- $15.28
Some tinfoil for a reflector
A small metal bolt, washer, lock washer, and nut
30 minutes to an hour, depending on your efficiency at hands on stuff.
Total- $20 some without the GFCI
$35 some with the GFCI
*Note that all this is is your doing and therefore you are responsible. I would only do this if you have a glass humidity shield. If humidity gets on this it will almost certainly ruin the light socket, and could potentially cause a short, meaning melting or a fire. So, be smart.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1Out with the old, in with the new
Mine was an 18" fluorescent panel with 4 screws. The screws fit into the plastic panel that makes the main housing. With this panel gone I used the holes for the screws and the same screws to mount a 1/2" X 1/8" aluminum panel as a common rail. From this rail I could drill holes where I needed and place the light sockets as needed.
Because it seemed convenient, I used two of the screw holes for two sockets, and only drilled one extra hole to mount the last socket.
Because it seemed convenient, I used two of the screw holes for two sockets, and only drilled one extra hole to mount the last socket.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
 |
Add Comment
|
