Lighting Questions
Sun, 10/25/2009 - 07:15
I was just wondering what type of lighting you all were using? One of the other "bulk purchases" that are out there is for bulbs. The specialized Aquarium Bulbs are sometimes a ripoff and you can get the same bulbs for much cheaper. Also, if one of your bulbs suddenly goes out, it would be nice to know if we could maybe lean on one anotherto "borrow" a bulb while we try to find a replacement. If you have a fish only tank this is not a big deal, but with plants they all could die.
Personally, I am using T12 VHO and NO (6 ft and 4 ft), 24 watt Power Compacts, 24 watt T5 HO, and 18 watt fluorescent bulbs. I am really trying to consolidate where I am using one or maybe two types of bulbs where I can buy the same bulb for everything. Currently, I have replacement 4 ft and 6 ft VHO bulbs, and 4 ft NO bulbs, but that is all.
As an aside, I buy most of my bulbs from lightbulbdepot.com and also have purchased from BigAls when they had a sale for free shipping, no matter what the size of the package (bought 4 6ft VHO bulbs). Where do you all shop for bulbs?
I would be happy to offer up any loaners of what I have and would like to know what you all have as well or just where some good deals may be found.
Thanks everyone!
Mon, 10/26/2009 - 04:26
#2
On your compact fluorescent bulbs, do you use the AH Supply reflectors? I just picked up two reflectors for their double 36 watt kit and they seem great. Turns out I cannot use them where I want to, but may just have to use them on a new tank. Oh well 
And by the way, you have a lot of tanks. I do not feel so bad now
Regarding Summit, they stock bulbs? I had never thought to try there before. And yes, T5s are hard to come by locally, but if the bulbs you are buying are under 4 feet (like the 39 watt, 3 ft variety) the shipping is normally very reasonable. I would really like to convert to 6, 3ft T5s over my 125 instead of the 6 ft VHO bulbs just for simplicity. Then I might even be able to buy them by the case and safe a little money.
Just out of curiosity, why did you switch that fixture to LEDs? It looks like it used to be a PowerCompact fixture. I would love to build my own LED fixture like this: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/84212-designing-building-led-fixtu... but 300+ dollars is out of my budget right now.
Thanks for the awesome post Pat, I appreciate it!
Mon, 10/26/2009 - 07:52
#3
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Only on the fixture that I bought all the parts from them.
On your compact fluorescent bulbs, do you use the AH Supply reflectors?
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LOL, many of my shrimp will interbreed......so that means lots of tanks. Also, they have different water requirements.
And by the way, you have a lot of tanks. I do not feel so bad now
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The ballast I found online as a replacement for the fixture didn't have good reviews and I didn't want to have to replace it again in 6 months. The ballast I decided to use was more expensive but I decided to go with the brand we use in our business. They stock a good number of bulbs and order for us as well. A side note to lamps is this: My husband prefers the sylvainia (sp?) lamps because they seem to hold up longer than most of the others. We don't have as many service calls to replace them, anyway.
Regarding Summit, they stock bulbs? I had never thought to try there before.
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These are 34" t5's. I could not find them anywhere except Clarks and possibly Light Bulb Supply in Albuquerque (they moved the store and I didn't have time to look for the new one when the directions I got didn't get me there :T5s are hard to come by locally
). I looked online as well and the shipping made them expensive. I haven't been impressed with the Glo fixture I bought.
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It had regular fluorescent lamps in it. One of the lamps quit and it turned out to be something with the ballast. The cost of replacing the light portion of the hood was too much. I started trying to figure out how I could salvage the hood......then I thought about the LED lights I bought last winter that didn't work for what I bought them. Five of the bars fit where the 2 lamps had been. Another plus is the LED's don't put out any heat. I've had problems with the tanks using the Eclipse hoods getting too hot. Since I have only lower light plants in that tank, I'm hoping it will work.
Just out of curiosity, why did you switch that fixture to LEDs?
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That is an interesting thread that I had not seen. Thanks for sharing it with us. I didn't get all of it read but didn't he get it built for around $150.00? There are some draws for using LED like, long term power savings, they last a long time and the big one for this particular tank is that they don't put out heat. It is really hard to keep the temp down in the low 70's in the summer time with fluorescent lighting.
I would love to build my own LED fixture like this
This is an interesting thread Chris. I'm always curious what other hobbyists use 
Tue, 10/27/2009 - 04:23
#4
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That is an interesting thread that I had not seen. Thanks for sharing it with us. I didn't get all of it read but didn't he get it built for around $150.00?
Well adding was never my strong point I had thought for some reason I had read that he had about 300 invested when all was said and done. I was wrong. I think I was taking into account the replacement LEDs and such he had to buy or it could possible be another build article.
After reading the most recent posts there, the driver circuit (which is where most of the cost comes from) is very simple and would not require much effort to build. My DIY projects always end up costing sooo much more and either sit on a shelf or become the bane of my existence. I am really trying to not be so "oh look something shiny" when it comes to Aquariums and new projects as of late, but it is not working out so well.
So another question regarding lighting for you, and whoever else may want to chime in: Do you use large canopies or do you just use the basic ones that come with most tanks? I have some pretty large canopies that make the tank look more like furniture, but am thinking about making something smaller and more compact. Was just wondering what you all were using?
Thanks for all the feedback, it is nice to be able to bounce ideas off people. Have a good one!
Sat, 07/03/2010 - 20:28
#5
DIY Hood for 29-gallon: Homemade hood for 29-gallon.I am setting up what will eventually be a heavily planted 29-gal tank that will house only about 10 rummynose tetras. I just made my own hood for it out of MDF and I mounted 2 power strips inside to plug daylight CFL's into using plug-in socket adapter things. 4 x 14w fluorescent which I think works out to almost 2 watts per gallon. Actually I have a question about that topic. Which is more important: total watts or intensity of watts? If I put in one 42 watt fluorescent bulb instead, would that be better for my plants than the 56 total watts I have now? I'm just learning about planted tanks . . .
Sat, 07/03/2010 - 20:45
#6
My honey is building me an LED fixture right thIs very minute! I'm sooo excited! I have the standard hood, but needed a bit of extra light for my plants. From what I read it should work well...keeping fingers crossed. The one we're making is using LED strips that are out of a display Mark took down at work. It's basically two circuit boards of lights...about 15x2 with two rows each. Those are getting attached to a metal/wood crossbar that's getting made. It should look all nice and streamlined when done. Yeah for DIY!! I just hope it's enough light. I used to have a small (T-4) flourescent strip light as an extra on the tank, but it got waaay hot...and then broke.
Sat, 07/03/2010 - 22:26
#7
Definitely let us know how it works out; I think it will look great! I have seen some people build some LED lights for their tanks and had great results. Good luck.
Sat, 07/03/2010 - 22:34
#8
Light intensity is a tricky subject and will vary depending on the type of bulb you use. The spiral bulbs you have are not going to be putting all of their light into the tank unless there is something to reflect it back down. A good reflector is flat white paint inside the hood (Which it looks like you have already done). Also, the watts per gallon rule was based on T12 bulbs which do not have the same intensity as T5, T8, or Compact Fluorescents. Now about your question regarding one or four bulbs, I would go with four for distribution purposes. A brilliant light in one area of the tank is only good for that portion of the tank. In that same line of thinking, the 14 watt CFLs will not cover the full length of the tank so you are not really getting 56 total watts. If they were tube bulbs, the wattage would be evenly distributed. Does that make sense?
Personally, I would go with the four bulbs as you have them now and make sure you have everything painted white. That will help to spread the light around the tank for your plants. Also, you may want to look into using those toddler outlet plugs to cover the exposed outlet. Without any venting of your hood, humidity could build up in there and cause issues. That is me being a little paranoid.
Sat, 07/03/2010 - 22:45
#9
That is a REALLY good idea about the outlet plugs. I'm not sure if the humidity will build up enough to cause a problem but I'm with you - better to be safe when electricity and water are concerned. I'll try the 4 bulbs the way I have it and see if the plants grow OK - otherwise I'll just get some higher watt CFL's. That's what I like about this design - it will be easy and relatively cheap to try new bulbs. Thanks for your input!
Sun, 07/04/2010 - 07:25
#10
Fish watcher, its not clear from your picture, but do you have a splash guard? If not, I'd be very concerned about splashes up onto those power strips... even with outlet covers I don't think that would be safe. I don't know about yours, but my fish splash at the surface all the time.
Sun, 07/04/2010 - 09:23
#11
I have a piece of glass (you can see the edges wrapped in brown electrical tape in the picture) covering the tank except for the front 3 inches and a corner in the back for the heater and pump cords to feed through. Do you think that is adequate? I am hoping so.
Mon, 07/05/2010 - 09:37
#12
Its probably ok. I would get the outlet covers though. Is it a GFCI circuit?
I have a variety of lighting.....I tried to stay under the amount of light that would require CO2.
125 - 2 96W compact fluorescent - has been very reliable
LED replacement light
80 - 2 65W compact fluorescent - has been very reliable
2 20 gallon - 2 20W fluorescent lamps - All Glass lights. They've been good.
1 20 gallon that has a marineland hook kit that I've had to change out because the ballast quit and it would be expensive to replace with marineland parts. I used some LED lights I had as the replacements. Here is a picture of the finished light. It wouldn't be any good for plants that need much light.
1 20 gallon - marineland hood kit
2 10 gallon - marineland hood kit
1- 2 39W T-5 Glo light - I've had to change the ballast in this light. It lasted about 6 months.....
1 40 gallon - 2 55W & 2 15W compact fluorescent lamps. I got the kit from ahsupply.com. They have lots of lighting options.
When I've had lights go out, I've used lamps until I could get the replacement bulbs in. Having someone to share with would make it much better.
For replacement lamps I use Summit Electric supply, Hellolights.com and the various online pet stores. It depends on what I need and who has it in stock. The t5 lamps are a pain....I couldn't find any replacement lamps other than the pet store.
Have a great day, Pat