# DIY 10 Gallon Suspended Light



## houstonhobby (Dec 12, 2008)

Wow! You are a metal-working master. What tools do you need to do something like this?


----------



## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Some sheet metal sheers and basic rivet gun are the only "specialty" tools. Otherwise just the normal drill, screwdrivers, soldering stuff for the wires, etc.


----------



## houstonhobby (Dec 12, 2008)

I was thinking at least a bending brake. What forms the seam between the top and the two semi-circular side pieces? Pictures make it look like they might be siliconed.


----------



## CAM6467 (Feb 11, 2009)

That's what the rivets were for. If you look closely at the first photo you can see how the "side pieces" have a little flange bent inward on the inside of the rounded "top piece". That's where you would drill yourself a hole for the rivet head to go through, pop that sucker, and there you have it...a connection point. This process was done three times per side and twice for the middle support bar structure (at least that's what I can tell from the photo). The caulk just finished the job off by filling in any gap and making a more finalized seam. 

Am I in the ball park *prjct92eh2*?


----------



## CAM6467 (Feb 11, 2009)

Now, did those Hampton Bay lights used to be a lamp of some sort? I am just about to make some major mods to my 10 gallon as well, and I'm wanting to either buy a nice light or do a nice DIYer like this. I like the Hampton Bay lights used in conjunction with the AHS reflectors. This has given my mind a good jump-start. What sort of wattage are you pushing here? 

I can see that you re-wired the lights, nice job! This is so cool. How much did you spend on the whole thing? Probably less than $10-20, right?


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

That will be a very good fit for a 10 gallon tank. My light was just too little to work well with a 10 gallon, leaving the ends of the tank very much underlighted. I hope you can borrow a PAR meter from someone to see how much light you get and how uniform it is. That gives you 54 watts too!

Here is the lamp, from Home Depot:


----------



## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

CAM6467 said:


> That's what the rivets were for. If you look closely at the first photo you can see how the "side pieces" have a little flange bent inward on the inside of the rounded "top piece". That's where you would drill yourself a hole for the rivet head to go through, pop that sucker, and there you have it...a connection point. This process was done three times per side and twice for the middle support bar structure (at least that's what I can tell from the photo). The caulk just finished the job off by filling in any gap and making a more finalized seam.
> 
> Am I in the ball park *prjct92eh2*?


Exactly how it was done. The shell is just a rectangular sheet of metal and two half circles with 3 tabs each (one at each end and one in the middle). The caulk is to block light since the seal isn't perfect. I was hoping to not need a center brace but the long sides bowed out and the center brace is to reduce that.



CAM6467 said:


> Now, did those Hampton Bay lights used to be a lamp of some sort? I am just about to make some major mods to my 10 gallon as well, and I'm wanting to either buy a nice light or do a nice DIYer like this. I like the Hampton Bay lights used in conjunction with the AHS reflectors. This has given my mind a good jump-start. What sort of wattage are you pushing here?
> 
> I can see that you re-wired the lights, nice job! This is so cool. How much did you spend on the whole thing? Probably less than $10-20, right?


Yeah, see the pic Hoppy posted above. They are 27 watts each. I just gutted them for the parts. I spent in the ball park of $30 due to having to buy a rivet gun, which was about half the cost i think. I already had the lamps, which are $20 each, and the reflectors. The sheet metal, paint, caulk, nuts and bolts, lamp cord and strip of wood were about $15.


I wish i did have access to a PAR meter Hoppy. I'll make sure to get pics of the tank up when it has water, but that may be a month or so since i plan on doing a dry start with emersed HC.


Thanks everybody!


----------



## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Updates! Everything is suspended and functioning. Got my HC planted for several weeks of emmersed growing, so you can't really see much through the glass.

Overall pic of where the tank sits in my office









with the room lights off









from my seat









grow HC grow!


----------



## 17882 (Aug 25, 2008)

Second question (after my first in your other thread ), how did you cut the side panels?


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

How is the light working now? I'm betting it is good lighting for plants.


----------



## ps2er (May 21, 2006)

How did you make the black arm that holds the light over the tank?


----------



## Xcomx5 (Mar 24, 2009)

Great job on that lighting fixture it looks really slick with the black finish


----------



## SvenBoogie (Jul 3, 2009)

ps2er said:


> How did you make the black arm that holds the light over the tank?


Exactly what I was wondering...


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The light hanging bar is a bent conduit bracket, http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/59418-ada-style-light-bar-hqi-cheap.html which has been discussed in several threads here.


----------



## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Wow apparently my e-mail notification for this thread failed!



pbfreakon said:


> Second question (after my first in your other thread ), how did you cut the side panels?


They are just half circles with 3 tabs for the rivets cut out of the sheet metal using shears



Hoppy said:


> How is the light working now? I'm betting it is good lighting for plants.


It's doing great! The only modification i have made is to make new side panels with a tighter radius. This seemed to focus the light a bit more downward. I have moved it up to about 5" off teh surface of the water and my HC is growing nice and thick. I'll try to get a pic of how thick it is up in the next couple of days.



Hoppy said:


> The light hanging bar is a bent conduit bracket, http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/59418-ada-style-light-bar-hqi-cheap.html which has been discussed in several threads here.


Correct! Very easy to do and then paint with metal primer and black spray paint.


----------



## slicebo123 (Jan 4, 2010)

how did you attach your light fixture to the conduit? I actually am using a similar method for hanging my light (fix eye hooks drilled into the aluminum casing with some nuts to keep it in place.) What i'm still debating is the best way to attach _that_ to the light bar. One idea was just to tie it, but this seems kind of messy. What did you end up doing?


----------



## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Drilled a hole slightly smaller than the eye hook threads, screwed it in and reinforced with super glue.


----------



## slicebo123 (Jan 4, 2010)

i hate to belabor this. so you used fish eye hooks drilled into both the light fixture _and_ the conduit bar? what kind of clamps were you using for the cable?


----------



## prjct92eh2 (Apr 8, 2008)

Correct. I used ferrule ends by the fixture and just spiral wrapped the hanging wire around itself by the conduit. This way i can adjust the height easily.


----------

