# eclipse system 12 light retro kit upgrade



## DiabloCanine (Aug 26, 2005)

I have an eclipse 3 hood on my 20 gallon. The problem with the eclipse setup is the light(s) are mounted in the front of the hood. I did find a retrofit kit but it was very expensive and not available anymore. I just added a 15 watt strip light with a plant grow bulb that I found at the local home improvement store. I mounted it on the the middle lid. Now I have 3-15 watt bulbs for 45 watts total and a better spread of light throughout the tank. If you still want a retrofit for more/better light, I would suggest calling AH Supply (http://www.ahsupply.com/) and asking them for a kit. Here are some pics of what I did, hope this helps:


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*not system 3*

thats fine but i have a system 12 it takes on 5 inch 13 watt pc I cant put a striplight in mine . thanks ill contact ah and see what they got.
Dave


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## florafan (Jan 21, 2006)

I am also looking to upgrade my Eclipse 12 hood to have higher wattage. I've done a little research and had posted questions regarding this on this site. From some helpful replies, AH Supply has a retrofit kit and so does Current-USA (Sunpaq retrofit). I had emailed Current USA and the company's Customer Service told me that for the Eclipse 12, I can use retrofit kit 1611. The only thing is, none of the retrofit kits seem to come with enclosures. I am now trying to find info as to how to accomplish this since the light fixture must not be exposed to the water. Please post and share any info that you can find.

Hellen


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## DiabloCanine (Aug 26, 2005)

dschmeh said:


> thats fine but i have a system 12 it takes on 5 inch 13 watt pc I cant put a striplight in mine . thanks ill contact ah and see what they got.
> Dave


Isn't your tank 20 inches wide? You should be able to fit a strip light in there if it is.


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## DiabloCanine (Aug 26, 2005)

florafan said:


> I am also looking to upgrade my Eclipse 12 hood to have higher wattage. I've done a little research and had posted questions regarding this on this site. From some helpful replies, AH Supply has a retrofit kit and so does Current-USA (Sunpaq retrofit). I had emailed Current USA and the company's Customer Service told me that for the Eclipse 12, I can use retrofit kit 1611. The only thing is, none of the retrofit kits seem to come with enclosures. I am now trying to find info as to how to accomplish this since the light fixture must not be exposed to the water. Please post and share any info that you can find.
> 
> Hellen


Can you fit a cover on the rim of the tank? I have a 36 watt bright light kit over a 10 gallon without an enclosure, just cover the tank with a suitable material.


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## Nikki (Nov 7, 2005)

I had e-mailed AH Supply regarding a retrofit for my Eclipse 12 hood, and this is the answer I received:

We have no Kits specifically designed for Eclipse retrofits nor do we make any recommendations in this regard. We have looked at retrofitting Eclipse hoods but there always are two unresolved issues, 1)how to adequately protect the retrofitted lights from moisture, and, 2) the ability of the ABS plastic in those hoods to withstand the heat of additional wattage. Sorry I can't be of more assistance.

I know people have put more light into these hoods, but can't seem to get any info on how they did it. I, too, am concerned with the lights being exposed to the water, as the hood is not very high over the water. Since the hood is sort of a bowfront, I don't know if you could cut some acrylic to put between the lights and the water. 

The 13w bulb that comes with these tanks is so inadequate, they should be sold as fish-only tanks. I'm wondering if something similar to a Coralife Aqualight that could be mounted on legs would work, but then the filter is completely exposed. Oh, well, I think this 12gal Eclipse will just have to be a quarantine tank.


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*ah and eclipse system 12*

i called ah today and he told me there are people using the 36 w kit its not a retro made for the eclipse 12 but should fit. He didnt want to reccomend anything since he didnt have a exact replacement. the two issues that were already mentioned were moisture and heat . I ordered one and ill see what happens it will be here wednesday so ill post a update when i get it in. 
Dave


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*20 inch wide*

it is 20 wide at its widest point in the front but as the tank slopes back it gets narrower i dont belive a striplite will fit if it does ill have to remove the light thats in there . i would be swapping lights to gain 2 watts the one in there is a 13 watt pc that probably puts out more lumens then a strip light with a tube.ill take out my light and replace it with the ah and theat will give me 3 watt per gallon i was also told the light comes with some slots for cooling i assume i have to put ventilation slots in the hood and put in these inserts for cosmetics . ah 36 watt kit will be here wednesday ill keep you posted. also post pics when done .plants are growing better than expected with the standard light but i havent tried any high light plants either.
Dave



DiabloCanine said:


> Isn't your tank 20 inches wide? You should be able to fit a strip light in there if it is.


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*what size*

can u give me the measurements of your bright light 36
thanks 
Dave



DiabloCanine said:


> Can you fit a cover on the rim of the tank? I have a 36 watt bright light kit over a 10 gallon without an enclosure, just cover the tank with a suitable material.


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*ah light came in today*

well i ordered my ah light kit 36 watt yesterday and it came in today. The bulb in the socket is 16 3/4 " long 1" deep and 2" wide the reflector is 17" long 2" deep and 4" wide but can be trimmed or bent to fit the kit looks like it came with everything i needed. some custom hood construction / modification may be need. I plan on putting plexi glass between the light and water to protect form moisture it also came with a few vent plugs so i can cut holes in the hood to let out moisture and heat and put these vent plugs in so it looks nice . im at work and i wired it up real fast on a bench to try , bulb gets pretty warm its been on 30 minutes to hot to hold with bare hand. ballest is cool to the touch so far. It also came with spacers to put between the reflector and the top of the hood to protect plastic hood from heat. here are some pics . bulb shipping and tax ttl 69.37 probably put it in this weekend and will keep everyone posted as to how it works or problems i run into along the way. it should fit in just fine as the wides part of hood is 20" of course ill have to remove the stock light. ill look at the swith and it shouldnt be to hard to wire this to that switch. bulb has moisture resistand cap . If i put in a plexi barrior between bulb and water it should be fine ballest will be mounted remotely out of hood somewhere. reflector is polished mirror finish but looks yellow in picture because it has a plastic film on it to protect from scratches. I always had satwater reef tanks so im familiar with lighting but this is my first attempt at a planted tank any feedback would be appreciated.


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*update*

i got the light home and sized it up in my eclipse system 12 it will fit no problem i will mount it this weekend anyone have any pointers or suggestions . like vent holes to let heat out or protecting against moisture i guess these are the two problems with this type of project.


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## cbennett (Oct 20, 2005)

Huh. I have had a retrofit kit on my Eclipse 12 for about 5 years-ish now (32/28 watts, made by customsealife which is now out of business), and the bulbs just sit over the water. The cord connecting the bulbs to the ballast is thick black rubber and completely encloses the end of the bulb. Zero problem. Whenever I change the bulb I notice that there is calcium deposits on the bulb from water droblets I suppose but it's been running fine for a bunch of years now. I guess if you were really really worried about it you could have TAP Plastics or someone similar cut a piece of acrylic for you - just a wide strip that lays on the black rim and center brace, centered under the bulbs. You shouldn't need to worry about matching the shape of the bowfront that way.


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*ok*

i was planning on something like that just looking for any suggestions anyone has to offer. ah supply mentioned moisture and heat. anyone else have any tips.??
Dave


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

Thanks cbennett any problem with heat?


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*anyone*

will be installing light this weekend anyone eles have any experiance with this kit in a system 12 or any small hooded tank , need comments on heat and moisture
anyone 
anyone

tia
Dave


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*its in*

well i put the light in , very bright , perfect fit been going for about a hour heat is minimal actually may be less than before i mounted ballest remotly and factory light had ballest under hood.
Dave


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## florafan (Jan 21, 2006)

This certainly gives me encouragement to go ahead and retrofit my ownn Eclipse 12. Also thanks for replying to my post under 'Nano tanks'. Did you do anything about a barrier for the bulb or did you decide to leave the bulb expose?


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## dschmeh (Feb 5, 2006)

*exposed*

I left the bulb exposed it has a pretty good rubber endcap that should keep moisture out i drilled 4 quarter inch holes above the heat shield to let some heat out i have to put in the vents that came with the kit but i dint do that yet they are one inch and i dont have a one inch drill or a dremmell . I will put them over the very ends of the reflector since thats where the heat seems to be trying to vent as it follows the reflector . if u want light for the system 12 this will do it.


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## Zach987 (Mar 4, 2004)

I've said it many times ahsupply will hook you up


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## BuffaloM (Jan 10, 2005)

I'm going to ride on this post to help people who search for Eclipse 12 retrofit in the future.

About a year ago I did my own retrofit (after getting jerked around trying to get a retrofit that custom sealife made before they went out of business especially for the eclipse 12).

I was able to do it for about $50-60 buying the parts from a place called innovative lighting designs. My setup looks just like the AHA setup from what I can tell.

Fulham Workhorse 3 ballast (If I had only payed the $5 more for the workhorse 5, I'd have a 96 watt (quad) light in there right now, 3 doesn't support 96 watts)

32watt bulb (square pin because it was onsale)
The tank is about 18" wide where the light goes, this fit with room to spare.

Waterproof endcap, Reflector, 2 bulb holders and a couple of screws.

It came out less than the AHA kit, but not by much, and I got some items on sale. For those reading this who are looking into retrofitting, its probably worth your time to check the prices if have minimal electrical know-how. But if you're short on time or know how, AHA doesn't seem to be much more than the raw materials.

I've had mine mounted directly over the water without any problems for over a year now, though I worry about it sometimes, especially when I clean the precipitate off the bulb.

Also, I mounted the balast outside the tank to keep the heat down.

A 96 quad bulb or two 32/36 bulbs will probably fit in there, but it might be overkill for a planted tank. I had given it some thought for converting it to a nano-reef tank. Best to measure if thats your plan.

If someone has more than 36 watts in an eclipse 12 tank, I'd like to know if the heat is ok.

I hope this helps someone.


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## Korzak (Mar 3, 2008)

Hi all,

So I know this is an old thread, but I am pondering doing the same thing as the OP; mounting a kit in an Eclipse 12 to increase my wattage from this dismal 13W.

My question is this: can I upgrade to 24W and not have to set up a CO2 system? I really don't want to have to bother with that yet, but I do want more light. 

Thanks!!


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