# Diy cfl light fixture



## GxneFishing (Jan 7, 2012)

Sorry, I accidently hit submit before finished. 
Here I wired everything up and tied the power cord in a knot to keep it from pulling out. 
I got some over spray in the fixture so I recomend using tape on the inside to prevent this if your not going to use a reflector.







Im still new to this, but it seems to me the pvc would be a ok/good reflector. I know when the fixture is plugged in it is very unpleasent to look at the lights. Yea we shouldnt look at the light but it seems very bright for my eyes. I planned on painting the inside white and bought flat white paint to do it. I was just goign to post this and look for some feed back on weather it was necessary or not. Im thinking this will be to much light for my 20 gallon tank but only time will tell. Algae can always be scraped off and the tank can be restarted if need be. Trial and Error is what this hobbyis all about to me. 
Thank you everyone for looking and hopefully I have helped someone along the way or gave another idea for lighting. Comments and Feedback are always welcomed, Im still learning.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi GxneFishing,

What happens if those two power wires with the wire nuts become moist under that hood or worse yet dip down into the water below?


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## EnigmaticGuppy92 (Jan 31, 2012)

i would add a condensation tray or a clear barrier from moisture or your going have a bang :O


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## GxneFishing (Jan 7, 2012)

Thats a great question Seattle, The aquarium top on my aquarium is plastic, with the glass window. The light fixture sits on top of the glass. The wires aren't long enough to even see the water in the tank itself. The wire nuts have a white silicon type grease in them its more a mess than useful if you ask me. They came from a landscape lighting project I did a while back. 
But to get technical and maybe this is because any aquarium hood I have owned is more than 2 years old. All the connections I have ever seen have been done with a cheap wire nut. I changed the ballast out in the Original light a week ago and it was done with a wire nut. The tombstones for the flourescent were by no means a waterproof setup. I guess I personally don't see an issue with water intrusion. If It becomes an issue over time with evaporation/ condensatin issue ill be the first one to post here saying it happened. But for now I dont see much of an issue. 
Do you have a previous issue where using wire nuts became an issue?


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## EnigmaticGuppy92 (Jan 31, 2012)

sounds ok now was worried for a second then ahah


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Looks very good to me. I did a similar retrofit into a nano cube aquarium, where there was nothing between the lights and the water except about an inch of air. No problems at all, no condensaton, no dripping, nothing but good light. And, I used wire nuts too.

If you have any problems I suspect they will be from lack of ventilation of the housing. You might consider drilling a grid of small holes on the top to let the heat out. Some light will shine through the holes, but that may not be excessive.


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## Dgup (Jul 5, 2011)

I'd add some vent holes in the top.
Maybe cut up some baker tins or carefully attach some aluminum foil for a reflector?


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## dustbust_1 (Jan 17, 2012)

I could put some real duct tape on the inside. It is metallic on one side and sticky on the other. Prob easier than aluminum foil but will give the same effect.


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## GxneFishing (Jan 7, 2012)

Well its been 2 days, No fire, No heat issues of the fixture, BUT Hello ALGAE! its amazing what a diffrence lighting can make in a tank. Algae on plants, algae forming on the glass.. Yes apparently 4 13w 6500k cfl's for 12 hours a day is to much light for a 20 gallon tank


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## proaudio55 (Oct 20, 2011)

Whoops! But that's the beauty of CFL's, you can drop in 9w bulbs and try again. No biggie, 2 minute job.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Ya, I was only thinking 2 of them for my 20gal, or 3 or 4 but with two separate plugs for timers to only have the 3rd or 4th one come on for a few hours a day for a high noon effect. 4 seems a lot.


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## kcartwright856 (Jan 16, 2012)

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

I am just starting out and I need a light upgrade! So far, I've managed to put two 26 watt CFLs above my 29 gallon using an old incandescent hood, but I need more light as inexpensively as possible. This seems like an excellent solution!

I'm going to show these plans to my dad when he comes to visit this weekend and ask him to build it for me!


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## GxneFishing (Jan 7, 2012)

kcartwright856 Your welcome im glad I could help. Its fairly simple yet effective.


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## kcartwright856 (Jan 16, 2012)

It looks simple! It's beyond me because I don't know how to do these things and don't have the tools, but I know for sure that my dad can do it, or perhaps even my pap. My pap built my tank stand, which I'll get pictures of soon.

If we can't find a post like this, would scrap wood work? I'm thinking a simple wooden box, built to fit on my hood, with holes drilled for ventilation and some sheet metal screwed inside for reflection.

The last thing I want to do is start a fire! Do the bulbs get that hot? I figure if it doesn't melt that vinyl, some wood would be fine, but I don't really know much of anything like that.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

kcartwright856 said:


> It looks simple! It's beyond me because I don't know how to do these things and don't have the tools, but I know for sure that my dad can do it, or perhaps even my pap. My pap built my tank stand, which I'll get pictures of soon.
> 
> If we can't find a post like this, would scrap wood work? I'm thinking a simple wooden box, built to fit on my hood, with holes drilled for ventilation and some sheet metal screwed inside for reflection.
> 
> The last thing I want to do is start a fire! Do the bulbs get that hot? I figure if it doesn't melt that vinyl, some wood would be fine, but I don't really know much of anything like that.


A few holes in the top to allow the heat to vent should prevent melting as they don't get that hot. Why do you feel you need more light on your 29 with 2-26w bulbs already on there?


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## GxneFishing (Jan 7, 2012)

I took a reading off the top of my hood with the 4 bulbs going, it was 118 degrees. No melting has occured but it has cut back on my heater cycling a bit. A wood box will work fine, sheetmetal, a piece of 4" rain gutter. After I built mine I thought of the rain gutter idea and seen its already been done. But im content with the PVC so ill let it ride a bit. Im not going to question your motives but I to wonder why you need more light.. Is it a spacing issue or a mix matched hood? 

here is a gutter build for another idea: 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/163364-cfls-gutter-lighting.html

heres another option you dont need to really build anything:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/153195-my-inexpensive-cfl-light-solution.html

and one more: 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/d...-light-hood-circadian-rhythm.html#post1560843

im sure there are more but these are what I have chosen to go by.. Something diffrent for everybody. Good luck let us know what you come up with.


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## kcartwright856 (Jan 16, 2012)

Well, now... this is interesting! I was told in other threads that two 26 watts over my 29 gallon was still low light. I would like to go medium.

The hood IS mixed and matched since I took it from a tank that my mother had in her attic, but that's not an issue for me because I have a cover/canopy thing that hides all of that.

Well, shucks. Now I'm confused. =(


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## GxneFishing (Jan 7, 2012)

Don't let me constru you away from your original plans. I to am still confused at the whole lighting thing. I do know this, 4 13w bulbs = algae in 2 days... I was just comparing my setup to yours thats all. I know nothing about light whatsoever and this fixture was just an experiment and it worked. Hoppy on the other hand is the light MAN and he commented in the thread so I figured I did something right. Low light mod light high light I have no idea what i have created. Im sorry to confuse you.


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## proaudio55 (Oct 20, 2011)

kcartwright856 said:


> It looks simple! It's beyond me because I don't know how to do these things and don't have the tools, but I know for sure that my dad can do it, or perhaps even my pap. My pap built my tank stand, which I'll get pictures of soon.
> 
> If we can't find a post like this, would scrap wood work? I'm thinking a simple wooden box, built to fit on my hood, with holes drilled for ventilation and some sheet metal screwed inside for reflection.
> 
> The last thing I want to do is start a fire! Do the bulbs get that hot? I figure if it doesn't melt that vinyl, some wood would be fine, but I don't really know much of anything like that.


I built a prototype fixture out of plywood and lined the inside with foil HVAC ductwork tape. It worked fine. As long as you leave 1/2" gap between the tank's lid or put a few vent holes in there, it won't over heat. At first keep an eye on it, stick a meat thermometer in there. If all your readings are below 120 deg F you're 'golden'.


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## kcartwright856 (Jan 16, 2012)

Thank you, proaudio! I will pass that info to my dad.

About my current semi-upgraded lighting... I'm setting that up today. I think I will start a new thread in the lighting section to talk about if it's good enough for me or if I should go with this 4-bulb deal.

Or... you wouldn't HAVE to go with 4 bulbs, would you? Are there single bulb fixtures that could be put in the box so that there are only 3 bulbs over the tank?


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## GxneFishing (Jan 7, 2012)

Yes they make single bulb fixtures you could use, They are actually easier to find than the double ones. At home Depot or Lowes they sell them in the electrical Dept mixed with the switches, outlets,plugs and such. Sometimes they have a bin somewhere with specialty parts and there are diffrent ones in there. Someone in the Dept should know what your looking for and direct you to the right section. Starting a thread never hurts, thats why I started this it always helps Someone. Good luck let us know what you end up with.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

I just did mine with 3 bulbs over a 20gal. 13w bulbs, lined the inside of an old hood with HVAC tape, can see 3 bulbs in the reflection. It may be too much, I'll see in a few days. If so, I plan to wire each one separately, 3 timers, then have the left one on, then left + center, left + center + right, center + right, right, off, sort of like a sun cycle rising and setting. I only had 1 cord right now to cutup and only 2 timers, so if I do it, I'll do it right when I have the cords and timers.


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## kcartwright856 (Jan 16, 2012)

Showed this thread to my dad this weekend while he was in town. He's an engineer, but I'm sure that he appreciated the photos and clear descriptions.

He took some measurements and went home to hopefully start working on it! I told him that I think I'll only need three bulbs. Just a waiting game now!

Thanks so much again for sharing all of this!


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

kcartwright856 said:


> Showed this thread to my dad this weekend while he was in town. He's an engineer, but I'm sure that he appreciated the photos and clear descriptions.
> 
> He took some measurements and went home to hopefully start working on it! I told him that I think I'll only need three bulbs. Just a waiting game now!
> 
> Thanks so much again for sharing all of this!


3 over my 20 seems to be great so for.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

It would be interesting to see what happens if you remove two bulbs for two weeks (maybe just unscrew enough that two don't light.

See what your temps are and how your Algae grows.

Nice simple DIY idea. I can see this being a very good option for people with several plant grow-outs or shrimp tanks.


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## GxneFishing (Jan 7, 2012)

DogFish said:


> It would be interesting to see what happens if you remove two bulbs for two weeks (maybe just unscrew enough that two don't light.
> 
> See what your temps are and how your Algae grows.
> 
> Nice simple DIY idea. I can see this being a very good option for people with several plant grow-outs or shrimp tanks.


I took out one bulb on each end and replaced it with a 10w cfl from the fish section at walmart. The algae slowed alot! I also invested in 2 oto's They have cleaned eveything in just 3 days! Those little guys can eat!
Temp hasn't been an issue since ive cut the light back to about 7 hours a day. it may warm up a degree or two but the heater set on 76 regulates it at night time.


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## Rich Conley (Jun 10, 2008)

Nice job.


My one suggestion would be to put some venting into it. Heat seems to really kill the life (and brightness) of CFL bulbs. The hotter they run, the faster they dim


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

GxneFishing - Love the disclaimer :hihi:


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## mjbn (Dec 14, 2011)

Rich Conley said:


> Nice job.
> 
> 
> My one suggestion would be to put some venting into it. Heat seems to really kill the life (and brightness) of CFL bulbs. The hotter they run, the faster they dim


Yeah, I was told the same thing. I was actually told by someone that their bulb exploded/burned out cuz it got too hot. I added 10 holes above each bulb on my DIY lid. 

@kcartwright856, I was in your situation when I made mine. I had no understanding of wiring or anything. A bit of help from some members on another forum, and I was able to make a very nice looking lid for $20 total, AND I now have a beginners understanding of how to wire things and improv with screw sizing/etc. You should take the plunge with your dad and try it out If you need help, I can link you to my thread when I first learned too!


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